Sri Lanka’s cricket fraternity is awaiting the arrival of new Head Coach Gary Kirsten, who is expected on the island shortly, with his first assignment being to prepare the team for the upcoming tour of the Caribbean.
The series, featuring all three formats, will be no gentle loosener. The centrepiece will be two Tests in Antigua, part of the World Test Championship.
Kirsten’s first fortnight in charge will be more reconnaissance than full-throttle coaching. With the senior pros scattered, some in India and Pakistan featuring in the IPL and PSL, others grinding it out in the NSL four-day competition and the next crop cutting their teeth against New Zealand ‘A’ down south.
The former South African opener will spend his early days travelling across the island, casting an expert eye over his resources before rolling up his sleeves. It is not quite the ideal scenario for a new coach looking to hit the ground running. Known for his methodical approach, he prefers to build his team brick by brick.
His pedigree is beyond dispute. He was at the helm when India scaled the summit of world cricket and later helped South Africa punch above their weight. But in Sri Lanka, a few fans will cheekily remind him of the night he broke 20 million hearts, the 2011 World Cup final at Wankhede Stadium when India got over the line. The image of him being hoisted on the shoulders of a young Virat Kohli remains etched in cricketing folklore.
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His appointment is seen as a major coup for Sri Lanka Cricket, but as any seasoned campaigner will tell you, even the best bat needs a solid handle. The board must now provide him the backing and breathing space to implement his plans without chopping and changing at the first sign of trouble.
Kirsten, much like his mentor Graham Ford, has a reputation for nurturing young talent and getting the best out of raw prospects. That skill will be put to the test here. Since the days of Trevor Bayliss, who had two stints from 2007 to 2011, Sri Lanka’s coaching carousel has rarely allowed anyone to settle in for the long haul. Tom Moody was offered an extension but opted to return to Perth. If Kirsten earns himself another term, it will be a sure sign that the team is finally moving in the right direction.
Unlike Moody or Bayliss, who worked with dressing rooms brimming with match-winners, Kirsten inherits a side still searching for consistency. Wanindu Hasaranga remains the standout performer, while Pathum Nissanka is knocking loudly on the door of greatness. Kusal Mendis, along with the promising Kamindu Mendis and Asitha Fernando, form the nucleus of a side that has potential but needs direction.
Kirsten will also arrive with his own backroom staff, not headline-grabbing names, but cricket has shown time and again that it is not always the big-ticket signings who move the needle. Dav Whatmore brought in the relatively unknown Alex Kountouris, who went on to become a highly sought-after figure. The same script played out with Trevor Penney under Moody and Paul Farbrace during Bayliss’ tenure.
For now, Sri Lanka are at a crossroads and Kirsten has been handed the keys. Whether he can steer them out of choppy waters remains to be seen.
