Our cricket bosses didn’t earn many admirers for their choice of chairman of selectors, but they have certainly struck a chord with students of the game like us, and more importantly with the fans, in their appointment of the national team’s head coach. In Gary Kirsten, Sri Lanka have brought in a man with a proven pedigree and it looks like a step in the right direction.

As an opening batsman for South Africa, Kirsten never quite possessed the charm, elegance or textbook technique of his older brother Peter Kirsten. Gary’s success was forged the hard way. He thrived on grit, discipline and a stubborn refusal to give in, the sort of qualities that don’t always make headlines but win you matches. Once asked to follow on by England, he dug in for more than 14 hours at the crease and churned out 275, the highest score of his career. That innings summed up the man perfectly. When the going got tough, Gary simply rolled up his sleeves and got going.

Those very traits travelled with him into coaching, where he carved out an enviable reputation. Managing a star-studded Indian dressing room featuring Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and MS Dhoni is no walk in the park. Handling so many big personalities requires more than tactical nous; it demands man management. Kirsten passed that test with flying colours. Under his watch India climbed to the No.1 ranking in Test cricket and, of course, lifted the 2011 World Cup, breaking 21 million Sri Lankan hearts in the final in Bombay.

Kirsten was hugely popular with Indian supporters. Many wanted him to stay on, but he knew better than to overstay his welcome and bowed out gracefully.

Soon after, South Africa came calling and true to form he went about the job methodically, guiding the Proteas to the top of the world rankings. Wherever he has gone, results have tended to follow.

That said, simply because Kirsten has joined our ranks does not mean Sri Lanka will suddenly start knocking over the top sides week in, week out. Kirsten carries no magic wand. A coach, after all, can only take the horse to water; it is the players who must drink.

For a cricket team to flourish, the entire system needs to be rock solid. It starts with the players themselves, their hunger to improve, their willingness to leave their comfort zones and put in the hard yards. The next crucial cog in the wheel is selection. In years gone by, men like Michael Tissera and Sidath Wettimuny had the foresight to look beyond the obvious and the courage to make unpopular calls when necessary. A selection panel that continues to back Dasun Shanaka as captain, however, is asking for trouble. It’s a bit like appointing Sagala Ratnayake as National Security Adviser.

Sri Lanka Cricket deserves credit for trimming down the number of teams competing in the First Class tournament, but the worrying reality is that the number of international games Sri Lanka play each year has shrunk alarmingly. Last year the country played a grand total of four Test matches, hardly enough cricket for a side hoping to stay relevant in the longest format. The Test calendar needs beefing up and the Lanka Premier League must return to the fold if Sri Lanka are to stay competitive in white-ball cricket.

For a team to succeed consistently, cricket has to run like a well-oiled machine. In Sri Lanka’s case, however, the wheels tend to wobble. Ahead of almost every major tournament our leading bowler seems to be nursing an injury. That is hardly the hallmark of a smooth operation.

Kirsten, to his credit, has struck all the right notes since being appointed. He has spoken about improving Sri Lanka’s rankings, winning overseas and developing a strong bench, the sort of forward thinking the game desperately needs here.

Just look at India for an example of depth. Sanju Samson walks in as their back-up wicketkeeper and ends up as Player of the Tournament in a World Cup. They can hand the gloves to Ishan Kishan, while players of the calibre of Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul struggle to find a place in the squad. Any one of those four would walk into most international sides as the first-choice keeper. Such is the luxury of India’s bench strength.

There’s no point envying them. The smarter move is to learn from them.

Kirsten, therefore, has plenty on his plate. And if he is looking for a place to begin, he might start with a rather pressing issue, figuring out how Sri Lanka’s batters plan to play spin, a challenge that has been turning our innings into a procession far too often in recent times.

by Rex Clementine ✍️