MSL 2019 | Durban Heat rope in Gary Kirsten as head coach

SportsCafe Desk

BySportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor

24
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South African franchise Durban Heat have roped in former Proteas cricketer Gary Kirsten as the head coach for the upcoming season of the Mzansi Super League. Kirsten enjoyed a highly successful stint with team India as head coach from 2008 to 2011, helping the Men in Blue win the World Cup in 2011.

Gary Kirsten will be coaching Durban Heat in the upcoming season of the Mzansi Super League which is set to kick off in November. The appointment comes on the back of a disappointing 2018 campaign for the franchise, which saw them finish bottom of the table, claiming just three victories from 10 matches.

Kirsten, who has represented South Africa in 185 ODIs and 101 Tests, expressed his delight over the appointment and insisted that his priority will not only be to win matches, but also to build a brand around the franchise.

"I have got fond memories of playing cricket at Kingsmead and, with my wife being from these parts, she thinks it is a natural progression. "It is also a great opportunity to be involved in South African cricket and when Heinrich (Strydom) gave me the call I thought it was a great chance to stay relevant in the T20 space," an elated Kirsten was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

"For us, as a franchise, we want to ignite as much interest in the game as possible. The priority is obviously to win games but we want to get people behind the brand and get the spectators to feel that the Durban Heat is their team," he added.

The former South African cricketer enjoyed exceptionally successful stints with India and South Africa from 2008 to 2013, winning the World Cup with the former in 2011, while taking the latter to the very top of the Test rankings in 2013. To add to this, the 51-year-old is also currently the head coach of Big Bash League (BBL) franchise Hobart Hurricanes and Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challenges Bangalore.

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