05 October 2004	Tuesday	19 Shaban 1425

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KARACHI, Oct 4: John Dyson, Sri Lanka's Australian coach, paid tribute to his players and described them as a determined unit. Talking to Dawn on Monday, the 50-year-old former Test opener admitted that he had enjoyed coaching the Sri Lankans since he took over in September 2003.

"I am very fortunate to be involved with such a talented outfit. We have good players in all areas of the game. The guys work very hard at their game and fitness. "They remain attentive and try to improve all the time. I'm very lucky in that respect because these Sri Lankans are exceptionally talented," he said.

"The guys have played some very good cricket in the last year or so. Our record in one-day game is very impressive. In the Test matches we have performed well enough by winning four, losing four and drawing four. All of our defeats have been against Australia, the top side in the world."

Coming to the forthcoming challenge in the tri-series, Dyson regarded Pakistan as dangerous opponents. "I don't see Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami or Inzamamul Haq as the only problems for us. I regard the entire Pakistan team as the major danger.

"Pakistan being at home, are obviously a formidable unit. They have very, very good players in each department. I would classify them as favourites. About the depleted Zimbabwe side, the third team in the competition, Dyson remarked: "They have definitely improved since we last played them in Zimbabwe six months ago and gave us a difficult time when we played them in the ICC Champions Trophy recently.

"And against Pakistan in Peshawar on Sunday, the Zimbabweans proved they are getting better and better with the time. In a nutshell, we can't afford to have bad days against anyone. So we won't take them lightly either."

Dyson attributed Sri Lanka's recent good form to the way cricket culture functions in his native country. "Australian cricket has shown that you need to have a squad of players. And we've tried to develop our squad so when we are forced into a situation where we are without a particular player, someone else would come in and take over that role.

"(Muttiah) Muralitharan is such an example. He is out because of his shoulder injury and yet there are bowlers who have come in and taken on the responsibility."

When asked whether Sri Lanka's victories in the recent home series against South Africa surprised him, Dyson replied: "A little bit. Yeah, realistically I was surprised when we won the second Test because I thought it would be a hard-fought game. But our guys played good and positive cricket and that was the reason of our winning the Test by 319 runs and the one-day series 5-0. Dyson agreed that Sri Lanka have been winning on home soil, but he wanted to change the trend.

"We have played a lot in Sri Lanka in recent times. From here on, it will be quite challenging for us. We play Pakistan and then tour New Zealand. We are out to prove that we can play good cricket.

"However, it will be very difficult for us to beat Pakistan in Pakistan without Muralitharan because he is a proven world-class performer. It's always a difficult void to fill when a player of Muralitharan's calibre is missing. "But because of that, it gave some other players opportunity to come up and show how good they are. A couple of guys took on the responsibility superbly and made us proud.

"This is something the Test cricket is all about. We shouldn't be dependent on a particular player to see us through. After all, it's a team game where everyone contributes. "And you must note that we beat South Africa very convincingly in the second Test in Colombo and the one-day series without Murali in the side. "Just ask Graeme Smith (the South African captain), who was surprised how easily we beat them in the recent series back home."

Dyson opined that a team must work hard with passion to reach the top. "Of course, there is always room for improvement in all areas of the game. We strive to improve all the time. Our major goal for the next couple of months should be to play very good cricket as we had done in the past 12 months.

Dyson, whose only visit to Pakistan came about in 1982 as a member of Kim Hughes's Australian side, was pleasantly surprised to find Karachi a different place. "There have been a lot of changes here since I last visited Pakistan over 20 years ago.

The National Stadium looks great and the surroundings resemble sort of a bullring. The atmosphere will be tremendous if there is a big crowd on Wednesday. The city looks in great shape."

However, the coach expressed his dismay at the restrictions imposed on international teams because of security fears. "It's very unfortunate anywhere in the world when that sort of security is needed. It's a shame that the boys cannot move about freely and enjoy the cultural part of the tour. I really do feel for everyone."