Sports
 

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.”

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