Sri Lanka’s high profile Director of Cricket Tom Moody will not be joining the team in UAE during the T20 World Cup Campaign, Cricket Age exclusively learns.
The 2014 T20 World Cup champions Sri Lanka was unable to get direct qualification for the upcoming edition and they will have to go through a qualifier stage to play the Super12 round against the already qualified teams. Sri Lanka is placed in the Group A of the qualifier stage alongside Nambia, Netherlands and Ireland.
“He will not be involved with Sri Lanka team during the World Cup Campaign” a top authority of Sri Lanka Cricket told Cricket Age, when inquired.
Moody, who previously served as the Island’s National Coach, was appointed director of cricket in March this year, a broad new role that will have him overseeing Sri Lanka’s international programme and domestic tournaments. The appointment was made on the recommendation of Sri Lanka’s technical advisory committee headed by Aravinda de Silva for US$ 200,000 per annum for 100 days work. Kumar Sangakkara and Muttiah Muralitharan, who played under Moody during his tenure as coach, are also in the advisory committee. The role will see Moody spend at least 300 days in Sri Lanka over the next three years focusing on “analysis of the future tour programme, focusing on the domestic tournament structure, player welfare, education and skill development, coaching and support staff structure, high performance, and data analytics”.
After his high profile appointment, Moody arrived Sri lanka just once, for few days before IPL Season in India, where he is associated with Sunrisers Hyderabad. Then, he went to UK also with the team. However, he was in England only to quarantine with team and directly get involved with The Hundred after, where he is Oval Invincibles Head coach.
Interestingly, at present also, Moody is in UAE, again with Sunrisers Hyderabad for the second leg of the IPL. However, for Sri Lanka’s most important assignment of the year, he won’t be available!
“Questions must be raised that when he can join the team for not that important UK tour, why he will not be with the squad for an ICC tournament, most important cricketing event of the year, that too after already being there. There are already jokes about Moody in Sri Lanka Cricket fraternity that he is available for everyone in World Cricket, except for Sri Lanka” a Cricket Expert of the Island told Cricket Age.
