Dav Whatmore, the 57 year old Australian born former coach of the Sri Lankan and Bangladesh cricket team, is due to arrive in Lahore on Friday to take over as Head Coach of the Pakistan cricket team.

By Saj Sadiq (29th February, 2012)

 

Dav Whatmore, the 57 year old Australian born former coach of the Sri Lankan and Bangladesh cricket team, is due to arrive in Lahore on Friday to take over as Head Coach of the Pakistan cricket team.

Whatmore was due to coach the Kolkata Knight Riders in the upcoming Indian Premier League but resigned from that role after the PCB expressed a serious interest in appointing him as Head Coach.

He was in Pakistan last month meeting PCB officials and the Chairman Zaka Ashraf to finalise the details of his contract. In a short statement to the media after his meetings with PCB officials, Whatmore gave very little away about the terms of his contract and stated that the “Pakistan Cricket team doesn’t lack talent and the team has proved this in the past - coaching such a team will be a big challenge”.

Whatmore was previously overlooked for the role when the Pakistan Cricket Board opted for former Australian fast bowler Geoff Lawson, but was this time around pinpointed as the right man for the job by a committee set up by the PCB Chairman that included Intikhab Alam, Zaheer Abbas and Rameez Raja.

Whilst many in the world of cricket have questioned why current interim coach Mohsin Khan has not been given the role on a permanent basis especially after series wins against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and a Test series whitewash of England, Zaka Ashraf in previous statements to the media has outlined his preference for a "professional and qualified" coach to take over a role that is widely recognised as one of the most difficult in the world of cricket.

Whatmore's first assignment as Head Coach will be the Asia Cup in Bangladesh, where Pakistan will compete against Sri Lanka, India and the hosts. He will also oversee the pre Asia Cup training camp, although details of the dates for the camp have not yet been confirmed by the PCB.

Opinion amongst fans remains divided about the appointment of another overseas coach, with some stating that the choice of Whatmore will see more discipline and professionalism, while others believe that Whatmore's well known preference for discipline will mean that his stint will be short lived and may "end in tears".