Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said it has launched a special program aimed at educating and developing school cricket coaches in the country under the direction of the Cricket Transformation Committee.

The inaugural session of the program was held on Monday (25), at the High Performance Center of the SLC with the participation of 74 coaches representing Division ‘1’ and ‘2’ schools, according to a statement issued by the SLC.

The Head Coach of the Sri Lanka Men’s Team, Gary Kirsten, conducted a two-hour session for the participating coaches.

During the session, Kirsten shared valuable insights into modern coaching methods and highlighted key areas coaches should focus on in order to nurture talented and promising young cricketers, the statement said.

He emphasized the importance of creating a friendly and supportive environment for children while teaching them cricketing skills. Kirsten also noted that coaches must continuously improve their own skill levels in order to develop successful players.

He encouraged school coaches to focus more on producing good cricketers rather than simply concentrating on winning matches.

Joining Kirsten at the program were National Bowling Coach Ryan van Niekerk and National Fielding and Spin Bowling Coach Jordan Gregory, who also shared their expertise and experiences with the school coaches, SLC said.

Chairman of the Cricket Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket, Sidath Wettimuny, who is also a member of the Cricket Transformation Committee, did the introductory speech of the program.

The program also featured an interactive Question-and-Answer session, giving participants the opportunity to engage directly with Gary Kirsten and further enhance their knowledge, it added.

This program will continue periodically, with the objective of developing highly skilled and knowledgeable coaches within the Sri Lankan school cricket system.