Moody gets thumbs up from Lankan cricket chief

New Delhi, May 23 (UNI) Despite the home series loss against Pakistan and the drubbing suffered at the hands of Indians during his tenure, Sri Lankan coach Tom Moody has got the thumbs up from the cricket governing body.

Interim Cricket Committee chairman Jayanda Dharmadasa said he was happy on the progress made by the Lankan team under the Aussie.

''Yes, we are right behind Tom and his team, which includes some very talented professionals. Tom has a tough job because the team is in transition, but some of the youngsters are clearly learning fast and we are confident that the team is moving forward,'' Dharmadasa told Cricinfo in an interview.

He said besides giving the job of national team coach, Moody was also entrusted to suggest on the overhauling of the coaching system in the island nation.

''Tom's remit is not just the national team. We wanted him to look at our whole coaching system, from the school level up to the national team. He has already given us an excellent report on schools cricket and we are acting on that, working closely with the Sri Lanka Schools Association to standardise and improve coaching as well as adjusting the format of competitions.'' ''Tom is helping us to introduce a system, something we did not have before. We are now introducing much better support for our coaches -- their efforts are essential if Sri Lanka are to go forward. We want them to have access to the latest training and we want them to be paid proper salaries,'' Dharmadasa said.

The Interim Committee was installed by the Sri Lankan government last year on grounds of financial mismanagement by the previous board.

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