‘The players have got to take responsibility’: Gary Kirsten

Head coach Gary Kirsten says Pakistan lost the plot after 15 overs during six-run defeat to India; agrees team will be under pressure in do-or-die game against minnows Canada today

Perplexed by Pakistan’s sudden disintegration in the T20 World Cup match against India here, the team’s recently-appointed head coach Gary Kirsten said his batters “lost the plot” after 15 overs and are under pressure after failing to perform at their best.

On verge of elimination

Pakistan are on the verge of being eliminated from the tournament after consecutive losses to debutants USA and arch-foes India. The loss to Rohit Sharma’s men on Sunday was a classic case of implosion with the side going from 80-4 in the 15th over to ending at 113-7 while chasing a modest 120.

Gary Kirsten

Kirsten emphasised the significance of strike rotation, particularly on challenging surfaces like the one here. He said his team failed to follow the strategy. “I think certainly on a pitch like that, it is really, really important to be able to rotate the strike. So, I agree with you that sometimes it’s fun to watch a game like this where it’s not only about hitting boundaries,” Kirsten said in the post-match press conference.

‘Lost too many wickets’

“But you also have to be able to use 120 balls really well. As I said, we did for 15 overs and then we lost the plot... we’re losing too many wickets. “As a batting unit, you can’t lose as many wickets as we are losing. Players have got to take responsibility when that opportunity comes,” he added. Pakistan were guilty of consuming 59 dot balls during the chase. Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah did the most damage with figures of 3-14 in his four overs.

The side’s next game will be at the same venue against Canada on Tuesday. It will be a virtual do-or-die encounter for the runners-up of the last edition. “These guys are all international players and they’re aware that when they’re not performing at their best that there’s going to be pressure put on them. That’s understandable,” Kirsten, who has coached the 2011 ODI World Cup-winning Indian team, said.

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