Former South African cricketer and renowned coach Gary Kirsten will take on the role of Sri Lanka’s national men’s team head coach starting April 15.
Sri Lanka have announced the appointment of Gary Kirsten as the new head coach of the national men’s side. The former South African international has been appointed for a two-year period starting April 15, 2026.
Kirsten has enjoyed a stellar coaching career, most notably with India and South Africa. Under his guidance, India famously lifted the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. He later coached South Africa from 2011 to 2013, a period during which the Proteas rose to become the No.1 ranked team across all formats in 2013.
Kirsten’s most recent assignment came with Namibia at the recently concluded ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, where he served as a consultant.
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.