Sri Lanka appoint Gary Kirsten as head coach until 2028

Former South African cricketer Gary Kirsten has been appointed as the new head coach of the Sri Lanka men’s national cricket team, with his tenure set to begin on April 15, 2026. Kirsten brings extensive international coaching experience, having previously served as the head coach of India from 2008 to 2011 and later South Africa from 2011 to 2013.

During his time with India, Kirsten guided the team to a historic triumph at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2011. Under his leadership, South Africa also achieved remarkable success, reaching the No. 1 ranking across all three formats of international cricket in 2013. Kirsten’s most recent assignment was as a consultant with Cricket Namibia during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, where he played a role in supporting the team’s preparations during the tournament.

As a player, Kirsten enjoyed a distinguished international career for South Africa from 1993 to 2004. Across Test matches and One-Day Internationals, he scored 14,087 runs, including 21 Test centuries and 13 ODI centuries, establishing himself as one of South Africa’s most reliable opening batters.

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Kirsten has signed a two-year contract with Sri Lanka Cricket, which will run until April 14, 2028. One of his primary objectives will be preparing the national side for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027, scheduled to be held in South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.

Former Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya stepped down from his coaching role after a poor run in the T20 World Cup. Jayasuriya took over as head coach shortly after the 2024 T20 World Cup and enjoyed a promising start to his tenure. Under his leadership, Sri Lanka scripted a historic ODI bilateral series win against India in August 2024, their first in 27 years. The team also secured a memorable Test victory at The Oval before registering a 2-0 Test series win over New Zealand at home.

However, the latter half of his tenure was marked by struggles in the shortest format. Sri Lanka endured four successive defeats in the home T20 World Cup 2026, which led to an early exit from the tournament. The side also delivered underwhelming performances in the 2025 Asia Cup and a T20I tri-series in Pakistan.