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| Friday, 1 4 November 2003 |
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Dyson warns England: It won't be easy by Sa'adi Thawfeeq Sri Lanka's new cricket coach John Dyson warned England to be prepared for a much harder contest than they experienced in Bangladesh on their six weeks tour which commences with the one-day international series starting Tuesday week. "England are a very good side, a very professional unit. They've improved remarkably in the last six months. But I think they will get much harder cricket here in Sri Lanka," said Dyson as he prepared his charges for the upcoming one-day and Test series. "Michael Vaughan said a couple of weeks ago that it's been a good warm up for them in Bangladesh, but he expects more difficult cricket in Sri Lanka. I am confident that's what they'll get," he said. Dyson said that Sri Lanka had prepared for this series for a very long time. "Now's the time to get on the park and play the game." "After a long break from cricket the team is physically fit and looking very good. They finished the West Indies tour in June and they've prepared very hard for this series. They are physically, skill wise and mentally ready for it. They are ready to go out and test everything they've prepared themselves for. All of them are keen and looking forward to playing against England because of the break they've had," Dyson continued. "I think the Premier trophy tournament has given the players the competition they need to play against England. You can only go with what you've got and the Premier trophy is the best competition we have in Sri Lanka at the moment. "The tournament's got some very good cricket in it. There are possibly things which Sri Lanka Cricket can look at in relation to the tournament, but I am pleased with what the guys have done. Their attitude, the way they have approached their cricket and, the way they have approached their practice, they have been very professional," said Dyson. "I think we have all departments covered. We have good players in all departments and great players in a few. Given that they take their form into the middle and, good weather, I am very confident that we are going to perform very well," said Dyson assessing Sri Lanka's chances. "If a team's got a player like Murali (Muralitharan), probably the best ever, everybody knows that in tight situations you've got a world class player like him to look up to. That situation hasn't changed. Just because England played him well the last time, it doesn't mean they are going to play him well this time. We've got to see what sort of form they are in and, take it from there," he said. Dyson has been keen to ensure that the series is played on good pitches 'where everybody in the game gets an opportunity if they play well enough to do well'. "The wicket needs to provide everybody within the team with a chance if they play well enough to get good results. I have been fortunate enough to meet all the curators and tell them exactly what I've just said," said the 49-year-old school teacher as he aims to make a winning start in his new role as national cricket coach. |
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