Sri Lanka Cricket on Monday announced the appointment of Gary Kirsten as head coach of the national men’s team, confirming that the former South Africa opener will take charge from April 15, 2026, on a two-year contract that runs until April 14, 2028. In its media release, SLC also underlined that Kirsten’s primary brief will include leading Sri Lanka’s build-up to the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
Kirsten arrives after the end of Sanath Jayasuriya’s tenure, which had initially begun as an interim assignment in July 2024 following Chris Silverwood’s resignation. Jayasuriya was later handed the full-time role, with Sri Lanka Cricket saying in October 2024 that his term would run from October 1, 2024, to March 31, 2026.
Sri Lanka’s early exit from the T20 World Cup 2026 meant Jayasuriya had already decided that the tournament would be his final assignment in the role, even though he had not formally conveyed that decision to the board at that stage. Sri Lanka had reached the Super Eights but lost all three matches there and finished bottom of their group, prompting Jayasuriya to indicate he wanted to step aside.
Before Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka had lost Silverwood in June 2024, when the Englishman resigned for personal reasons. In a statement released by SLC at the time, Silverwood said the demands of international coaching had kept him away from his family for long stretches and that he felt it was time to return home.
That sequence leaves Gary Kirsten walking into a role shaped by two very different exits: one abrupt and personal, the other expected but influenced by results. Sri Lanka Cricket, however, has pitched the appointment as part of a broader structural reset, saying Kirsten’s arrival forms part of efforts to revamp the National High Performance Centre. The board also pointed to his previous success with India and South Africa, as well as his most recent consultancy role with Cricket Namibia during the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Media Release
09th March 2026
Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to announce the appointment of former South African cricketer Gary Kirsten as the new head coach of the national men’s team, effective from 15 April, 2026.
Kirsten, who enjoyed a distinguished international career representing South Africa, served as the head coach of the India men’s national team from 2008 to 2011 and the head coach of the South Africa men’s national team from 2011 to 2013.
During his tenures with the respective teams, he guided both teams to achieve significant heights in international cricket, including India winning the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2011 and South Africa becoming the number 1 ranked team in all formats of the game during the year 2013.
Kirsten’s most recent engagement was with Cricket Namibia during the concluded ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 as a ‘consultant.’
During his playing career, which spanned from 1993 to 2004, Kirsten scored a total of 14,087 runs across Test and One Day International (ODI) formats, including 21 Test centuries and 13 ODI centuries.
His appointment with Sri Lanka Cricket will be for a two-year term ending on 14 April 2028.Among Kirsten’s primary responsibilities will be guiding the Sri Lanka National Men’s Team in its preparation and campaign for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027, which will be held in South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.
The appointment of the new head coach is part of Sri Lanka Cricket’s efforts to revamp the structure of the National High Performance Centre.
