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FORMER Australian cricketer Trevor Chappell who was here to coach the Sri Lankan fielders in preparation of the World Cup said this year's competition should be a close and a tight one.

``There is no real stand out team in this year's World Cup. Probably there are four or five teams that on their day, they could win, and Australia is one of them and South Africa has a very good side, pakistan are doing very well at the moment, defending champs Sri Lanka, West Indies are making a comeback but their batting is a bit suspect and they depend heavily on Lara.

``Australia has a balanced batting line up and Sri Lanka, too, has depth in their batting and players who could get on with the game,'' said Chappell.

``Even in 1981 prior to Sri Lanka gaining Test status the batting was very good, it just amazed me the way all Sri Lankans struck the ball, every player stroked the ball very fluently. But the bowling those days was mainly spin and medium pace. Now there are a few, not genuinely quick bowlers, but good fast medium bowlers. If you could find a genuinely quick bowler together with the spinners and the medium pacemen, it'll make a world of difference at Test level,'' said Chappell.

``At one-day cricket, Sri Lanka is a very good side, because they score so freely and they got a good steady attack and if they field really well which they have the ability to do, they can make things very difficult to the opposition because it doesn't seem to matter how many the opposition make, Sri Lanka has the capacity to get it'', Chappell further said.

Sri Lanka's fielding certainly looks better than what it was in Australia. In Australia, something was lacking in the Lankans fielding. But with the World Cup approaching, they have a goal to aim for that's defending the World Cup and the enthusiasm is really good, Chappell said.

``I was talking to Roy Dias the coach and he says that he was very happy with the batting, bowling and I am very pleased about the fielding'', Chappell added.

Referring to Muralitharan's bowling action, Chappell thought that the threw when he first saw him in 1995.

``When I first saw him 1995, I thought he threw the ball. Watching him this year, I don't think he did. A lot of people have been following his action for four or five years and it has been passed by all of them so I can't see any problem. I think the umpire who stood in that match Ross Emerson's mind was not in a good state, I don't think he is ever in a good state of mind,'' said Trevor Chappell.

Chappell further said that playing in international games if his bowling action is illegal he should be out of the game before he reaches that level, but now, he is cleared no there's now problem and he doesn't throw.