COLOMBO: Sri Lanka have appointed South African Gary Kirsten as their new head coach on a two-year contract as they begin preparations for the 2027 World Cup, the country’s cricket board said on Monday.

Kirsten, 58, previously guided India to the 2011 World Cup title and later coached South Africa from 2011 to 2013. He also briefly served as Pakistan’s white-ball coach in 2024, resigning six months into the job.

He replaces Sanath Jayasuriya, who stepped down after Sri Lanka’s disappointing campaign at the recent T20 World Cup.

“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 April 15, 2026,” they said in a statement. “The appointment of the new head coach is part of Sri Lanka Cricket’s efforts to revamp the structure of the National High Performance Center.”

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka have indefinitely postponed a six-match white-ball series against Afghanistan that was due to start in the United Arab Emirates this week, an official said on Monday.

“We had to cancel because of the flight situation... and the ongoing fighting in the region,” a Sri Lanka Cricket official told AFP.

The teams were scheduled to play three T20 internationals in Sharjah on March 13, 15 and 17, and three One-day Internationals in Dubai on March 20, 22 and 25.

It would have been the first time that Afghanistan had hosted Sri Lanka for a bilateral series.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2026