Former Proteas and India coach Gary Kirsten is now the head coach of Sri Lanka.
Image: IANS
Having bagged the ICC Cricket World Cup as coach of India in 2011, Gary Kirsten will attempt to spin similar magic with the Sri Lankan team now that he has been handed the coaching mantle.
During his time as the Proteas coach, Kirsten had the South Africans at the top of the ICC's Test rankings, his most recent role was as analyst with Namibian side that duty at the T20 World Cup played in India, which concluded on Sunday.
His appointment as head coach is seen as a strategic move by Sri Lanka as the next One Day International World Cup is set to be held in South Africa, the Capetonian's knowledge of local conditions would have been seen as a plus factor for the team.
Kirsten replaces Sri Lankan great Sanath Jayasuriya, who guided the team at the T20 World Cup that his nation co-hosted.
Jayasuriya resigned after the team failed to secure one of the semi-final berths at the tournament.
Apart from his coaching prowess, Kirsten was a top-ranked left-handed batsmen with the Proteas team during his playing days, having amassed over 14 000 runs as a top-order batsmen playing Test and ODI matches.
"I will be overall in charge of training and will continue to work with the team," Jayasuriya said.
DAILY NEWS