Sri Lanka have appointed former South African batter Neil McKenzie as a consultant before the Test series against the Proteas. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) confirmed that McKenizie will join the Islanders between November 13 and 21.
After announcing his retirement in 2009, McKenzie has worked as a coaching staff for several teams. Back in 2018, the 48-year-old McKenzie joined Bangladesh men’s as a batting consultant, after which he resigned from his position in 2020.
Back in 2023, McKenzie was the batting consultant for the Proteas for the Test series against the West Indies. He also worked as a mentor and consultant for the Jozi Stars in the Mzansi Super League. Earlier this year, McKenzie was the batting coach for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
On McKenzie’s appointment, Ashley De Silva, the CEO of Sri Lanka Cricket, said, “McKenzie will bring in vital, in-depth insights about the South African conditions to help Sri Lankan players adapt to the challenge.”
The opening Test between Sri Lanka and South Africa starts on Wednesday, November 27 at the Kingsmead in Durban. The St George’s Park in Gqeberha will host the second Test from Thursday, December 5.
In 58 Tests and 64 ODIs, McKenzie scored 3523 and 1688 runs with seven hundreds and 26 fifties to his name. His top score of 226 came against Bangladesh back in February 2008 at the Chittagong Divisional Stadium.
As far as Sri Lanka are concerned, they are currently placed third in the table with 60 points and a points percentage of 55.56 thanks to wins in five out of nine games.
