Dyson looks forward to Sri Lanka hot seat

John Dyson, an Australian opener perhaps best-remembered for his acrobatic catching, especially a gravity-defying pouch during a Test at Sydney in 1981-82, believes an equally remarkable turnaround in Sri Lanka's form is possible when he slips into the hot seat as head coach.

Dyson, who starts a 20-month contract on September 1, signalled his lofty ambitions during a recent orientation visit to Colombo. A 49-year-old with a passion for positive thinking, Dyson believes Sri Lanka have a chance of knocking world cricket champs off their top perch.

"From a world cricket point of view the first team to extend Australia will be doing world cricket a favour," said Dyson at his first media conference. "It's everybody else's job to knock them off their perch - that's the challenge that faces Sri Lanka."

He claims to be a fan of "the aggressive style of cricket that Sri Lanka play", although he admitted during a recent newspaper interview to some surprise with their uncharacteristically dour approach during the recent Test series against New Zealand - a series he could only follow over the internet.

"You wouldn't want every team in the world playing exactly the same variety of cricket. You've got to get the team to play to their strengths and their style of cricket. I think the Sri Lankan team has a great deal of depth and a great deal of talent."

He believes that the biggest weakness of the side is "maintaining the consistency of performance." So, it seems, his first task as he starts working with the national squad will be unraveling the reasons for their unpredictability.

Dyson's appointment was a surprise, announced just hours after the new Thilanga Sumathipala led team had won a landslide victory in the cricket board elections. It followed a depressing two-month period when a host of leading coaches - including Bob Woolmer, Steve Rixon, John Bracewell, Graham Ford - had knocked back approaches from the board.

Dyson, a schoolteacher with a bachelor's degree in physical education, which has given him a grounding in sports psychology, biomechanics and physiology, has not previously taken full charge of a national or first-class side. He had been assistant coach while at New South Wales.

But he came recommended by Tony Greig, the television commentator and former England captain who has strong links with the new board. Aravinda de Silva, the chairman of the new cricket committee, liked what he saw and a memorandum of understanding was soon signed.

Dyson needed no second invitation: "This is an opportunity to achieve one of my goals. I am pretty lucky to be offered this opportunity with a side with such potential. I am very pleased to be here and I am very excited to be involved with the Sri Lanka cricket team - I can see great things ahead for them.

"There's definitely some areas we can work on and given that we improve in those areas, we take one step at a time and move forward. What I've learnt so far is that with a team effort, the BCCSL and the playing staff, we can have a very good future," he said.

"It is very important at this level the players do receive individual attention on most aspects of the game," said Dyson. "I will be looking very closely to developing personal training sessions in conjunction with their physiotherapist, and also personalised skill development sessions for players so that their undoubted potential is actually maximised."

Dyson, like Dav Whatmore, will not have a vote on the selection panel, at home or on tour. That had been a source of frustration for Whatmore - who admittedly worked with selection committees of varying competency - but Dyson doesn't expect it to be a major hurdle: "There are parameters we have to work within, and I accept that this is a different system to what I am used to. But I am confident we can still achieve our objectives within the system."