Bangladesh board investigates tour claims

Dav Whatmore: under the spotlight © AFP Enlarge

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has concluded an investigation into reports of serious problems during the recent tour of Zimbabwe and Kenya.

Bangladesh went down to a 2-3 defeat in the one-day series in Zimbabwe, although they did regain some pride with a clean sweep in the three-match series in Kenya. However, the trip was dogged by reports of clashes within the squad.

The BCB fact-finding committee yesterday quizzed Dav Whatmore, the coach, Shafiqul Haq Hira, the manager, and Khaled Mashud, the stand-in captain. "Definitely there were some problems in the Zimbabwe and Kenya tours and that's why we met with the concerned parties to point out where the problems lie," Mahmudur Rahman, the BCB's chief executive, told reporters in Dhaka. "But at the moment I can't say anything. Our job is to get all the information and then prepare a report for the next board meeting."

Rahman added that Whatmore had admitted that he could have handled some issues differently than the way he did on the tours and on other occasions. "We had a very open discussion with Dav and also with the others. Anybody can make mistakes and of course he [Whatmore] is also not out of it. What we realised after the meeting with them was that training and other facilities for the team is not up to standard."

"It was a warm discussion and very fruitful," Whatmore said. "I think it is very good way to communicate with each other. This kind of initiative definitely help us to avoid the misunderstanding." &