Despite co-hosting the 2026 T20 World Cup, Sri Lanka did not fare well. The team was eliminated in the Super Eights stage and did not win even in three matches. Although Sri Lanka played fairly well in the group stage, a few issues held them back at crucial times. Injuries to Matisha Pathirana and Wanindu Hasaranga, in particular, and a sudden collapse in batting have hindered the team’s progress.

Gary Kirsten is known as an experienced coach in international cricket. He was the head coach of the Indian national team from 2008 to 2011. It was under his coaching that India won the 2011 Cricket World Cup. He was the coach of the South African national team from 2011 to 2013. During his tenure, South Africa became the number one team in the world in all three formats.

Most recently, Kirsten served as a consultant to the Namibian team for the 2026 T20 World Cup. Before this he was also associated with the Pakistan team for some time. However, he withdrew from the party because he did not have enough power to select the party. As a player, he played for South Africa from 1993 to 2004 and scored more than 14,000 runs in international cricket.

Sri Lanka Cricket said Kirsten’s main focus will be to prepare the team for the 2027 Cricket World Cup. They want to build a strong team for the tournament to be held in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe. At the same time, Sri Lanka wants to get out of the series of exiting in the group stage repeatedly in international competitions.