Whatmore surprised at Ranatunga’s ‘criticism’

KARACHI: Dav Whatmore has expressed his surprise and disappointment at reports that Arjuna Ranatunga, the former Sri Lanka captain, has advised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) against hiring him as their next coach.

According to a report, Ranatunga had a chance encounter with Talat Ali, the Pakistan manager, in Scotland recently. When asked for his thoughts on Whatmore as an option, given that the two had worked together extensively and led Sri Lanka to their 1996 World Cup triumph, Ranatunga reportedly offered the advice that Whatmore should be avoided.

“I don’t know what his motivations were but he is entitled to his own personal views and I have no desire to get dragged into a public argument with him,”

Whatmore said.

Whatmore was one of three Australians shortlisted by the Pakistan board for the coaching position, lying vacant since the death of Bob Woolmer in March. Geoff Lawson, the former Test fast bowler, and Richard Done, the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) High performance manager, are the others.

“The facts are that I have indicated my desire to coach Pakistan and, if appointed, I am confident of being able to do an extremely good job with a very talented group of players,”

Whatmore said.

Kumar Sangakkara, who made his debut while Whatmore was in charge, endorsed his credentials to be the Pakistan coach.

“I have absolutely no doubt that Dav is exactly the kind of coach Pakistan needs right now,”

Sangakkara said.

“He has the expertise and the experience, including a World Cup win, the pinnacle of coaching success. I count myself as very fortunate to have broken into the national side with him as coach. It helped me to hone the right attitude towards hard work and getting out of my comfort zone that has stood me in good stead ever since,”

he said.

Avoid Whatmore, says Ranatunga

KARACHI: Former Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga has advised Pakistani players and team management not to have Australian Dav Whatmore as their new coach, sources said.
Ranatunga, who captained Sri Lanka to 1996 World Cup glory with Whatmore as the coach, is learnt to have given a “run-down” on the Australian when he had a chance meeting with manager-cum-coach Talat Ali in Scotland where the team had recently gone to play two one-day games, according to reliable sources in the Pakistan team.

“Ranatunga was asked for his opinion about Whatmore as he has worked for a number of years in the Sri Lankan team,”

one source said.

“Ranatunga during his talks with Talat and some senior players gave them a run down on Whatmore and eventually his advice was to avoid him,”

he added.

“Ranatunga did admit that Whatmore was coach when Sri Lanka won the 1996 World Cup but said the players had a big credit in this as well,”

he continued. When Whatmore was Sri Lankan coach he had problems with Ranatunga with both speaking out against each other publicly.

Pakistan coach to be named in a few days

ISLAMABAD: The coach for the national cricket team is expected to be named in a few days, it was officially learnt on Monday. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is expected to finalise the name of the coach, who will probably be a foreigner, before July 15. The vacancy of the coach has been vacant since the death of Bob Woolmer on March 18 — a day after Pakistan were eliminated from the World Cup in the very first round in the West Indies. Prominent among the foreigners in line for the job of Pakistan cricket coach are Geoff Lawson and Dav Whatmore, both from Australia.

Inzamam gives the thumbs-up to Whatmore

Inzamam-ul-Haq, the former Pakistan captain, has backed Dav Whatmore to be appointed as coach of the Pakistan team. "He has a lot of experience and a strong coaching background like Bob [Woolmer] did,"Inzamam told Reuters. "He appears most likely to be selected as coach."

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has interviewed three Australians - Whatmore, Geoff Lawson and Richard Done - for the coaching position which fell vacant after the death of Woolmer during the World Cup in March.

Inzamam, who retired from ODIs and stepped down as captain after Pakistan's early exit from the World Cup, said Whatmore had a lot of experience working in the cricket set-up in the region.

"He has coached Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and produced good results. So I think he is the one the board will eventually select.

"The Pakistani players need an experienced and strong coach like Woolmer to guide them and get the best performances out of them. I have always said our team needs a qualified coach."

Inzamam had earlier also stated his intention of wanting to continue playing Test cricket.