Former South Africa batter appointed Sri Lanka’s consultant coach

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on Tuesday announced the appointment of former Proteas batter Neil McKenzie as a consultant coach ahead of their tour of South Africa.

Sri Lanka will play a two-match Test series in South Africa, which will commence on November 27 at Kingsmead in Durban. Meanwhile, the second Test will be played at St. George’s Oval in Gqeberha (previously Port Elizabeth) from December 5.

The 48-year-old McKenzie will join the Sri Lanka camp as a consultant coach from November 13 ahead of the first Test in Durban. He will work with Sri Lankan players for just over a week until November 21.

“[Neil] McKenzie will bring in vital, in-depth insights about the South African conditions to help Sri Lankan players adapt to the challenge,” the Sri Lankan cricket board’s chief Ashley de Silva said in a statement.

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McKenzie’s playing career highlights included sharing a 415-run stand with Graeme Smith against Bangladesh in 2008, the highest-ever opening partnership in Test history.

The right-handed batter retired from international cricket in 2009 and has been part of multiple dressing rooms in different coaching roles.

McKenzie served as the batting consultant of South Africa last year during the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) series against the West Indies.

It’s worth noting that Sri Lanka and South Africa, placed third and fifth in the points table, are both vying for a spot in next year’s WTC Final.

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