Moody quits as Sri Lanka coach

Tom Moody has resigned as Sri Lanka's coach and will return home to Perth to take up a role guiding Western Australia for the next three seasons. Trevor Penney, who worked with him as an assistant coach at Sri Lanka, will also join Western Australia under Moody.

The decision makes Sri Lanka the seventh Test-playing nation to lose their coach during or after the World Cup. Sri Lanka Cricket wants Penney, who has a contract until August, to act as caretaker coach for the side's series against Bangladesh in June-July. Sri Lanka's next assignment after the Bangladesh matches is the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa in September.

Moody said his family, who lived in England while he worked in Sri Lanka, played a large part in his decision. "It was a very difficult decision to make given the strong relationship that has been built between SLC and myself," he said.

"But at this stage in my life it was important that I made a bigger commitment to my family. However, I will be more than happy to assist in whichever way I possibly can for the continuous success of SLC." It is expected Moody's advice will play a role in determining who succeeds him.

An SLC statement indicated there were no hard feelings. "SLC regrets that Tom Moody has to leave our services and respects his decision," it said. "SLC is grateful to Tom for his valuable contributions to the success of the national and SLC during his tenure. We wish him all the success in his future endeavors."

Moody will reportedly have his salary boosted by a sponsorship deal with Vikas Rambal, the Indian industrialist, who lives in Perth. Moody, a former captain of Western Australia who led the state to two Sheffield Shields and a domestic one-day title, has been at Sri Lanka since 2005 and before that coached Worcestershire.

He said it would be terrific to return home and work with his former state team-mates Graeme Wood, who is the Western Australian Cricket Association's chief executive, and Justin Langer. In April, Langer announced he was stepping down as captain but continuing as a player, and he let slip the move was prompted by the knowledge Moody would be taking over as coach.