Former South African all-rounder Lance Klusener will take over as head of the cricket operation of Tripura for the upcoming season.

In a social media post, the TCA member was seen welcoming Lance Klusener. As per media reports, the 51-year-old will look after the state’s eight teams in both men’s and women’s sections in various age groups, besides working with the Ranji side.

In the first phase, Klusener will stay here for 20 days in the State and will watch and guide the cricketers.

Speaking to the media, Timir Chanda said Klusener would be handed a 100-day contract which he would sign on Sunday. In March this year, we floated an expression of interest about seeking a coach for our cricketers.

“Initially, Dav Whatmore and Klusener showed interest in working with TCA. Later Whatmore pulled out on personal grounds, but Klusener agreed to work with the local cricketers,” he said. “We hope the cricketers will benefit from his vast international experience. Our cricketers are also excited to work with Klusener.”

Klusener, who played 49 Tests and 171 ODIs for South Africa, was also a consultant coach of Delhi for the 2018-19 season. He is currently the coach of the Durban Super Giants in the SA20 tournament. He has previously worked as a batting coach for South Africa and Zimbabwe and was the head coach of Afghanistan in the 2021 T20 World Cup.

He withdrew his application to become South Africa’s new white-ball coach earlier this year. He was one of the six applicants interviewed by Cricket South Africa but opted to withdraw from the process and focus on T20 franchise responsibilities instead. PTI