Cricket: In remembrance of innings past

Sri Lankan coach John Dyson could have been forgiven for feeling the chill when he returned to Eden Park yesterday.

Not only was the mercury plummeting dramatically, but the ghosts of yore should have sent shivers down his spine.

Less than 200 metres from where he was taking his Sri Lankan team through its paces at the indoor nets, Dyson would have once looked up from his position in the field as Richard Hadlee's towering six gave New Zealand an emphatic victory over Australia in the second test of the 1982 series.

Dyson scored 33 in both innings, being bowled by Martin Snedden in the first and succumbing to a cracking Lance Cairns yorker in the second.

New Zealand coach John Bracewell wasn't playing that match but Dyson has locked horns with him as a player and remembered Bracewell having a "word" with him on the park.

"I think I remember he had a chat with everyone," Dyson said with a slight chuckle.

Theirs is a re-acquaintance Dyson will look forward to. He can't, however, say the same about the elements.

"The guys will take a bit of time getting used to it," he said, and he knows all about getting used to different conditions.

Colombo, where he has lived for the past 18 months, must seem like a world away from Oyster Bay, where he was comfortably holed up before Sri Lanka Cricket came knocking on his door.

"I've been back home a couple of times for short periods, but basically I live in Colombo."

Dyson was back in Sydney recently and witnessed New Zealand's one-day match against Australia. He was impressed with what he saw.

"Being back at home, the New Zealanders will definitely be that much better," he said. "They're a hard unit here."

Dyson had a relatively modest coaching CV before taking on Sri Lanka, certainly nothing of note outside New South Wales. But he says it hasn't taken long to get into the swing of things.

"You make allowances for cultural differences, but a talented cricketer is a talented cricketer. They all want much the same thing: to bat better, to bowl better and to field better," Dyson said.

"I find the guys very similar and the Sri Lankan guys are totally professional. They work hard, both physically and on their technique."

- HERALD ON SUNDAY