A little over four months back Tom Moody was eyeing World Cup glory in the Caribbean, having guided Sri Lanka to the final of the quadrennial showpiece. A rain-marred contest at Barbados saw his team finish second best to the Australians then but as another slam-bang fiesta kicks off in international cricket, Moody is far removed from the action, with the former all-rounder focused on preparing his team for success on the domestic front.
Moody is in Bangalore as coach of the Western Australian team (Western Warriors) that will play a Karnataka State Cricket Association XI in a two-day match beginning at the Chinnaswamy stadium on Wednesday. The Australian domestic season is yet to begin and Moody feels the challenging conditions in India will be the ideal preparatory ground for his team.
“We have come out of the winter in Australia and the outdoor facilities are very difficult to get there because of rains and other issues. And to come here from cold windy Perth to the outdoor facilities in Bangalore and in Chennai, gives a terrific opportunity to the guys to get some important time in the middle. Western Australia hasn’t had a strong start in the season for many years and trips like these to play outdoors against good opposition in challenging conditions is the ideal preparation for the season ahead,” he said.
Moody could have stayed on in international cricket but he chose to go away, with family commitments being an important factor that influenced his decision. “I was also eager to pursue my professional career as a coach. And the opportunity came up in Western Australia, which is my hometown and which was too good to miss because it allowed me to work at a professional level with cricketers and hopefully produce some international cricketers and also it helped me get the balance that I wanted personally,” he said.
Moody felt the Twenty20 World Cup will be a big success, though it puts the players under tremendous pressure. “Twenty20 is a terrific format and it certainly puts all our cricketers under immense pressure. You need to execute your skills at a very high level and obviously it is terrific entertainment for the public. I am sure this tournament in South Africa will be a great success.”
The teams:
KSCA XI: Gautam CM, Amit SN, Ganesh Sathish, Yogesh P, Devraj Patil (capt, wk), Amit Verma, Gaurav Dhiman, Sunil N Raju, Arjun Shetty, Mithun A, Akshay SL, Vinodh S, Magizhendan P, Bharath Chipli, Raghavendra Rao. Coach: P V Shashikanth.
Western Warriors: Marcus North (capt.), Shaun Marsh, Clint Heron, David Bandy, Luke Pomersbach, Michael Johnson, Darren Wates, Brett Dorey, Matthew Innes, Trent Kelly, Steve Magoffin, Arron Heal, Theo Doropoulos, Ben Edmondson. Coach: Tom Moody. Manager: Dough Harris. Asst. coach: Trevor Penney; Fitness Trainer: Grey Harding. Physio: Rob Colling.