Gary Kirsten Biography 2025 Age, Height, Weight, Net Worth, Salary, Born and More

Gary Kirsten, born on November 23, 1967, is a former South African cricketer and cricket coach, recognized for being part of the South Africa team that won the 1998 ICC Knock Out Trophy, the country’s only ICC title to date. Over his international career from 1993 to 2004, Kirsten played 101 Test matches and 185 One Day Internationals, primarily as an opening batsman. His half-brother, Peter Kirsten, also played provincial cricket for Western Province and represented South Africa, notably participating in the 1992 Cricket World Cup. After retiring from international cricket in 2004 following a match-winning 76 against New Zealand, Kirsten built a reputation as a solid batsman in both formats.

Gary Kirsten Biography 2025

He became known for his ability to accelerate the scoring when needed, while often opting to patiently wait for loose deliveries in Test matches. A reliable fielder, he previously held South Africa’s records for most runs and centuries in Test cricket until they were surpassed by Jacques Kallis. Kirsten was the first Test batsman to score centuries against all nine other Test-playing nations. Notably, he amassed 275 runs against England, a record-setting innings that lasted over 14 hours, which remains the second-longest in Test history. In addition to his playing achievements, Kirsten has enjoyed a successful coaching career. He served as the head coach of the Indian cricket team from 2008 to 2011, leading them to victory in the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Following this, he took charge of the South African team in June 2011 and remained until August 2013. Most recently, in 2025, he had a brief stint as the coach of the Pakistan national cricket team.