Former India national cricket team Coach Gary Kirsten to Lead Sri Lanka national cricket team

On Monday, the Sri Lanka Cricket Board announced Gary Kirsten, a former South African player, as the new head coach for the men's team in Sri Lanka. His tenure is to begin on April 15. Sri Lanka did not perform well in the T20 World Cup 2026. Despite the fact that they played at home, they were eliminated in the Super 8 stage.

Gary Kirsten is a former South African player with a successful international career. He has been the head coach of India since 2008 and until 2011. Under his leadership, India won the 2011 ODI World Cup. He has also been the head coach of the South African team from 2011 until 2013.

The Sri Lanka Cricket Board said in a statement, "The appointment of the new head coach is part of Sri Lanka Cricket's efforts to revamp the structure of its National High Performance Centre." Gary Kirsten has an excellent record as a head coach. He also possesses extensive coaching experience, which he will leverage to strengthen the Sri Lankan cricket team. Kirsten served as a consultant to the Namibia team in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026.

Gary Kirsten began his international career in 1993 and announced his retirement in 2004. In his Test and ODI careers, Kirsten scored a total of 14,087 runs, including 21 centuries in Tests and 13 centuries in ODIs. Kirsten's tenure with the Sri Lankan cricket team will be for two years, ending on April 14, 2028. Kirsten's biggest responsibility will be preparing the Sri Lankan team for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

Sri Lanka's performance in the 2026 T20 World Cup was quite disappointing. Under Dasun Shanaka's captaincy, Sri Lanka performed brilliantly in the group stage, registering a resounding 8-wicket victory over Australia. However, the team suffered defeats in the Super 8 round against England, New Zealand, and then Pakistan.