How’s Moody’s mood

By Trevine Rodrigo in Melbourne Australia

Australia have thrown out a dragnet to shore in their rich coaching talent spread around the cricketing globe to find a worthy replacement for out going coach John Buchanan who has firmly indicated that he will no longer hold the reins of the world champion team after the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean.

But these are big shoes to fill because under Buchanan, the Aussies have ruled the world supreme in both forms of the game suffering only a minor blemish in the Ashes campaign against England last year.

Since being comprehensively beaten by the Englishmen, the Aussies in true spirit have bounced back with a vengeance and are poised to quickly erase those bitter memories by giving the English a hiding in the home series.

It might be presumptuous to predict a clean sweep in the up coming Ashes series but the steady deterioration of England since their memorable triumph and Australia’s quick form reversal points to a whitewash in bouncy and hostile Aussie conditions.All of this throws Sri Lanka into the triangle of concern because the need for a new coach after Buchanan has thrown the spotlight on Tom Moody who has been for quite a while on the shortlist of candidates for the plumb job.

Moody is fast beginning to match his huge physical stature with his ability to shoulder heavy burdens as he has amply demonstrated with his charges in Sri Lanka who are currently making a steady march towards the top of the ladder in world cricket.

His style of coaching is reminiscent of the approach he took to the game as a player, cool, unruffled and devastating in full flight with both bat and ball in the baggy green cup.

He took over the reins from fellow Aussie John Dyson at the head of a Sri Lanka team experiencing mixed fortunes. After dismal performances against India and later in the one-day VB triangular series in Australia earlier this year, Moody was yet confident enough to let the intimidating Australian media know that his charges were capable of beating the Aussies on their day which they not only went on to prove, but they made the final as well, knocking out the more fancied South Africans.

His confidence and charismatic display of capable leadership soon had the Australian media openly touting him as the next Australian coach.

In a country such as Sri Lanka where politics has always played a major part among the game’s administration, Moody has displayed a maturity beyond his years to not only cope with it, but also to commandeer the ride along the bumpy road, with great dexterity.

Sri Lanka will no doubt be clinging to the hope that Cricket Australia will pick Tim Neilson, an assistant coach under Buchanan, ahead of Moody, so that the development of the game which is making vast strides, will not be sharply interrupted.

If it is imperative that Australia goes ahead with poaching Moody from Sri Lanka, they will achieve a “double whammy” by stifling the progress the country has been hurtling onwards in recent months, particularly against England and South Africa.Apart from Moody, Cricket Australia were toying with names such as Greg Chappell, Davnell Whatmore and a couple of others. But Chappell’s chances may be receding due to his rather uppish and outspoken attributes which does not sit well with Australia’s set up. He does have the credentials otherwise if India’s recent resurgence is a testimony of his ability.

From Moody’s point of view though, he has got to weigh up what is beneficial to him and his family.

The money factor could also be the turning point that heavily favours Australia if they decide that they require Moody’s services. Sri Lanka is not expected to match Australia in a bidding war as the Aussies pump vast sums of money into the game here.

Sri Lanka may have to up the ante to hold on to Moody if they fare prominently at the Champions Trophy tournament in India because this would mean that the Aussies will firm in their opinion that he is the worthy successor to Buchanan.

Moody knows fully well that the administration of Sri Lanka Cricket hold him in the highest esteem but the question that lingers is, will he be harbouring the dream of coaching his own country, a matter that would usually draw a firm affirmation from a player who wants to give back something to the country that was instrumental in putting him on the world stage.