Sri Lanka Cricket Appoints Gary Kirsten as New Head Coach Sri Lanka Cricket has officially announced the appointment of former South African opener Gary Kirsten as their new head coach. The 58-year-old will assume his role on 15 April following a two-year contract. His tenure will include overseeing the team’s preparations for the 2027 50-over World Cup, which will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Kirsten’s coaching career includes leading India to the 2011 Cricket World Cup title and helping South Africa achieve the top ranking in all formats of the game in 2013. Prior to joining Sri Lanka, he served as a consultant for Namibia during their participation in the T20 World Cup. His most recent coaching position was with Pakistan’s limited-overs teams, but he resigned from that role in October 2024, just six months into a two-year contract. The Sri Lankan team, which recently exited the T20 World Cup, will face Afghanistan in three T20 Internationals this month. They are also set to play three T20Is and three ODIs in England in September. Sanath Jayasuriya, the previous head coach, had announced his resignation following the team’s exit from the T20 World Cup. Kirsten’s playing career with South Africa spanned from 1993 to 2004, during which he scored 14,087 runs across 101 Test matches and 185 one-day internationals. He achieved 21 Test centuries and 13 ODI centuries. His appointment marks a significant shift for Sri Lanka as they aim to rebuild their cricketing fortunes ahead of major international tournaments.#south_africa #t20_world_cup #gary_kirsten #sri_lanka_cric #sanath_jayasuriya
