Barry Richards starts programme with national team

South African batting legend, Barry Richards, started his specialist batting sessions with the Sri Lankan cricket team on Wednesday.

Richards, who arrived on Monday was involved in a workshop with the cricketers on Tuesday evening, but his ten-day programme with the Sri Lankan national players and A team cricketers started today.

Though the national cricketers were scheduled to practice on the center wickets at NCC Grounds today, they were confined to the indoor nets due to the overnight rain. The untimely weather (for the cricket not the country) scuppered plans for a multi-camera analysis of the players techniques.

The national squad was spilt into two groups: the left-handers who practiced in the morning and the right-handers in the afternoon.

A three-day session will also be conducted for the Sri Lankan A cricketers next week.

Sri Lankan captain, Sanath Jayasuriya, speaking to CricInfo after the morning session said: "We are trying to get a few things right in the batting department. We want to sharpen in the areas where we have been vulnerable. In the long run there are a few things that you tend to neglect and forget. Barry (Richards) can help us put them right."

This is not the first time the Sri Lankans have had him as the batting expert. In 1998, just before they embarked on the tour of South Africa, Richards visited Colombo for a two-week programme with the touring squad.

"We have hired him before. It was a very useful stint three years ago and he gave us lot of confidence," said the Sri Lankan captain.

Meanwhile, Richards, who is supposed to make two more visits to Sri Lanka before the 2003 World Cup, told CricInfo: "I will be working on the technical side of the game; the weaknesses of the batsmen and how to overcome them. We also want to do a little bit of planning for the future too."