Dave Whatmore Continues To Be Sri Lanka's Coach (23 May 1996)

23 May 1996

Whatmore Continues to be Lanka`s cricket coach

Davenall Whatmore is back in Sri Lanka to fulfil his two-year contract as coach of the national cricket team till May 1997.

While Whatmore took some time away from cricket to be with his family`s relatives in England and later on went to his home in Australia, there were several rumours afloat that he was planning to quit his job as national coach and sign on with an English county side and, that he was not happy with the Sri Lanka Cricket Board because some of the requests he made were not met.

"It never entered my mind to quit this job and take over another. I did not even consider any position because I know I am in the middle of a two-year contract. I really want to be involved with the Sri Lanka team over that period of time,`` said Whatmore putting an end to such small talk.

Whatmore said that while he was in Australia, the Victorian CA advertised for a coach for its Sheffield Shield team and the appointment was made last week.

"Certainly, that would have been a position that I would have been confident of getting had I not been involved with Sri Lanka. But it never entered my mind even to consider it despite certain people in Australia telling me what to do about it,`` said Whatmore.

"My commitments are presently with the Sri Lanka Cricket Board. In any important job like in business or whatever, you need a little bit of a break. So I am grateful to the Cricket Board for giving me the opportunity to be involved at this level,`` said Whatmore.

"Winning the World Cup has certainly helped me in my future. There is no question about that. But that doesn`t mean you shop around. I have some very strong feelings about cricket here and in what direction it should go to get better. We have a pretty exciting product and we need to develop that product. We have to make slight changes to get better, otherwIse we will be marching on the same place,`` he said.

"I love being with the players. We`ve reached a very high level and we need to maintain it. I am very proud of being involved with the Cricket Board. To chuck this thing up is something almost unthinkable. It never entered my mind,`` he said.

What really started all the controversy over Whatmore`s position as coach, was the article appearing in the `London Times` when he was in England.

"The two things that were a little bit concerning in that interview was that the writer gave the date in the newspaper that my contract expired from May 31 with no year. People naturally thought that I was finishing off this year.

"The other thing is that, I was asked how I would feel about coaching an English county side and my reaction to it was that it would excite me because it offered a different challenge from working with a national team. I was not approached by any county and offered any contract nor did I approach anyone,`` said Whatmore.

"It so happened this article came without the year, Yorkshire had decided not to have a coach this year and, I was there in Yorkshire. All these things are coincidental. That basically is the crux of the matter. You know it makes good reading,`` he said.

Whatmore also denied that he was looking to work in Yorkshire because his wife had relations there and that she felt more secure than in Colombo.

"She knows I am very keen to complete some work in Sri Lanka and to go on if the opportunity presents itself after May next year. It may be true that she would feel better in another place, but nothing was orchestrated from our point of view. She had no problem staying in Colombo earlier and she is due to join me in July,`` he said.

"Any employer and employee will want to know where he is going to be three months before the expiry date. I am sure the Cricket Board would want to know what is happening here after May 1997. I think at some stage after Christmas 1996, we both sit down and be honest and see whether there is an opportunity for me to stay and be part of it or they want to take another direction,`` said Whatmore.

Source :: Daily News (http.//www.lanka.net)