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 part of the South Africa team that won the 1998 ICC KnockOut Trophy.
Kirsten played 101 Test matches and 185 One Day Internationals (ODIs) 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 and the South Africa cricket team. Peter even played in the 1992 Cricket World Cup.
Gary Kirsten coached the Indian cricket team from 2008 to 2011. During this time, India won the 2011 Cricket World Cup. He then became the coach of the South African cricket team in June 2011 and left in August 2013. For a short time in 2024, he also coached the Pakistan national cricket team.
Contents
Playing Cricket: Gary Kirsten's Career
Gary Kirsten made his Test debut against Australia in Melbourne in 1993. He stopped playing international cricket in 2004. In his last game against New Zealand, he scored a match-winning 76 runs. He also made history by being the first South African player to play in 100 Test matches, also against New Zealand.
Batting Style and Records
Kirsten was known as a strong and reliable batsman in both Test and One Day cricket. He could score runs quickly if needed. However, in Test cricket, he often waited for the right ball to hit. He was also a very good fielder.
Kirsten held the South African records for most runs and centuries in Test cricket for a while. Later, Jacques Kallis broke both of these records. Kirsten was the first Test batsman to score centuries (100 runs or more) against all 9 other Test-playing nations.
Longest Innings and High Scores
One of his most famous innings was when he scored 275 runs against England. He batted for over 14 and a half hours! This is still the second-longest innings in Test history based on time spent batting.
In One Day Internationals, Kirsten holds the record for the highest score by a South African. He scored 188 not-out against the United Arab Emirates in the 1996 Cricket World Cup. This was the third-highest score in World Cup history at that time.
Coaching Cricket: Gary Kirsten's Journey
After he stopped playing, Gary Kirsten started his own cricket academy. In 2007, he was considered for the coach position of the Indian team.
Coaching India (2008–2011)
Kirsten officially became India's coach on 1 March 2008. His first series in charge was against his home country, South Africa, which ended in a 1–1 draw. Under his coaching, the Indian team achieved many great things.
- They won a home series against Australia.
- They had their first series win in Sri Lanka.
- They won their first Test and ODI series against New Zealand in New Zealand in 40 years.
- They also won the Compaq Cup in 2009.
Kirsten was praised by players for helping them improve their skills and confidence. The Indian captain, M.S. Dhoni, even called him "The best thing to happen to Indian cricket."
Winning the 2011 World Cup
Kirsten's time as India's coach ended after they won the 2011 Cricket World Cup. India defeated Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in the final on 2 April 2011 in Mumbai. To show their respect and happiness, players like Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, and Virat Kohli carried him around the ground during the celebrations. Kirsten decided not to renew his contract because he wanted to spend more time with his family.
Coaching South Africa (2011–2013)
On 5 June 2011, Kirsten became the full-time coach of the South Africa national cricket team. He coached them for two years. One of his first decisions was to make AB de Villiers the new captain for limited-overs games. Under Kirsten's guidance, the South African team reached the number 1 spot in the ICC Test rankings in August 2012, after beating England 2–0.
Kirsten left his role as South Africa's coach in August 2013, again due to family reasons.
Other Coaching Roles
After coaching national teams, Kirsten took on roles with club teams.
- Hobart Hurricanes (2017–2018): He was the head coach for this Australian T20 team in the Big Bash League.
- 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 the batting coach and mentor for this new team.
- Pakistan (2024): In April 2024, he was announced as the head coach for Pakistan's limited-overs cricket team. However, he resigned in October 2024 due to disagreements about player selection.
Business Ventures
In 2007, Gary Kirsten, along with Paddy Upton and Dale Williams, started a company called Performance Zone. This company helps individuals and teams in business and sports perform at their best.
See also
In Spanish: Gary Kirsten para niños
