Moody withdraws from race

Tom Moody withdrew himself from the race to replace John Bunchanan as coach of the Australian cricket team last night. Tim Nielsen is now the favourite for the role.

The current Sri Lankan coach told The Sunday Mail that the time just wasn’t right for a return to Australia.

“I had to think long and hard about it but, from a personal point of view, it wasn’t right and I wanted to let Cricket Australia know as soon as possible,” he said.

“Sri Lanka is my main focus, and this had started to become a bit of a distraction to myself and the team, which is the last thing it needs in the countdown to the World Cup.

“It was a bit unfair on the team and my employers because my focus at the moment has to be on preparing the side for the World Cup.”

Moody is undecided about his future though, giving the Sri Lankans hope that he could stay on in his current position.

“I may stay on with Sri Lanka or it could be somewhere else domestically or internationally,” he said.