Moody quits as Western Australia coach

Tom Moody has quit as Western Australia's coach after a disappointing three seasons in charge of his home state. Moody, who left the Sri Lanka coaching role to take up the job in 2007, will see out the season with the Warriors but will not seek an extension and could be in the mix for any international appointments that arise in the near future.

His announcement comes near the end of a lacklustre summer for Western Australia, who are sitting last on the Sheffield Shield table, finished second-last in the FR Cup and fourth in the Big Bash. The sole team success during his time at the helm came when the Warriors qualified for the Champions League Twenty20 in 2007-08, only for the tournament to be postponed.

Moody cited the demand of his overseas duties and increased business commitments as reasons for his departure, although one of the factors in his heading home to Perth three years ago was for more stability for his family. He is the coach of the Kings XI Punjab in the IPL but there will be few international coaching vacancies for him to consider in the immediate future, with New Zealand, South Africa and West Indies all having recently filled their posts.

"Over the past three years I have enjoyed the challenge of the manager and head coach role at the WACA and feel confident that the foundations that have been laid will go a long way towards the success of the team in the future," Moody said. "There have been a number of highlights over the past three years from a team perspective - getting into the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash final in 2008 and qualifying for the Champions League in India would be up there.

"From an individual perspective, it is always special to play a role in a player's journey to the top, and we saw Shaun Marsh, Marcus North, Luke Ronchi, Luke Pomersbach and Adam Voges all reach the international stage. I am sure in time we will see them not only continue to get opportunities to play for Australia, but many others in our current squad I am sure will get their opportunity if they continue to work hard."

Western Australia will start their search for a replacement over the coming weeks and one name that might be on their minds is Mickey Arthur, the former South Africa coach, who recently said he would like to become involved with an Australian domestic team. Graeme Wood, the WACA chief executive, praised Moody's impact on the Warriors squad.

"There is no doubt that Tom and his support staff have had a positive impact in forging a professional culture among the playing group and the preparation of teams for all fixtures has been first class," Wood said. "Tom has played a major role in developing players that have gone on to represent Australia at international level, and that is a great credit to him."