Gary Kirsten Steps Down As Hobart Hurricanes Coach Due To Personal Reasons

Gary Kirsten, on Wednesday (July 11), stepped down as Hobart Hurricanes coach citing personal reasons. As a result, the team has promoted Adam Griffith – the assistant coach of the team in the previous season – as the head coach for the forthcoming season.

Expressing his disappointment over ending his association prematurely, Kirsten thanked the team and wished it for the upcoming season.

“I have made a decision for a specific personal reason to resign from my role as head coach of the Hobart Hurricanes. It is an unfortunate circumstance as I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the club. Want to thank everyone involved on the Hurricanes Program for their support and hard work, and I wish the players well for the upcoming season,” Kirsten said in a statement.

BIG thank you to @Gary_Kirsten for being our Hurricanes Head Coach for BBL|07 and guiding our club all the way to the Grand Final. Hope you can visit Hobart this Summer so our fans can give you a proper thanks + farewell. Success follows wherever you've coached! #KingOfCapeTown pic.twitter.com/AGifhz22jX

— Hobart Hurricanes (@HurricanesBBL) July 11, 2018

“I have no doubt the team will once again be extremely competitive, and under Adam Griffith and George Bailey they will enjoy strong leadership. Look forward to remaining a big Hurricanes supporter and will be watching closely from Cape Town. I loved my time in Hobart and explored much of Tasmania on my mountain bike, so thank you for a fantastic experience.”

Cricket Tasmania had appointed the former South Africa opener in April last year. Kirsten had replaced former Australia batsman Damien Martyn. The former India and South Africa coach was tasked with reviving a struggling outfit that had finished seventh in two successive seasons. And under Kirsten, the team’s fortunes changed by leaps and bounds immediately. In the last season, they made it to the final where they lost to Adelaide Strikers.

Griffith now have to build on the work done by Kirsten. Saying that it was a honour to coach the team, the former first-class bowler said he is looking forward to coach the side.

On the flipside, BIG congratulations to Adam Griffith our new Hurricanes BBL Head Coach after being Assistant Coach to @Gary_Kirsten last season. 'Griff' is now Hurricanes + Tasmanian Tigers Head Coach piloting our BBL|07 & Sheffield Shield 17/18 Grand Finalists to future glory! pic.twitter.com/p9UIYgmlSG

— Hobart Hurricanes (@HurricanesBBL) July 11, 2018

“It’s a big honour – even if a somewhat surprising one – to now become the BBL Hurricanes Head Coach, and caps off a pretty exciting last 14 months for me since joining the Tigers as their Head Coach in April last year,” Griffith said. “It was brilliant working with Gary last season and I certainly took a wealth of knowledge away with me from his time at the Hurricanes – like his tactical thinking and coaching drills.

“Now that I’m head coaching the bulk of both male squads year-round in Hobart, we can really grow some effective long-term plans and ‘mix and match’ our training for all T20, Limited Overs and Shield four-day formats. We don’t just want to go one better than last season’s Big Bash final and Sheffield Shield final – we want to be finals bound every year with the Hurricanes and Tigers,” he said.