Sri Lanka name Gary Kirsten as new head coach; scrap AFG series amid West Asia conflict

Sri Lanka has made some significant announcements following the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2026. While they named former World Cup-winning coach (with India) Gary Kirsten as their new head coach, replacing Sanath Jayasuriya, who quit following Sri Lanka’s sorry home campaign, the SLC scrapped the forthcoming Afghanistan series in the UAE over the raging West Asia conflict. Sri Lanka announced Kirsten’s appointment on Monday (Mar 9), signing him on a two-year contract, even though Jayasuriya’s contract was not set to expire until June end.

The former South African opener, Kirsten, previously served as India coach from 2008 to 2011, and as South Africa coach from 2011 to 2013. His appointment was part of Sri Lanka's ‘efforts to revamp the structure of the National High-Performance Centre’ responsible for training elite players, the board said in a statement.

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"I will be overall in charge of training and will continue to work with the team," Jayasuriya said in a chat with AFP.

Jayasuriya was appointed coach in July 2024. He is one of Sri Lanka's greatest cricketers, playing 586 internationals, scoring 42 centuries and taking 440 wickets between 1989 and 2011.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka co-hosted the T20 World Cup with eventual winners India but crashed out at the Super Eights stage, their fate sealed by a 61-run defeat to New Zealand.

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SL postpone AFG series in UAE

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.

Fighting has spread across the Middle East since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, with Tehran launching retaliatory strikes.

The conflict has disrupted flights across the region, including in Dubai, where the airport was briefly closed on Saturday as Iran fired drones and missiles at targets across the Gulf. War-ravaged Afghanistan has never hosted an international cricket match, instead having to play its home fixtures in India or the UAE.

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