Tom Moody is national cricket coach
 

by Sa'adi Thawfeeq

Former Australian cricketer Tom Moody was yesterday appointed coach of the Sri Lanka cricket team until the 2007 World Cup.

The 39-year-old Moody will commence his contract with Sri Lanka Cricket interim committee from June 18. It is expected to run until May 31, 2007. He is under contract with English county Worcestershire where he is currently the Director of Cricket.

However interim committee secretary Tryphon Mirando said yesterday that Moody had an exit clause attached to his Worcestershire contract which allowed him to undertake the Sri Lankan job at short notice.

Moody arrived in Sri Lanka yesterday for his first interview and was met by members of the interim committee and by three former Sri Lankan captains - Michael Tissera (Sri Lanka team manager), Duleep Mendis (Sri Lanka Cricket chief executive officer) and Arjuna Ranatunga (cricket committee chairman).

He later met Sri Lanka's chairman of cricket selectors Lalith Kaluperuma and Sri Lanka 'A' team manager Anura Tennekoon. Mirando said that negotiations went off very well and that they were quite impressed with the presentation made by Moody how he would take Sri Lanka cricket forward towards winning the 2007 World Cup.

"We emphasised that our main goal is winning the next World Cup and besides that we should aim to be in the first three in the ICC Test rankings and no. 1 in the One-day rankings," said Mirando.

Although he brings limited coaching experience, Moody played eight Tests and 76 one-day internationals for Australia. He is one of two Australians to be part of two World Cup winning teams in 1987 and 1999. Steve Waugh was the other.

Moody is still in the early stages of his coaching career, but had been the favourite to succeed another former Australian John Dyson whose contract expired after the tour of New Zealand in March.

The six foot six inches tall Moody who was also in the running for the coach's job of the Indian team with Greg Chappell had excellent endorsements from two former cricketers Peter Roebuck and Steve Waugh.

Roebuck wrote in his weekly column: "Moody is young, ambitious and well respected in West Australia and Worcestershire. He listens without losing authority, appreciates innovations but does not forget that the basics do not change. Without being uncomfortably theoretical, he is a student of the game. To my mind, the tall Australian will mature into an excellent coach."

Waugh who was Moody's captain when Australia won the World Cup in 1999 said: "He has a very good work ethic and vision."

Worcestershire chief executive Mark Newton told BBC that although Moody's contract with Worcestershire did not expire until the end of this year, it included a clause which enabled him to pursue international coaching opportunities.

"We would be surprised if he didn't get one of those jobs and therefore we do have plans in place - Steve Rhodes is in charge of the first XI."

Sri Lanka fast bowler Chaminda Vaas is currently playing for Worcestershire under Moody's coaching.