Sri Lanka have appointed former South Africa debutant Gary Kirsten as their new head coach.
Kirsten will take over on April 15 after signing a two-year contract that will see her lead the country at next year’s 50-over World Cup, which will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
The 58-year-old coach led India to the World Cup title in 2011 and at the same time helped South Africa become the highest-ranked team in all formats of the game in 2013.
His most recent coaching job was with Pakistan’s limited-overs teams, but he resigned from the role in October 2024, just six months into a two-year contract.
Sri Lanka Cricket said Kirsten’s “primary responsibility will be to guide the team in their preparation and campaign for the 2027 World Cup.”
Kirsten played 101 Tests and 185 one-day internationals for South Africa between 1993 and 2004, scoring 14,087 runs and reaching 21 Tests and 13 ODI centuries.
Sanath Jayasuriya had announced that he would step down as Sri Lanka head coach following the team’s exit from the T20 World Cup, where Kirsten had worked as a consultant for Namibia.
Sri Lanka, who will face Afghanistan in three T20Is this month, are also scheduled to play three T20Is and three ODIs in England in September.