During the inquest following England's palpitating World Cup defeat by Sri Lanka, evidence was quickly called about the bearing it might have on the head coach's position. It was not the first time this testimony had been aired in a long winter of disenchantment but it had never had such pertinence.

Should Duncan Fletcher's day be done when and if England depart this tournament, one of the men being touted as a successor is Tom Moody, the current coach of Sri Lanka. Moody's star as an international coach able to get the best out of his players is rising as fast as Fletcher's is waning. This is desperately unfair but it is also the nature of big-time sport, especially at showpiece events like this where reputations are made and blown in a day. Moody has indubitably made a sleeker cricketing force out of Sri Lanka.

True, when you have idiosyncratic talents like Muttiah Muralitharan, Sanath Jayasuriya and others at your disposal the task might be eased, but throughout the ninth World Cup, the Sri Lankans have looked and sounded the real deal with flair allied to preparation. Their only defeat to South Africa was not sealed until the last ball because Lasith Malinga took four wickets in four balls just when it looked like the opposition were cruising. This was a sure indication of a team that keep going till the final blow is struck.

It is unquestionable that Moody has had the better of Fletcher in their meetings. Sri Lanka drew a Test series in England last summer in which they were supposed to have been brushed aside and now have won their sixth consecutive one-day international between the teams. These are enticing statistics when the subject of succession is raised.

Moody is much too dignified a man to become embroiled in such tittle-tattle but it is also unavoidable. "There has been speculation about this, that and the other but I haven't looked at anything," he said.

"Yes, Western Australia have contacted me to ask of my interest. I said to them that at the end of the World Cup I will sit down with Sri Lanka and see what the future holds there."

He made a point of publicly declaring his non-candidature for the Australian coaching vacancy earlier this year but his home remains in England from his days as a player and coach with Worcestershire. The large salary may not necessarily be a coach's driving force but it is hardly a disincentive.

Moody's style will be different from that of Fletcher. If his days at Worcester, when captains came and went, are a guide it would seem he likes a degree of control that Fletcher has always disavowed.