Ryan van Niekerk appointed Sri Lanka bowling coach in major coaching overhaul

The announcement was made on Thursday, with van Niekerk set to begin his role on April 15, 2026, overseeing fast-bowling development across all national teams.

Van Niekerk brings extensive international experience, having served as bowling coach and interim head coach of Netherlands Cricket from 2023 to 2026.

During that period, he helped guide the Netherlands through three men's World Cups, and his role in Sri Lanka is expected to strengthen the pace attack and improve consistency across formats.

Joining him in the revamped setup is Jordan Gregory, appointed as national fielding and spin-bowling coach.

Gregory, previously 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 start their duties on April 15, 2026.

The restructuring comes after a challenging period for Sri Lanka. Former head coach Sanath Jayasuriya stepped down following a series of poor results, including four consecutive defeats at the home ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, disappointing performances in the Asia Cup 2025, and struggles in a T20I tri-series in Pakistan.

Overseeing the revamp is head coach Gary Kirsten, who signed a two-year contract through to April 2028. Kirsten, who previously coached India to the 2011 World Cup and also led South Africa, is tasked with preparing Sri Lanka for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027, to be held in South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.