Sri Lanka turn to former Proteas opener as consultant for South Africa Tests
Former veteran Proteas batter will be part of the Sri Lankan camp in South Africa for the two Tests.
Sri Lanka have appointed former South Africa batter Neil Mckenzie as a consultant coach ahead of their crucial two-Test series against the Proteas starting later this month.
The former right-handed batter shall join the visiting team between November 13 and 21, as confirmed by Sri Lanka Cricket, ahead of the first Test in Durban.
Mckenzie, who played 58 Test matches between 2000 and 2009, racked up over 3253 runs for South Africa. He also aggregated nearly 20,000 runs in first-class cricket.
Famously, he is one-half of the highest-ever opening partnership in Test history, sharing a 415-run stand with Graeme Smith against Bangladesh in 2008.
Speaking on his appointment, CEO of Sri Lanka Cricket Ashley De Silva said, "McKenzie will bring in vital, in-depth insights about the South African conditions to help Sri Lankan players adapt to the challenge."
Neil McKenzie and Graeme Smith pose with the scoreboard for their world record opening stand // Getty Images
Since calling it quits from international cricket in 2009, the 48-year-old has been part of multiple dressing rooms as a coach.
Last year, McKenzie was South Africa’s batting consultant for the ICC World Test Championship series against the West Indies. Earlier this year, he was part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore setup in the Indian Premier League as a batting coach.
Sri Lanka will be banking on the former Proteas batter for valuable insights for what is their final away Test series in the ongoing WTC cycle.
Placed third and fifth respectively in the points table, both Sri Lanka and South Africa are in contention for a spot in next year’s WTC Final.
The first Test match between the two nations is scheduled for November 27 at Kingsmead, after which the caravan shifts to St. George’s Oval in Port Elizabeth.