New Lankan coach maps out his plans

A physically big man, Tom Moody is not short on ideas or talk either. Sri Lanka’s new national coach may be the third Australian in suc...

A physically big man, Tom Moody is not short on ideas or talk either. Sri Lanka’s new national coach may be the third Australian in succession but the difference with his two predecessors, John Dyson and Dav Whatmore, is that like John Wright, he gets into the nets and enjoys the grind of a little sweat as well as sorting out technical problems.

Moody’s other advantage is that until about five years ago he was a player, and a successful limited-overs one who knows what the modern game contains. And as with his role at Worcestershire, where he was director of coaching, Moody plans to bring new ideas to Sri Lanka.

Moody played in two World Cup winning teams, 1987 and 1999, under Allan Border and Steve Waugh. And he laid down the markers for his reign: A successful World Cup in 2007 and consistency in Test cricket.

His all-round abilities also mean that he wants to develop a couple of Sri Lankans into world-class players. Lanky Faveez Maharoof is one and Malinga Bandara is the second. While both can bat reasonably well while, the first bowls about Balaji’s pace while the second is a talented leg-spinner.

These names didn’t just pop out of the hat either. No doubt Chaminda Vaas, now on a short contract with Worcestershire, and who can also build big innings scores in the lower-order, has been bending Moody’s ear with a lot of talk of whom to look out for. But there is, he said, other talent as well.

‘‘Taking charge of an international side of this calibre and talent means a lot to me’’, he agreed at his press conference today. ‘‘But it is not just my challenge to go forward. It is also that of the players.’’

Hi-tech, he said, would be used but he stressed that he didn’t want to complicate a simple game by feeding players with too much technical data. ‘‘There are those players who adapt quickly and those who don’t. It is a matter of balance.’’

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Moody, who is to return on June 18 with his family, has plans for overhauling the whole Sri Lanka coaching system. He’s also looking at appointing an assistant, maybe a local, and wants a voice, along with the captain, Marvan Atapattu, on the selection committee. Neither Whatmore nor Dyson were allowed this much freedom and the impression is that Sri Lanka have the coach they wanted in the long-term and that India should have employed instead of Greg Chappell.