Moody’s three year contract to begin in March

by Rex Clementine

Negotiations between Sri Lanka Cricket and former Head Coach Tom Moody are in the last stages and the Perth based Australian is expected to take over as Sri Lanka’s Director of Cricket as early as first week of March,  SLC sources told Sunday Island.

Following recommendations by the Cricket Committee headed by former skipper Aravinda de Silva, SLC  entered into negotiations with the former all-rounder who featured in two World Cup winning Australian sides in 1987 (under Alan Border) and in 1999 (under Steve Waugh).

SLC had mailed a contract to Moody and once he gives the nod, the parties will sign the deal. The three year contract requires Moody to spend 110 days in Sri Lanka annually although initially the discussion was for him to spend 180 days in Colombo. However, the parties had settled for little over 100 days. The annual contract is said to be worth almost US$ 200,000.

Moody will directly report to the Cricket Committee that comprises some of the finest brains the game has seen. Apart from overseeing the work of the national team, Moody will also have a say in age group level teams, development squads, women’s cricket and more importantly domestic cricket.

One of his first tasks is said to be coming up with a formula to introduce a competitive First Class tournament. SLC is hell bent on maintaining the status quo when it comes to domestic cricket as 26 teams are enjoying First Class status. The Cricket Committee seem to be in favour of a First Class competition with no more than ten teams with a promotion and relegation system.

Moody will be also empowered on producing the type of wickets for not only international cricket but for domestic games as well. There is a tendency in domestic matches in recent times to prepare wickets to suit a particular team’s spin bowlers. This club has gone onto make a massive impact in domestic tournaments in recent times but the game has suffered overall with seam bowlers getting little exposure in domestic cricket. 

Moody is a highly respected coach. He was with Worcestershire when SLC  hired him in 2005. Having successfully finished a two year term, he returned to his native Perth to be the coach of Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield. Since then, he has been heavily involved with the IPL and other franchise based tournaments. Currently he is Director of Cricket Sunrisers Hyderabad.