Gary Kirsten. Image Credits: AFP
Gary Kirsten has become the most sought-after head coach ever since his 2011 World Cup win with the Indian team. Since then, he has had big-profile coaching jobs in the Indian Premier League, the Pakistan Super League, South Africa, and the Pakistan team.
And now he is set to begin his new role as the head coach of the Sri Lanka team, and he has begun prepping for the job and is already looking beyond immediate results and focusing on building a squad for the 2027 ICC World Cup.
Gary Kirsten’s success as coach
Gary Kirsten was the first South African to play 100 Test matches, and since retiring from all cricket in 2004, he has had a successful stint as a coach around the globe.
India won the ODI World Cup in 2011 under Kirsten's guidance, but South Africa won the Test match in 2012 and went on to become the top side in all three formats in the ICC team rankings later that year.
The Gujarat Titans, who won the IPL in their first season in 2022, had Kirsten as their batting coach. Kirsten began his two-year tenure as Sri Lanka's head coach on April 15. He discussed his aspirations and goals for the team with reporters in Colombo on Thursday.
Gary Kirsten wants Sri Lanka performing well across all formats
Gary Kirsten took over as Sri Lanka head coach from April 14, and he outlined the plan in an effort to combine Sri Lanka's cricketing heritage with data-driven modernization. A thorough "team audit" has defined Kirsten's first week.
Although Sri Lanka has always had talent, Kirsten feels that the team's current world rankings don't "match up" with that talent.
"The formula—we will progress as we go along. I have certainly been spending the first week doing a bit of a team audit, just to get to understand where everyone is at. You can't only rely on talent. You need a good work ethic and a good attitude. I am quite excited just to see all the players and what talent is out there,” Kirsten said, as quoted by ICC.
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Gary Kirsten reveals his game plan for Sri Lanka for the 2027 ODI World Cup
Kirsten is already reverse-engineering the team for those particular circumstances, with about 20–25 ODIs left before the 2027 World Cup in southern Africa. In particular, his home country of South Africa requires a certain kind of cricket, and he is searching for a very particular set of abilities.
Gary Kirsten said that figuring out what kind of squad he wants to create and what kind of players would fit those roles in his teams was his top goal with the Sri Lankan team.
"It's going to be very different conditions to what a lot of the guys are used to, so how do you plan for that? It's about making sure all our bases are covered in the skillsets of the team. Do we have guys with great air speed? Do we have guys that can swing the ball? Do we have guys that can bowl with bounce? Do you have top spinners? And do you have six batters who can bat on those kinds of conditions?” he added.
"For me, what's important around that is that we have a lot of depth in the group across the different formats. So you are able to rotate players when you need to. You can't expect one guy just to be playing all the time. He'll blow up quite quickly,” he stated.
Gary Kirsten’s first assignment as Sri Lanka’s head coach will be the tour to the West Indies in June-July. The tour comprises 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is, and 2 Tests. In August, Sri Lanka will host India for 2 Tests.
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