Sri Lanka appoint World Cup winning head coach as Sanath Jayasuriya's replacement

Former South Africa great Gary Kirsten, who led India to a famous World Cup victory against Sri Lanka back in 2011 as their coach, has been confirmed as Sanath Jayasuriya's replacement by the SLC.

Sri Lanka were snubbed from the race for the semi-finals of the ICC T20 World Cup after their humiliating defeat to New Zealand in a low-scoring second Super-8 clash. However, the host nation might have been left further humiliated with the four-match losing streak, which included a group-stage defeat to Zimbabwe and a 5-run defeat to Pakistan in the last Super-8 game.

Though the Lankans entertained their people with their performance, which included a victory against Australia, restricting England and New Zealand to low totals, and finishing the tournament with a nail-biting thriller against Pakistan, their efforts are all rounded up to zero if they fail to produce an impact that enlists them in the record books.

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SLC appoint Gary Kirsten as Sri Lanka's new head coach

The Sri Lanka Cricket board have formally appointed former South African great and World Cup-winning coach Gary Kirsten as the new head coach of the Sri Lanka Men's National Cricket team. They have also stated that his appointment will take effect from the 15th of April.

Gary Kirsten coached national sides like India between 2008 and 2011, which included many renowned victories and then South Africa between 2011 and 2013, when South Africa were crowned one of the greatest Test teams of the era.

Kirsten will replace former Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya, who held the position over the last two years and led them through a tough phase. Jayasuriya had declared before the start of the World Cup that this would be his last assignment with the Sri Lanka side.

Sri Lanka Cricket has appointed former South Africa cricketer Gary Kirsten as the new head coach of the national men’s team from 15 April 2026.

The former India World Cup-winning coach will serve a two-year term until April 2028 and will lead Sri Lanka’s preparations for the 2… pic.twitter.com/t0YUwS88Fk

— Cricwire (@CricWireLK) March 9, 2026

Sri Lanka Cricket officially announces Gary Kirsten's appointment

"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," the board confirmed through an official media release.

"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.

"His appointment with Sri Lanka Cricket will be for a two-year term ending on 14 April 2028," they specified.

"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," SLC sets clear goals for the former World Cup winner after his swift appointment following the T20 World Cup 2026.

Gary Kirsten's last role in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026

Before the ICC T20 World Cup, Gary Kirsten also served as Pakistan's white-ball coach, but that was for a very brief period before he gave up on the role after several altercations and disagreements with the PCB.

He was then seen as the consultant for the Namibia National Men's Cricket team during their recent campaign in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka. He has also served as the mentor and head coach of several franchise teams, the last of which was the IPL franchise Gujarat Titans.

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