Sri Lanka Cricket has announced a significant change in its coaching team, appointing Ryan van Niekerk as the national bowling coach for two years. This decision was made public on Thursday, with van Niekerk responsible for developing fast bowlers across all national teams.
Van Niekerk has valuable International experience, having served as the bowling coach and interim head coach of the Netherlands from 2023 to 2026. He was instrumental in the team’s progress, leading them through three men’s World Cups. His skills are expected to enhance Sri Lanka’s pace attack and improve consistency across formats.
Additionally, Jordan Gregory has been appointed as the national fielding and spin-bowling coach. Gregory, who worked as a fielding consultant with Netherlands Cricket, will focus on improving fielding standards and spin resources at the High Performance Center. Both van Niekerk and Gregory will start their roles on April 15, 2026.
Previously, Gary Kirsten was appointed as the new head coach of Sri Lanka. Kirsten, known for leading India to World Cup victory in 2011 and later coaching South Africa, has signed a two-year contract that lasts until April 14, 2028. His main goal will be to prepare Sri Lanka for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027, which will take place in South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.
This restructuring follows a challenging time for Sri Lanka. Former captain Sanath Jayasuriya resigned as head coach after a string of poor results. The team faced four straight defeats in the home ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, leading to an early exit. Subpar performances in the 2025 Asia Cup and a T20I tri-series in Pakistan further underscored the need for change.
With this new coaching team, Sri Lanka aims to rebuild and prepare robustly for the upcoming ODI World Cup, looking to regain its competitive edge on the global stage.