Excellent Whatmore interview on Prothom-Alo

[capslock]

http://www.prothom-alo.net/newhtmlnews/category.php?CategoryID=9&Date=2003-09-23


Scroll down a bit, it only works on IE.


In Bengali only, sorry!

[Edited on 22-9-2003 by capslock]

[paco]

Ha ha - sounds like Sujon's days are numbered :lol:

[Mahmood]

Yes, excellent interview.

And reading his comment about Sujon made my day. I had big hopes on Sujon when he started. He proved me wrong.

One of his comment is exactly what this board has been saying for last 3 year, "I dont know the selection criteria of BCB for Captain, but I personally think captain should be selected after selecting the team".

Sujon doesn't even come in the test team. Let us hope BCB honors his openion.

[Tehsin]

Raj bhai, can you do us a favor and post it here as a gif/jpg. I can wait until I go home tonight but would love to read it at work. :)

That way, I can get some work done. :)

[Mahmood]

here it is... had to drop the text quality to make it small.

[Tehsin]

Thank you.

[Arnab]

Once again, I would like to point out how Whatmore operates on an emotional level. Pay attention to what he said about Rajin: "Chokh Dekhlei Bojha Jai."

[Tintin]

Can someone please translate Whatmore's comments about Sujon.

[Arnab]

How do you assess Khaled Mahmud's captaincy?

DW: I won't answer it in this interview. But I have something to say about the selection process. I don't know what criteria Bangladesh Cricket Board goes by, but personally I prefer selecting my team first before I select the captain.

[James90]

I'm offering AUD$5 for anyone who can translate the whole interview

[Mahmood]

Coach Dav Whatmore warned against over-excitement at Bangladesh's much-improved performance in the just-concluded Test and one-day series in Pakistan. The Australian also dismissed the notion that his boys have done something extraordinary to make him happy. The 49-year-old was reflecting on the Tigers' performance after the 38-day tour ended with a 58-run defeat against the host nation at the Karachi National Stadium on Saturday. Whatmore, who had set his initial target of achieving individual improvement after taking over the hot seat of the Test babes in June, appeared to have shifted a gear and put his focus on result oriented team goals. The change in thinking was evident when he observed that some members of his squad weren't good enough to play at the highest level.
"I'm getting more of an idea about who can and who can't play at this level. I think satisfied is a wrong word at this stage. But there have been some encouraging signs both in the Test and one day matches. But I'm not satisfied," said Whatmore while talking to some Bangladeshi journalists at his Karachi hotel on Sunday night.

"I'm flattered that everyone gives me compliment that the team has done well, but we haven't turned our efforts into a win yet," said Whatmore adding that he believed in results rather than playing good cricket. An out and out professional, Whatmore said that he had already identified the shortcomings of his team and would discuss the matter with the concerned people on his return to Dhaka. "You know, I have got a pretty good idea. But there is a selection panel. So there will be a good and decent review as soon as I get back with a mind to make this team stronger.

'There has been something encouraging signs. One or two players have really taken the opportunity to put forward their best and showed the people that they have a very good career ahead of them," he said.

Whatmore felt that the first part of the tour was quite promising but the five-match one-day series was a real let down. He however drew inspiration from the character shown by his charges throughout the Pakistan trip.

"The good part of the series was that they showed they can put pressure on the opposition. They really pushed them and tested them on their home conditions which was a difficult task considering that the Bangladesh team haven't won for a long time playing at home or abroad."Whatmore agreed that Rajin Saleh was the find of this tour but was surprised that the middle-order batsman wasn't considered earlier. "I don't know why it took him so long to get into the team. But when I first saw him, I just thought that this boy can play. He has got the basic ingredients of defence and the desire to do well. These things you can understand by seeing the eyes of a player. I hope a couple of more guys like Rajin are around."The inspirational coach was looking forward to unearth some new talents of pedigree with the home series against England just around the corner.

"I will definitely give a long look into the under-19's training and their practice matches against England. That will be very interesting thing to watch. Some of the youngsters should get out there and play well against good opposition," said the Bangladesh coach.

The mentor of Sri Lanka's World Cup triumph conceded that his Bangladesh assignment could be a bumpy ride but believed that his two-year contract was adequate enough to mould the fledgling cricket nation into a force to reckon with. "We came very close to wining on two occasions but still we haven't crossed that barrier. I know this is just the start of my two-year term with the Bangladesh Cricket Board and there is a lot of water to flow under the bridge yet. But it doesn't ease the frustration. That's the way it is.

'I understand how important it is for the people of Bangladesh to have something to feel good about and the national team winning matches can give just that. I'm painfully aware of it and I think and hope that we have given them some causes to be optimistic in the near future about this team starting to convert hard work into victories."Whatmore declined to make any comment on his under-pressure captain Khaled Mahmud but suggested that Bangladesh should pick a team first and then select a captain from the announced squad.

"I'm not sure about the present policy of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). But if you ask my opinion, I would always prefer to pick the captain from a selected team." he added. The BCB at present follows the policy of fixing the captain first before naming the rest of the squad. Whatmore's team will fly home on Wednesday morning.

[oracle]

Surprised that Dav preferred the option of " prefering to pick the captain from a selected team". This guy could be a control freak after all.
A captain’s influence/power on selection varies from country to country. I guess in Australia, selection committee meets and transfers the eleven over to the captain. Or select the best eleven players first, then pick the captain from them (WHAT DAV MEANT?)

