Sri Lanka has appointed former South African batsman Neil McKenzie as a consultant ahead of 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. In 2018, McKenzie, 48, joined the Bangladesh men’s team as a batting consultant, after which he resigned from his position in 2020.

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 Jozi Stars in the Mzansi Super League. At the beginning of this year, McKenzie was the batting coach of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Commenting on McKenzie’s appointment, Ashley De Silva, CEO of Sri Lanka Cricket, said: “McKenzie will bring vital and in-depth knowledge of South African conditions to help Sri Lanka’s players adapt to the challenge.”

The opening Test between Sri Lanka and South Africa begins on Wednesday, November 27 at Kingsmead in Durban. St George’s Park in Gqeberha will host the second test starting on Thursday, December 5.

In 58 Tests and 64 ODIs, McKenzie scored 3523 and 1688 runs with seven hundred and 26 fifties to his name. His highest score of 226 came against Bangladesh in February 2008 at the Chittagong Divisional Stadium.

As far as Sri Lanka is concerned, they are currently third in the table with 60 points and a points percentage of 55.56 thanks to wins in five of nine games.