Former South African opener Gary Kirsten has been appointed as the new head coach of the Sri Lanka national cricket team, with Sri Lanka Cricket confirming that he will officially take up the role from 15 April 2026.Signed on a two-year contract, Kirsten succeeds former Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya, who stepped down following Sri Lanka’s exit from the Super Eight at the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. During the same tournament, Kirsten worked with the Namibian national cricket team in an advisory role.
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The fifty-six-year-old man brings extensive international experience to the job. As a player, Kirsten represented the South African national cricket team in 101 Tests and 185 One Day Internationals. His coaching experience is equally impressive, notably leading the Indian national cricket team to victory in the 2011 Cricket World Cup and reaching the top of the ICC Test rankings during his tenure.After a successful stint in India, Kirsten went on to coach South Africa for two years. In April 2024, he was appointed head coach of the Pakistan national white-ball cricket team, although this partnership ended prematurely when he resigned due to differences with the board and players.Kirsten has also been actively involved in franchise cricket. He worked with Royal Challengers Bengaluru and later Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League, serving as batting coach as the Titans secured the title in their debut season in 2022.A key task during his time in Sri Lanka will be the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia next year. Sri Lanka will be looking to secure direct qualification for the global event.Kirsten’s appointment follows another recent coaching announcement by the SLC, which earlier this week appointed Jamie Siddons as head coach of the Sri Lanka Women’s National Team.
