Sri Lanka Cricket has appointed former South Africa opener Gary Kirsten as their new head coach. The 58-year-old will take charge on 15 April after signing a two-year contract that runs through next year's 50-over World Cup co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Kirsten succeeds Sanath Jayasuriya, who stepped down following Sri Lanka's exit from the T20 World Cup.

Kirsten brings extensive coaching experience to the role, having led India to World Cup glory in 2011 and helped South Africa achieve the top ranking across all formats by 2013. His most recent position was with Pakistan's limited-overs teams, though he resigned from that role in October 2024 just six months into a two-year deal. Sri Lanka Cricket specifically noted that his primary responsibility will be preparing the team for the 2027 World Cup campaign.

As a player, Kirsten represented South Africa in 101 Tests and 185 ODIs between 1993 and 2004, accumulating 14,087 runs and scoring 21 Test centuries and 13 ODI centuries. The veteran coach had worked as a consultant for Namibia during the recent T20 World Cup. Sri Lanka's upcoming fixtures include three T20Is against Afghanistan this month and a tour of England in September featuring three T20Is and three ODIs.