Power of Whatmore

**Mahmood** · #1 May 5, 2003, 05:49 PM

Janakantha reports, Whatmore has asked for certain powers over the team. 2 key terms are, he will hold the overall power on the team management. And, he will have special power in team selection.

BCB will definitly breach this contact in time. There no way BCB directors will keep quite and not push for their own choice in the team management and selection.

fwullah · #2 May 6, 2003, 12:47 AM

BCB will breech this contract more on Team selection, than on Team management.

Now I can understand why Dave Whatmore had problems with the Sri Lankan board some time ago.

fwullah · #3 May 6, 2003, 10:09 AM

BangladesherKhela has reported that Whatmore wants to have freedom in choosing a captain Plus he will go all over Bangladesh during off season to find out players. Players who are not inside the camp can also get into the national team.

All this is good - as long as we can win the matches that we SHOULD win - against ICC associates.

And also, I don't think there will be much 'off season' until the year 2006.
And the contract between BCB and Whatmore is 3 years - not 2 years as we have been reading.

BCB is reported to be indecisive over all these conditions given by Whatmore.

**Mahmood** · #4 May 6, 2003, 10:11 AM

BCB will breach the contact. There is no way our Bangalee mind will let a foreiner make all the calls. We need power and what good is power unless we can use it!

rafiq · #5 May 6, 2003, 11:54 AM

I would have been surprised had he (whatmore) not had those clauses. I would also be surprised if there are no financial and other penalties built into the contract. If you look at sports such as soccer, American football, NBA basketball, to name three, the coach/manager has huge amount of say in team selection. The concept of selectors in cricket is archaic, I don't see a lot of value, and I wouldn't be surprised if it alltogether goes away in a few years. It should be replaced with a scouting team whose job it is to identify talent.

As for the BCB people breaching the contract and exercising their own divine rights, in time they will have to change or else they will just hire and fire coaches every 6 months.

**Nasif** · #6 May 6, 2003, 12:52 PM

I beleive we have reached the ultimate pits of devastation in cricket. You cannot go any lower than this. Even though we always criticise BCB, they even have realized the miserable situation by now. "Deyaley pith thekey gese". Thats why I do believe that they will agree to the clauses of Whatmore. They cannot afford to let Whatmore go. Its the last "khor kuto" for the drowning cricket and BCB.

Sham · #7 May 6, 2003, 07:05 PM

Breach of contract has far-reaching implications and even the BCB knows that. Bottom line is, if the BCB does not allow Whatmore to do things the way he wants to do it, he will walk. And I can tell you guys that that is about the absolute last thing that BCB wants. There are people within BCB right now, including the President, who are under fire and they know that they will have to change their ways. Hiring Whatmore is being seen by the BCB as a major step and trust me, they will try their best to hold on to him.

Also, Raana bhai, I think you are wrong in saying that we will never let a foreigner dictate matters. Actually, we will only let a foreigner dictate matters. As long as a Bengali is in charge, there will be groupings and politics and what not. But somehow, we are much happier taking orders from foreigners, its the colonial mentality, and in this case, I'm glad that we have it.

I think Whatmore will have significant powers, more so than any previous coach has had.

One last thing, I am not at all convinced about the credibility of Janakantha/ Bangladesher Khela's reporting. They do report a lot of crap. Its mostly speculative. Two days before the first Test against SA, Janakantha put up our first XI which did not have a keeper. And then Bangladesher Khela reported that Selim was out and Pilot was back for the second Test?! Where do they get such rubbish? I would suggest to those of you who read these reports to take them with a pinch of salt. I don't think we should comment on the particulars of Whatmore's contract till it is made public by the BCB. Right now, I could call Janakantha's sports editor claiming to be a BCB inside source and say that Whatmore wants a mansion and two full time cars and you will read about it in tomorrow's Janakantha! That is how it is in BD.

Ehsan · #8 May 6, 2003, 10:50 PM

I really appreciate the approach that Whatmore wants to take. If he's the coach he should have all these powers that he asked for. This is no political powers and this just good for our cricket.....I hope BCB realizes it and supports him all the way....