But in history, most captains were batsmen which could be traced to the class structure in England, i.e batsmen were ‘gentlemen’. Still overwhelmingly the case everywhere , batsmen generally make good captains. All the best Test captains – Viv Richards, Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh, etc – have all been top-order batsmen. As far as England is concerned, Illingworth was their best allround capt. appreciating both aspects of the game

In England, a captain is usually nominated for a (tour or a series). He has full involvement in selection. And if I am not mistaken Gatting hated to have been given a team which he had no control over. So the captain had to be in the selection committee or have a say in the make up.
The last option implies much more power to the captain than someone chosen by aselection commitee.

[Tehsin]

Actually, that last bit was a direct jab on Shujon's qualification. Shujon, on his own merit, would not have been picked for the team in the first place. He may have had a shot in the one day side depending on the form of the other replacement options but he would definitely be out of a probable 15 in a test match.

That is what Whatmore wanted to point out.

Bottom line, you have to be picked in the playing eleven before you get the captains armband. With Shujon, it was done the other way. He was picked as captain and then we had to sacrifice someone else to make a spot for him.

[say]

This seems to be Dav's plot to evict Sujon.

But let's see what he does with the future captain(s). Is he going to get rid of a captain if the captain performs bad in some matches? What I am saying is, Giving the trend of the performances of our players, everyone will go through some shaky periods. I'm sure Dav won't be offering a musical chair to the captains.

For Example, Let say Sumon becomes our next captain, and (hypothetically) performs bad in a series. So much so that his place becomes shaky in the next series. Is Dav going to get rid of Sumon and promote someone else. And then repeat the process for the series after?? This logic isn't making sense to me. When a captain is chosen, he ought to be given ample time to develop and not changed every so often.

No matter what Dav says now, he won't be able to stick to this formula of choosing a captain from a ‘selected team’ of players - because the captain might just not be in that pool every time.

On the other hand, a badly performing captain certainly doesn't deserve a place in the side. So the act of choosing a captain has to be done with careful consideration. The player has to be performing in a consistent average and also will have to have captainship qualities.

Enough speculating.. Stepping down is what I want from Sujon anyway. I want Sumon to be our next captain. He has been our most consistent performer. He has earned the respect off and on the field. I don't know much about his captainship qualities. But I assume he was put into the vice-captain role for some reason. Sure, Sujon has the fire-in-the-belly attitude and Sumon doesn’t, but for the sake of being fair to those waiting players who can take a spot in the team rightfully, the later seems to be the correct choice. So best of luck, Sumon.

[Sham]

And Australians pick their team before picking a captain. And if a captain plays badly enough to lose his place in the team, then he loses his captaincy. It hasn't quite happened like that, but it can.

The thing is, I don't think Dav will play 'musical chairs' with his captains like you suggested. But, the case against Mahmud is stronger than just his poor performance in the Pakistan series. I mean, his performance was not all that poor, he took some wickets. But, he really does not deserve a place in the side, few can argue that, and Bangladesh cannot afford to carry a passenger in the team, and even fewer can argue that!

[chinaman]

The most stiking part of the interview, as I see it, is the disclosure of the fact that was well depicted in the Daily Star's two quotes:

"..he observed that some members of his squad weren't good enough to play at the highest level"......"I will definitely give a long look into the under-19's training and their practice matches against England."

I think those comments mark a whole new era for the tigers, and for a period, captaincy will thrive only as a secondary matter.

[chinaman]

This page doesn't load correctly. It's fat and wide probably to accomodate a large pic.

[Sham]

I think it is a great idea for the national coach to take an interest in the age level teams. The other comment that I found interesting was when he asked why Rajin hadn't been drafted into the team earlier? It reminded me of Samircreep, who has been going on about Rajin Saleh for the last God knows how long like a broken record. He must have a smug expression on his face right now!

The other person Samir has spoken very highly of is Shafaq Al-Zabir, the left arm pacer. Now that Samir's intuitions about Rajin have been proved right, I can't wait to see Shafaq.

[kkakash]

i am currently training to be in the US Air Force, and i have been taught that i have to earn my sripes, not "GIVEN AMPLE CHANCE TO SHOW MY POTENTIAL". Hahahaha, i can certainly say that all of you are taking his interview to critical. Now i know why the Ausis are world champions.

Dav is the best coach for BD.


"YOU DON'T BECOME A CAPTAIN FIRST, YOU WORK YOUR WAY UP THE RANKS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!". <---- YOU EARN IT. YOU EARN IT. YOU EARN IT. YOU EARN IT. YOU EARN IT.:D:D:D

[Edited on 23-9-2003 by kkakash]

[cricket_er]

Now the question is, are the selectors getting the message from Dav. If this guy doesn't get what he wants than all hard work down the drain. I hope Athar and co see his points and not become Amir Shohel the *** Kisser.

[Kalbaisakhi]

It is true what Dav said in his Interview.Bangladesh really have many good players.But they only need a good captain who will able to control the team well.
Let see who will be our next captain??????:-/:-/

[Tehsin]

Sham just reminded me of him,. Where is he ? I do recall Samir's fondness for Rajin and Shafaq. Both of them have represented BD in the junior levels. I want to hear more from him on possible junior players that we need to follow in this years league.

Another thing - I notice that most fans here praise Dav, I want to know how he is thought of among the locals (ie, not NRBs).

[Sham]

I met him this summer in Dhaka. I used to be best friends with his brother a long time ago. Anyway, I had no idea it was the same Samir till our chance meeting at the American Club in Dhaka. I have his work email so I'll email him and see what he is upto.