SLC shortlists five coaches to replace Bayliss
by Rex Clementine
Sri Lanka Cricket has shortlisted five names out of the nine applicants to fill the position of national coach after current coach Trevor Bayliss’ tenure ends with the ICC Cricket World Cup.
At a meeting held at Sri Lanka Cricket headquarters on Monday involving members of the cricket interim committee and national selection committee the names of
Australians John Buchanan, Tom Moody and Stuart Law alongside Englishmen Trevor Penny and Matthew Maynard were shortlisted.
Former Sri Lankan opener Chandika Haturusinghe was one of the four applicants to be left out.
While Moody coached Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2007, Penny functioned as his deputy before both coaches left to Perth to coach Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield Competition. Law meanwhile is the current Assistant Coach to Bayliss while the highly respected Buchanan coached Australia to successive World Cup triumphs in 2003 and 2007.
A source told The Island that of the five coaches, SLC will be forced to drop the name of Buchanan as he would cost the board ‘a fortune’.
"Buchanan is the high profile name on that list. Generally an international coach is paid around 15,000 US$ a month. But with Buchanan you are talking of at least 35,000 US$ a month. That’s way beyond what we can afford," the source told ‘The Island’.
A decision on the successor to Bayliss will be finalized after the World Cup following input from national cricket captain Kumar Sangakkara and Chairman of Selectors Aravinda de Silva.
Moody looks to be the overwhelming favourite to take over the position he vacated four years ago, but sources said that cricket officials were also impressed with Maynard, an assistant to former England coach Duncan Fletcher. Maynard also had a stint with English county Glamorgan.
"It’s very difficult to say who is the favourite to take over at this point of time. The final decision, I guess, will be made by the trio of Chairman D.S. de Silva, Sanga and Aravinda," the source further said.
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