The Best thing I liked about all his power is looking for good talented players across the country. We might have some very talented players who might not be playing in big games, it is not impoosible.

Best of Luck WhatMore and BCB.

fwullah · #9 May 7, 2003, 12:12 AM

I agree with Sham that BCB's present political officials has come to a point of no return now.

However, I have a fear that it could all BACKFIRE when Whatmore takes charge and is given power.

Remember the '94 ICC trophy issue? Mohinder Amarnath was probably given such type of power as Whatmore is demanding on player selection and team management. At the time, board/players/somebody requested to take a pacer (probably Saiful Islam). But Mohinder Amarnath insisted on taking spinners (like Shorfuddoullah Ibne Shahid Saikat). Amarnath was right in a way that the last time when Bangladesh went to Kenya for some practice matches, the wickets were not prepared for pace-bowling, the pitchs were spin-friendly. But it all backfired when the team went to play in the ICC trophy itself, they saw that the wickets were pace-bowling friendly. We all know the result of what happened later. Then Amarnath was eventually fired. One bad thing during the ICC tropy was that one good pacer (probably GM Nowsher Prince) was ill and so he could not play in the matches. Now that incident is (or is it 'was?') the darkest chapter of our players' lives - for not qualifying that time, Bangladesh lost the opportunity of playing the World Cup in Asia - and also maybe at Home.

A different issue -

You know when I think of the ICC trophy '94 times, and I see what is happening in Kenya - and the Indian fans of Kenya, I wonder what is going on now. Now every Indian seem to be in love of Kenya - like they probably think of Kenya as what football fans of France think of Senegal; now I wonder why Amarnath, an Indian coach didn't know much about Kenya at the time.

rafiq · #10 May 7, 2003, 04:13 PM

fahmida you lost me on the france/senegal and india/kenya connection. if my poor memory serves me, senegal beat almighty france last year in the football world cup. although a bunch of senegalese people live in france, i don't think the french are enamored by senegal after that defeat. But I don't live in france, so maybe you are right...

**Mahmood** · #11 May 7, 2003, 05:55 PM

The connection Fahmida mentioned is Senegal players plays in the French League and now beat France. But the French people thinks the Senegal team like a French B team and loves it. Kenyan players are some indians and trained by indians and beat India. I guess the Indians love Kenya similarly as a India B team.

fwullah · #12 May 8, 2003, 12:26 AM

Rajputro is right - this is what I meant.

shahid · #13 May 8, 2003, 02:09 AM

Indians support Kenya more than the Kenyans themselves. It's Indians only who have developed and are devloping Kenyan cricket. They have some Indian origin players in their squad. 1 or 2 of them are Indian born as well. They have had Indian coaches from the beginning like Sandeep Patil and others.

In a poll conducted in India by some newspaper about "Should Kenya be given test status?", 90% Indians voted Yes and 10% No, When Kenyans were asked that question, most of them said "No".

I don't know why Indians support Kenya more than Kenyans themselves ?

fwullah · #14 May 9, 2003, 11:05 AM

I think the same kind of mentality - question goes behind Ashraful too.

In Ashraful's case, I think the reason is because the Indians didn't watch Ashraful score that maiden test hundred (for which main reason Ashraful is a hero to people of West Bengal / Kalkatta) - well no Bangladeshi also saw taht innings, but we have heard the radio commentry; and we know that Ashraful was dropped at least twice (if not 3 times) in scoring that hundred.

So, Ashraful has not yet grown that fan-base in Bangladesh as cricket fans in Bangladesh know just how much temperament this Ashraful guy has, so there is no matamati / barabari on Ashraful in Bangladesh.

But since Indian cricket fans don't know of this little fact, so they do all the mata mati, bara baris.

shahid · #15 May 11, 2003, 11:17 PM

fwullah, Even I am a fan of Ashraful. I never got to see his first test hundred. I have seen that lots of people in India are fans of Ashraful. He is probably the only Bangladeshi cricketer about whom i read good things in India. I think that even the Indian guys like "Amit" and "Rahul" who come here are also fans of Ashraful.