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Gary Kirsten Appointed Sri Lanka Head Coach, Eyes 2027 World Cup

Sri Lanka Cricket has appointed former South African batter Gary Kirsten as the new head coach of their national men's team, effective April 15. Kirsten brings a highly successful coaching pedigree, having guided India to their 2011 Cricket World Cup victory and later leading South Africa to the top ranking across formats. His appointment follows the departure of former coach Sanath Jayasuriya after Sri Lanka's exit from the 2026 T20 World Cup. Kirsten's immediate focus will be on preparing the Sri Lankan side for the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup, to be hosted in southern Africa.

Key Points: Gary Kirsten Named Sri Lanka Men's Cricket Head Coach

  • Starts role April 15
  • Coached India to 2011 World Cup win
  • Took South Africa to No.1 ranking
  • Replaces Sanath Jayasuriya
  • Scored 21 Test centuries as player
2 min read

Sri Lanka announces Gary Kirsten as new head coach for men's team

Former South Africa batter Gary Kirsten appointed Sri Lanka head coach. He led India to 2011 World Cup win. Begins role April 15.

"His primary responsibility will now be to prepare and guide Sri Lanka through the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup"

Colombo, March 9

Sri Lanka has announced the appointment of Gary Kirsten as the new head coach of the national men's side.

Former South African cricketer and renowned coach Kirsten will take on the role of Sri Lanka's national men's team head coach starting April 15.

Kirsten has enjoyed a stellar coaching career. He led India to victory in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, and later took South Africa to the top spot in international cricket rankings across all formats in 2013.

Most recently, he served as a consultant for Namibia at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, as per the ICC website.

This comes after former Sri Lanka head coach Sanath Jayasuriya decided to step down from his role. The announcement came soon after Sri Lanka lost to Pakistan by 5 runs in their last Super eight match of the 2026 T20 World Cup.

Before his successful coaching career, Kirsten also enjoyed a distinguished playing career for South Africa between 1993 and 2004. During that time, he scored more than 14,000 international runs, including 21 Test centuries and 13 ODI hundreds.

His primary responsibility will now be to prepare and guide Sri Lanka through the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup, which is set to be hosted by South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.

Kirsten was one of South Africa's best batters from 1993 to 2004. Kirsten scored 7289 in 101 Test matches, including 21 centuries and 34 half-centuries. In ODIs, he notched up 6798 runs in 185 outings with 13 hundreds and 45 fifties.

After retiring from cricket, Kirsten turned to coaching. He became India's head coach in 2007. Under him, India won the ICC ODI World Cup 2011. Kirsten has also served as head coach of the Pakistan men's team in 2024, before resigning.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Interesting choice. He's a world-class coach, no doubt, but I hope he understands the unique pressures and politics within Sri Lankan cricket. It's a different beast compared to BCCI.
V
Vikram M
As an Indian fan, I'll always be grateful to Gary for 2011. But seeing him coach Pakistan last year felt odd. Now Sri Lanka? Hope he brings them success, but not against us! 😄
R
Rohit P
Solid move. They need structure and discipline. His record speaks for itself. The 2027 World Cup is in Africa, his home turf—could be a big advantage for SL.
S
Sarah B
Respectfully, I'm not sure a foreign coach is the long-term answer. Would have preferred a local legend to build the system from within. But best of luck to him.
M
Meera T
He coached India to glory and knows Asian conditions inside out. This could be the turnaround Sri Lankan cricket desperately needs. Exciting times for our neighbors!

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