Former South African cricketer Gary Kirsten will be coaching Durban Heat in the upcoming Mzansi Super League (MSL).
"I have got fond memories of playing cricket at Kingsmead and, with my wife being from these parts, she thinks it is a natural progression. It is also a great opportunity to be involved in South African cricket and when Heinrich (Strydom) gave me the call I thought it was a great chance to stay relevant in the T20 space," ESPN Cricinfo quoted Kirsten as saying on Thursday.
Kirsten had earlier spent time with Warriors franchise in the Eastern Cape as a consultant batting coach.
In 2007, Kirsten went on to become the coach of the Indian team and he led them to glory in 2011 World Cup.
After the World Cup, Kirsten left the coaching job of the Indian team and he went on to coach his home country South Africa.
He stepped down from the post of coach of South Africa in 2013 and couple of months later, he was named as the coach of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Daredevils.
Kirsten has been the head coach of Royal Challengers Bangalore for the past two IPL seasons, and he has also fulfilled the same role for the Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League (BBL).
"For us as a franchise, we want to ignite as much interest in the game as possible. The priority is obviously to win games but we want to get people behind the brand and get the spectators to feel that the Durban Heat is their team," Kirsten said.
The second edition of MSL will take place in November and December this year.
( With inputs from ANI )
