Sri Lanka appoint Neil McKenzie as consultant coach for South Africa tour

Sri Lanka have appointed former South African top-order batter, Neil McKenzie, as their batting consultant for their forthcoming tour to South Africa. According to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), the ex-Proteas batter will join the squad between November 13 and 21.

The CEO of SLC, Ashley de Silva, spoke highly on McKenzie's appointment to the setup.

"McKenzie will bring in vital, in-depth insights about the South African conditions to help Sri Lankan players adapt to the challenge," stated de Silva, as quoted by ICC.

McKenzie, who was fairly successful for South Africa in both Tests and ODIs, has been a part of multiple dressing rooms since his international retirement in 2009. In 2023, McKenzie was South Africa's batting consultant for the World Test Championship series against the West Indies, a series where the Proteas clean-swept the Men in Maroon comfortably.

The Lankans will be banking on McKenzie for valuable insights for what is their final Test series away from home in the ongoing WTC cycle (2023-25). Earlier in 2024, he was a part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) coaching staff in the Indian Premier League, serving as a batting coach.

During his playing days, he was a part of the historic 415-run stand with ex-skipper, Graeme Smith, against Bangladesh in Chattogram. That match also saw him notch up his highest-ever Test score (226), with McKenzie finally departing after spending 124 overs in the middle.

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Sri Lanka still hopeful of WTC finale spot

The islanders are currently positioned at third place on the WTC points table for the current cycle. The two-Test series against South Africa is not the only series left for Sri Lanka. 

In fact, they have a couple of series to deal with against Australia at home in 2025. To secure a spot in the top two positions, Sri Lanka would have to achieve victory in at least three of their four games, for them to book a spot in the final.