da 888casino： John Dyson, Sri Lanka’s new coach, and his Australian support team havestarted an intensive skills and fitness training programme to prepare SriLanka’s cricketers for a tough summer ahead that includes home series againstEngland and Australia
Charlie Austin05-Sep-2003John Dyson, Sri Lanka’s new coach, and his Australian support team havestarted an intensive skills and fitness training programme to prepare SriLanka’s cricketers for a tough summer ahead that includes home series againstEngland and Australia.Dyson, a former Australian opening batsman and former assistant coach at NewSouth Wales, arrived in Colombo on Monday to begin an 18-month contract. Hisarrival coincided with the players completing phase one of their pre-seasontraining, an exhausting four-week fitness regime.To ensure that the players are in peak condition, the Sri Lanka cricket boardhas also hired a full-time physical trainer for the first time. Shane Duff,a trainer from New South Wales, will join Dyson and two physiotherapists,Paul Klarenaar and CJ Clarke, to complete an all-Australian backroom teamfor the national side.”The timing of our arrival has worked really well,” said Dyson on Thursday afteroverseeing a gym session with the players. “The players look in terrificshape and are now bursting to get in the nets after the completion of phaseone of their fitness preparation. Nets will start next week.”There are two more phases of fitness to go and this will all be integratedwith the individualised skills training and the start of the domesticone-day tournament this month.”Before we know it England will be here, but we are not focusing too much on one tour. We are just trying to get everyone ready for a big year. There is a huge amount of cricket to be played," he said. “Fortunately, the break they have had after such a hectic schedule last year means that the players should be refreshed and rejuvenated by the time England arrive in November.”In addition to the ongoing fitness drive and the skill work about tocommence, Dyson hopes to develop a hard-nosed “winning attitude” among theplayers, believing that this will be the key to turning a talented team into aconsistently powerful international force.”I won’t be imposing a style of play, but I want to develop an attitudewhere we play to win all the time, as opposed to perhaps playing to save thegame,” said Dyson. “That may be difficult in a country where the game is sopassionately followed and expectations consequently so high, but we canlearn from the transformation of attitude in the Australia team since the1980s.”Under Steve Waugh – a super-positive captain – they now look to win at alltimes no matter how deep in trouble they may be. They win much morethan they lose with that approach. This will be a long-term process. There isno magician who can come in to hypnotise the players and start a winningrun. But I am very excited as Sri Lanka have a very talented pool ofplayers.”