Moody's eyes solely on Western Australia

Tom Moody, the former coach of the Sri Lankan team, has settled into the job coaching Western Australia, and at least for the moment, has put aspirations of coaching a national team on hold.

"I was in a very fortunate position and it was flattering to get the kind of opportunities that I was presented with," he said. "But at the end of the day I was looking for a balance in my life really and I have got two young children reaching an age where dad needs to be around a bit more and I was wanting to fulfill that as a father while pursuing my professional career as a coach.

"The opportunity came up in Western Australia, which is my hometown and which was too good to miss because it allowed me to work at a professional level with cricketers and hopefully produce some international cricketers and also it helped me get the balance that I wanted personally."

Moody is in India at the moment, with the Western Australia team scheduled to play practice matches in Bangalore and Chennai. Having worked in the background while coaching international sides and leaving the limelight to the players, Moody said the challenges in coaching a state side were very different.

"It is very different because you have an in-season and an out-season while in international cricket, you are virtually playing the whole year," he said. "The whole preparation is very different, in domestic cricket you are gearing up for a six-month season while in international cricket you prepare for the road full-time, that is an adjustment I had to make as a coach. It is a good opportunity for me to work in that environment and challenge myself."

When asked about the offer to coach the Indian team, Moody downplayed the matter. "It did not matter which international side came to me," he said. "When I sat down and looked what to do from my personal point of view, I was looking at that balance which I need at this stage of my life.

"But in five years time that might be completely different but certainly in the foreseeable future, I feel very lucky to work at a professional level with the Western Warriors. At the moment I am very happy where I am."

With several Australian stars retiring last season and others potentially following in the next couple of years, Moody was hopeful some young cricketers from Western Australia would stake strong claims for themselves. "We have got a few players who will knock on the international door in the next 24 months," he said.

"Luke Pomersbach is one of them, left-hand batsman, Shaun Marsh, another left-hand batsman ... Brett Dorey has played some international cricket and Marcus North has played some representative games like being part of the Prime Minister's XI. North is a highly respected leader and batsman and we have got a number of guys who can make it to the big league and that is an exciting thing for me to be able to work with these players and help them make that next step."

Speaking just as the ICC World Twenty20 was about to get under way, Moody was asked several questions about the new format, but gave little away. "Twenty20 is a terrific format and it certainly puts all our cricketers under immense pressure in a shortened game and there is no hiding in Twenty20 cricket on the field," he said.

"And you need to execute your skills at a very high level. Obviously it is terrific entertainment for the public and it seems to capture the whole audience ranging from the young to old and it has been a huge success and I am sure this tournament in South Africa will be a great success."