Gary Kirsten facts for kids
Kirsten in 2009
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 23 November 1967 Cape Town, Cape Province, South Africa |
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| Nickname | Gazza | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Left-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm off break | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Opening batsman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations | Paul Kirsten (brother) Peter Kirsten (half-brother) |
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| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut (cap 257) | 26 December 1993 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 30 March 2004 v New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 28) | 14 December 1993 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 3 March 2003 v Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI shirt no. | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–2004 | Western Province | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coaching information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2011 | India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Pakistan (ODI and T20I) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Source: ESPNcricinfo, 28 December 2009
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Gary Kirsten (born 23 November 1967) is a famous South African cricket coach and former player. He was a key member of the South Africa team that won the 1998 ICC KnockOut Trophy. This was the only major international trophy the country has won so far.
Kirsten played in 101 Test matches and 185 One Day Internationals for South Africa. He played from 1993 to 2004, mostly as an opening batsman. His half-brother, Peter Kirsten, also played cricket for Western Province. Peter also played for the South Africa cricket team, including in the 1992 Cricket World Cup.
After retiring as a player, Gary Kirsten became a successful coach. He coached the Indian cricket team from 2008 to 2011. During this time, India won the 2011 Cricket World Cup. He then coached the South African cricket team from 2011 to 2013. For a short time in 2024, he also coached the Pakistan national cricket team.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Gary Kirsten made his first Test match appearance against Australia in Melbourne in 1993. He stopped playing international cricket in 2004. In his very last game, he scored 76 runs against New Zealand, helping his team win.
He also made history by becoming the first South African player to play in 100 Test matches. This achievement also happened against New Zealand.
A Strong Batsman
Over his career, Kirsten became known as a very reliable batsman. He was strong in both Test cricket and One Day cricket. He could score runs quickly if needed, but in Test matches, he often waited for easy balls to hit. He was also a good fielder, catching many balls.
Kirsten held the South African records for most runs and centuries in Test cricket for a while. These records were later broken by Jacques Kallis. He was also the first Test batsman to score centuries (100 runs or more) against all 9 other Test-playing nations.
One of his most memorable innings was when he scored 275 runs against England. He batted for over 14 and a half hours! This is still one of the longest innings ever in Test cricket. His highest score was later passed by Graeme Smith in 2003.
One Day International Records
Kirsten still holds the record for the highest score by a South African in a One Day International. He scored 188 runs without being out against the United Arab Emirates. This happened during the 1996 Cricket World Cup.
This score is the tenth highest ever in One Day International cricket. It was also the third-highest score in World Cup history at the time. This record was later broken by Chris Gayle in 2015 and then by Martin Guptill in the same World Cup.
Coaching Career Journey
After finishing his playing career, Gary Kirsten started his own cricket academy. In 2007, he was considered for the job of coach for the Indian team. He accepted the offer and officially started coaching India on 1 March 2008.
Coaching India (2008–2011)
Kirsten's first full series as coach was against his home country, South Africa, which ended in a 1–1 draw. Under his guidance, the Indian team achieved great success. They won a home series against Australia. They also won their first series in Sri Lanka and their first Test and One-Day International series in New Zealand in 40 years.
Kirsten was highly praised by the Indian players. They felt he helped improve their skills, motivated them, and taught them new strategies. The team's performance clearly got better within months. In 2010, the Indian captain, M.S. Dhoni, called Kirsten "The best thing to happen to Indian cricket."
Winning the 2011 World Cup
After a successful tour of South Africa, Kirsten announced he would not renew his contract with India. He wanted to spend more time with his family, especially his two sons. He felt that three years away from home was enough.
Kirsten finished his time as India's coach in the best way possible. India won the 2011 Cricket World Cup! They defeated Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in the final on 2 April 2011 in Mumbai, India. After the win, players like Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, and Virat Kohli carried him around the field to show their respect.
Coaching South Africa (2011–2013)
On 5 June 2011, Kirsten was appointed the head coach of the South Africa national cricket team. He signed a two-year contract. One of his first decisions was to name AB de Villiers as the new captain for the shorter forms of the game.
Under Kirsten's coaching, the South African team reached the number one spot in the ICC Test rankings in August 2012. They achieved this by beating England 2–0. Kirsten decided not to renew his contract with Cricket South Africa and stepped down in August 2013, again citing family reasons.
Club Coaching Roles
After coaching national teams, Kirsten also took on roles with club teams:
- Hobart Hurricanes (2017–2018): He was the head coach of this Australian T20 cricket team.
- Royal Challengers Bangalore (2018–2019): He first joined as a batting coach and then became the head coach for the 2019 Indian Premier League.
- Gujarat Titans (2022–2024): He was appointed as the batting coach and mentor for this new team.
Coaching Pakistan (2024)
In April 2024, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that Kirsten would be the head coach of the Pakistan national cricket team for limited-overs cricket. However, he resigned in October 2024. This was due to disagreements with the PCB about how players were chosen for the teams.
See also
In Spanish: Gary Kirsten para niños
