Sri Lanka Cricket has launched a programme to develop school cricket coaches across the country, beginning with a session led by national head coach Gary Kirsten.
The inaugural session, held on Monday, May 25, at the SLC High Performance Center, drew 74 coaches representing Division 1 and Division 2 schools. The initiative is being run under the direction of the Cricket Transformation Committee.
Kirsten conducted a two-hour session, sharing modern coaching methods and highlighting the areas coaches should focus on to nurture young players. He stressed the importance of creating a friendly, supportive environment for children while teaching skills, and urged coaches to keep improving their own competence. Producing quality cricketers, he said, should take priority over concentrating solely on winning matches.
National Bowling Coach Ryan van Niekerk and National Fielding and Spin Bowling Coach Jordan Gregory also shared their expertise with the participants. Sidath Wettimuny, Chairman of the Cricket Committee and a member of the Cricket Transformation Committee, delivered the introductory address, and an interactive question-and-answer session with Kirsten followed.
The school-level programme runs in parallel with the Transformation Committee’s wider overhaul of the game’s structures, which has included a performance audit of the national set-up under Kirsten’s tenure.
