BD News Today: 04/23/04

[chinaman]

Whatmore has no plans to leave

National Coach Dav Whatmore said he has not received any offer from the Pakistan Cricket Board to join the Pakistan team as their coach and neither is he interested in any other country except Bangladesh at the moment.

A number of websites on Thursday reported that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is keen replace Javed Miandad, the current Pakistan coach, with the successful Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore.

“Hot news, is it not,” exclaimed the Sri Lankan-born Australian to New Age. “But honestly, I have not received any such offer till date and neither am I thinking about the other things at the moment. Right now, my mind and energy belongs to Bangladesh cricket and I want to give all my effort to the Bangladesh team,” added Whatmore.

When asked whether he would like to take a coaching job with the Pakistan team, considered one of the most volatile posts in world cricket, Whatmore said, as a contracted coach of Bangladesh he was not thinking about any other country at this point of time.

“I will not name any country that I would like to be the coach. My contract will end on 31 May 2005 and only then will I think about my future,” said Whatmore.

Cricket Committee Chairman of BCB Mahbubul Anam also stated that Whatmore did not receive any offers from PCB.

He also informed that BCB could extend the contract with Whatmore to 2007, for the World Cup, as it is mentioned in the agreement. Moreover, BCB is actually looking forward to it as Whatmore has proven himself invaluable to the side.

A number of websites on Thursday quoted a reliable source relating to the PCB, that the Pakistan cricket chiefs were interested in hiring Whatmore, who earlier helped Sri Lanka win the World Cup in 1996, and also helped Bangladesh resurrect their waning fortunes. The source said, “PCB thinks Miandad had been given enough time to prove himself as national coach but failed in that aspect.”

“Furthermore, he is unwilling to accept any responsibility whatsoever for Pakistan’s poor showing against India, and that his techno-phobic style of coaching had tipped the scale,” added the source.

PCB alleged that Miandad had opposed the idea of making more use of computer technology and felt having a computer analyst served no purpose. A few websites went further writing that Bangladesh coach Whatmore is regarded with great respect in Pakistan cricket circles and PCB is interested to appoint him for Pakistan team in the next few months if Whatmore is interested.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh cricket Board is very pleased with the Australian coach after successful tours of Australia, Pakistan and Zimbabwe where Bangladesh performed competitively alongside a one-day victory against Zimbabwe after a five-year drought.

NewAge >>

[chinaman]

National wicket-keeper Khaled Mashud and his understudy Mo-hammad Salim scored half cen-turies as Araf Apparels made a flying start in the GrameenPhone Corporate Cricket League with a 49-run victory over BEXIMCO Group at the Banga-bandhu National Stadium yesterday. Mashud scored 54 and Salim, who had a rare stint for the Tigers behind the wicket during Bangladesh's home series against South Africa last year, hit 51 in an impressive Araf Apparels total of 246-9 in 50 overs.

BEXIMCO, in their chase, could manage 197 before being all out in 46.5 overs. BEXIMCO's bid for a winning start nipped in the bud when their star recruit Mohammad Ashraful fell for one. Coming in at number four the youngest Test centurion on debut played only seven balls before flashing off-spinner Jamaluddin Babu straight at the throat of Rubayet. Jamal finished with 2-30 but it was fellow offie Fahim Muntasir who stole the show with 3-43.

While Araf Apparels made their maiden appearance in any competitive cricket memorable, there was no such luck for Aktel EC who slipped to a 30-run defeat against Partex Group despite a solid start to their pursuit at the Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium. Faced with a fighting Partex total of 224, Aktel were off to a flier with the left-right opening pair of Manjarul Islam and Uttam Kumar plundering 74 runs in 11.3 overs.

Uttam hammered a 57-ball 48 that included seven firm hits across the rope and national all-rounder Manjarul struck four boundaries in his 30-ball 25. Aktel raced to the 100-mark by the end of the 21st over with one-down Golam Mawla making 39. But it all went wrong from there on as wickets began to tumble like a pack of cards against some controlled bowling from off-spinner Tariqul Islam, who ripped through the middle and lower order to finish with 4-26.

Test ace Mohammad Rafique, the Aktel captain, scored a duck. Young wicketkeeper Anwar Hossain fought a lost battle with an unbeaten 25. Earlier, Partex benefited from some erratic Aktel bowling to get past 200. There were some 33 extras which was the second highest contribution to the Partex total after Tariq Ahmed's 39. The lone Test cap in the Partex batting line-up national opener Javed Omar scored just 10.

The new-ball pair of Tareq Aziz Khan and Golam Rabbani were completely out of sorts. Tigers' right-arm seamer Tareq conceded 50 runs from his 10 overs while Rabbani gave away 38 in his five overs. Left-arm spinners Rafique and Manjarul however bowled to their reputation with the former finishing with 2-26.

Daily Star >>

[chinaman]

Former national opener Mehrab Hossain Opee filed a mercy petition with Bangladesh Cricket Board requesting the board to withdraw his punishment of one year ban.

The BCB suspended the former national opener for making dual agreement with GrameenPhone and Acme Limited to play in the ongoing Corporate Cricket League.

Acme protested to the BCB against Opee claiming he had taken Taka 10,000 from them before signing for GrameenPhone

The BCB is likely to take a decision about Opee today. But it is not known that where Opee is going to be settled

Independent >>

[chinaman]

The Bangladesh cricket team's Australian coach Dav Whatmore said Thursday he would stay with the team for at least one more year.

"Right now, my mind and energy belong to Bangladesh cricket and I want to give all my effort to the team," he said, referring to reports that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was keen to hire him in place of Javed Miandad.

Miandad has been under fire since Pakistan went down 2-3 in the one-dayers and 1-2 in the Tests in the just-concluded series with India.

Sri Lankan-born Whatmore had guided the island nation to its maiden World Cup triumph in 1996.

"I will not say any name of the country that I would like to coach. My agreement will end on May 31, 2005 and I will think about my future right after that," said Whatmore.

Bangladesh Cricket Board official Mahbubul Anan said there were plans to extend Whatmore's contract till the 2007 World Cup.

Newkerala