Moody prepared as Sri Lankans arrive in England
CRICKET: The Sri Lankan tourists are braced for a pace
onslaught in England's unfamiliar early-season conditions, after
arriving in the country for the start of their ten-week tour.
After a two-week break to recharge their batteries, the coach, Tom
Moody, and the captain, Mahela Jayawardene, fronted up to the press just
hours after arriving at their team hotel near Lord's.
England lost 1-0 in the last encounter between the two teams, on the
2003-04 tour of Sri Lanka, but Moody accepted that the return leg would
be a much tougher proposition for a young and largely inexperienced
team.
"Conditions are pretty extreme in Sri Lanka and we know our backyard
inside out, but stepping out of that is a challenge," he admitted.
"In the past, that hasn't been taken as well as it could be, but
we've got some fresh faces on this trip who haven't experienced the same
issues away from home, so now's the time to turn a leaf."
Sri Lanka travel as distinct second-favourites, certainly in the Test
series, where the loss of two of their most experienced campaigners,
Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya, will be felt keenly.
"There are positives and negatives," insisted Moody. "[Marvan and
Sanath] are two wonderful players, but the door is open to a couple of
youngsters who could be the future of Sri Lankan cricket."
At present no decision has been made as to which of the three openers
- Michael Vandort, Upul Tharanga and Jehan Mubarak - will take their
place in the first Test at Lord's, but whoever it is will have to expect
a hostile reception from England's pace battery.
"We expect aggression," stressed Moody, "and we'd be alarmed if we
didn't get it. The ball will move around, but it can move around
everywhere in the world, even in Colombo at times.
A lot of our players enjoy facing pace, and it'll be no surprise if
the ball whistles around their ears. Sri Lankans are renowned as
wonderful players of spin, but when they've come across Brett Lee or
Shane Bond, they've equipped themselves very well."
Moody's assertion was backed up by his captain, who pointed to the
team's recent visit to Australia, where they reached the final of the VB
Series and even won the first match of the rubber.
"It was one of the best Australian summers for Sri Lanka ever,"
insisted Jayawardene. "Brett was bowling very quick, on very quick
tracks, but we settled ourselves and knew exactly what to do. We worked
very hard to get used to those conditions, and we will do the same
here."
Moody's own experience of England will prove invaluable to his team's
preparations. He was a regular at Worcestershire throughout the 1990s,
and won the World Cup with Australia in May and June 1999. "It's more of
an advantage than a disadvantage," he conceded, "but the bottom line is
how the team executes its own game-plan. Preparation-wise, we'll be
well-equipped."
Though Moody insisted Sri Lanka were here to win, more realistically
they are here to learn and compete.
"We're in a transitional time as a team, with retirements to key
players in both forms of game," he said. "Our main focus is the first
three Test matches, then we'll get our head around one-day cricket, but
we're here to prepare the next generation."
"In one-day cricket we are planning towards [the World Cup in] 2007,
and we've got certain players earmarked in that campaign. We've come
here to win, and compete against a good English side in challenging
conditions, but along the way, we're here to develop as a team and take
advantage of the experience that we get from playing here in England."
In the circumstances, a huge onus is once again going to rest on the
shoulders of Sri Lanka's veteran bowlers, Muttiah Muralitharan and
Chaminda Vaas, who has been sidelined through injury in recent weeks.
"He's got 600 wickets so of course he'll be a key bowler," said
Jayawardene of Murali, "but Vaas coming back is great. He's got inside
knowledge of English conditions, and he's a great asset because he knows
exactly what to do here."
The rest of the attack is somewhat raw by comparison, but Jayawardene
was upbeat about their prospects. "These are the young guys who will
take us into the next five-six years of Sri Lankan cricket," he said.
"Guys like [Farveez] Maharoof are going well, (Nuwan) Zoysa is coming
back to form, Lasit Malinga is awkward to face anywhere in the world, so
he'll be something new, while Malinga Bandara, the legspinner, had a
good season at Gloucester last year."
(Cricinfo) |