ENTER
MOODY
By Marlon Fernandopulle
As the dusk settled in and the sun set last evening, former Australian
test cricketer Tom Moody walked into the Taj Samudra hotel to officially
take up his appointment as the coach of the Sri Lanka team with
the vision of driving the islanders to a new horizon and preparing
the team to be a genuine contender for the 2007 world cup in the
West Indies.
Clad
in a light blue denim and a cotton shirt the tall, smart and fit
former Australian all-rounder is determined to make the Lankans
a force to be reckoned at the next world cup. In an exclusive interview
with The Sunday Times Moody said, “We are very well poised
in the one day rankings currently. However it’s the build
up to the West Indies world cup that is important. We need to transform
the team to be a team that has a genuine chance of winning the world
cup. It is with this in mind that we will be working from now on”.
Although
the Lankans are placed second today in the one day rankings Moody
believes that maintaining that position would also be a challenge.
“It’s not going to be easy staying up there. Teams like
England , Pakistan , West Indies, India, New Zealand are improving
all along and are right behind us and so we need to be right on
top of our game at all times to maintain our position up there”.
Assessing
the current side Moody said, “Sri Lanka is full of talent.
I believe that their batting is very strong. The presence of a world
class bowler like Muttiah Muralitharan is also a tremendous asset”.
According to the former Australian all-rounder it was the lack of
consistency overseas that has been a worry for the Lankans. “Their
performance away from home is one area we will have to focus. Lately
they have been improving here and hopefully we can continue to improve
on our overseas tours. There are a few overseas tours coming up
over the next two years and it is sure going to be a challenge to
perform on these tours”.
Moody
was also of the opinion that the team should improve on their test
rankings. “We must climb up that ladder and find ourselves
among the top bracket as in the one day rankings”. When asked
what his immediate plans will be the 39 year old Australian replied
saying, “I first need to speak to the captain, the cricketers
and the people involved in running the game and then formulate my
plans as we prepare for a four day camp with the squad on the 1st
of July”.
Moody
who had spent a pleasant evening a few days ago with Sri Lanka cricketers
Sanath Jayasuriya, Chaminda Vaas and Upul Chandana who are playing
for the English counties paid a glowing tribute to the Lankan paceman.
“Chaminda has been a terrific professional on and off the
field .He has been a tremendous asset to the County. Worcestershire
is extremely happy to have had Chaminda this summer.” |