'Team audit' done, Kirsten hopes Sri Lanka keep 'progressing and improving'

"For me, what's important around that is that we have a lot of depth in the group across the different formats," Gary Kirsten says about the time ahead with Sri Lanka

When Gary Kirsten coached India to ODI World Cup glory in 2011, 20 million Sri Lankan hearts were shattered. Now, as Sri Lanka's new head coach, his mission is to mend them.

In a wide-ranging Q&A session with the local media, his first since being appointed last month for two years - officially from April 14 - Kirsten laid out the roadmap as he sought to blend data-driven modernisation with the island's cricketing DNA.

A team audit to start with

Kirsten's first week has been defined by a comprehensive "team audit". While Sri Lanka has never lacked for talent in the game, Kirsten believes the discrepancy between that talent and the team's current world rankings don't "match up".RelatedPathirana granted NOC by SLC to join KKR

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"The formula - we will progress as we go along," he said. "I have certainly been spending the first week doing a bit of a team audit, just to get to understand where everyone is at. You can't only rely on talent. You need a good work ethic and a good attitude."

To broaden this audit, Kirsten is already looking at the next generation, confirming plans to head down to Galle immediately to watch the 'A' team in action against New Zealand A.

"I am quite excited just to see all the players and what talent is out there," he said, adding that his vision for a "balanced outfit" extended well beyond the current senior squad. This also goes along with a desire to build more squad depth, to aid with player workload management.

"For me, what's important around that is that we have a lot of depth in the group across the different formats. So you are able to rotate players when you need to. You can't expect one guy just to be playing all the time. He'll blow up quite quickly."

Data as a 'compelling argument'

Having begun his coaching career in 2008, Kirsten's coaching style has evolved significantly over the years, including several seasons spent on the franchise circuit. In this time, he has moved away from a "top-down" approach to coaching, with the growing realisation that the modern player is now highly informed and resistant to being told what to do without objective evidence.

"The modern player often doesn't listen to a 'we'll-tell-you-what-to-do' approach because he's got a strong argument to tell you otherwise," Kirsten said, with his solution to this being to present "compelling arguments" backed by data."I think the next component to that is every team needs individuals in the team that are willing to step up and make those hard performances when the team needs it. And each team, when you've got a good group of those guys, they win games out of nowhere and perform when you really need it"

He pointed to a specific metric - the number of ODI hundreds Sri Lanka have scored over their last 30 matches - as an example. Despite having played 100 ODIs since the start of 2020 - more than any other Full Member, with India (91), New Zealand (83) and Australia (80) behind - Sri Lanka have just 25 ODI hundreds. In comparison, India have 38, New Zealand have 35, and Australia 32.

"I just looked at where they are ranked in the world," Kirsten said. "If you present it in a good way to the players and it's compelling, you'll get movement."

In terms of player selection, while acknowledging that the information derived from the data would be "weighted massively", Kirsten is cognisant of the fact that big-game players might sometimes appear outside of the data - though that is something that will "take time" for him to identify.

"I think the next component to that is every team needs individuals in the team that are willing to step up and make those hard performances when the team needs it," he said. "And each team, when you've got a good group of those guys, they win games out of nowhere and perform when you really need it. Those are the individuals I'm really excited by. Now that's going to take time for me to understand and learn."

Balancing franchises and fitness

Talking about the rise of global T20 leagues, Kirsten was pragmatic. With several Sri Lankan players involved in major leagues, he viewed match-readiness as superior to training-camp drills - even if that meant that he wouldn't be able to work with his full allotment of players until much closer to the start of Sri Lanka's tour of the West Indies in June.

"We'll probably have the full complement of players available just two or three days before their first ODI," Kirsten said. "So it's not an easy thing, but we do what we can. And you try and adapt because that's what international cricket requires. To be honest with you, I prefer guys to be in competition and playing matches. I always think that's the best form of preparation that you can have. So to have a group of players that are match-ready by the time we play the first ODI against West Indies, I'm happy with it.Gary Kirsten has been a widely travelled coach since giving up the game•Getty Images

"In fact, in all the coaching opportunities that I've had around the world, I've generally had about ten days' prep before we play the first game. So this time I've got six weeks. That's pretty cool."

On the topic of fitness protocols, Kirsten offered a performance-based defence of the current standards, reframing them as a "tool for availability" so as to ensure key players remain match-fit. Sri Lanka lost all three of Eshan Malinga, Matheesha Pathirana and Wanindu Hasaranga at different points across the T20 World Cup earlier this year.

Kirsten also effectively ended any debate on whether the requirements were too harsh. "Fitness is about keeping people on the field for as long as possible. You don't want to have injuries where, in an important match, guys are not available. And as I understand in Sri Lankan cricket, there are protocols in place. And players have got to reach pretty standard levels, to be honest with you. I don't think that the fitness protocols are too hard on the players. Certainly, your basic and standard levels."

Countdown to the ODI World Cup

With approximately 20-25 ODIs remaining before the 2027 World Cup in southern Africa, Kirsten is already reverse-engineering the squad for those specific conditions. His native South Africa, especially, demands a different brand of cricket, and he is looking for a very specific set of skills.

"It's going to be very different conditions to what a lot of the guys are used to, so how do plan for that? It's about making sure all our bases are covered in the skillsets of the team," Kirsten said. "Do we have guys with great air speed? Do we have guys that can swing the ball? Do we have guys that can bowl with bounce? Do you have top spinners? And do you have six batters who can bat on those kind of conditions?"

As Kirsten prepared to immerse himself in his new country of work - literally, with plans to cycle around the entire island - the South African knows that results in the interim will continue to matter as the World Cup build-up carries on.

"Results count, we can't hide from that," he said. "Every series we play going into the World Cup, we want to give a good account of ourselves. We'll be aiming at progressing and improving as we get closer."