Whatmore brings hope where there was none

Dav Whatmore, who took over as Bangladesh's coach on June 2, has had little time to affect the team's performance, but his approach has already been welcomed by many of the players. And as his new charges left Dhaka to start their tour of Australia, Whatmore admitted that he had few expectations as to what awaited his side.

"I am not looking for a great team effort but hoping to see improved individual performances," he said. "We are leaving with a happy mind. I want to see clear, defined goals put in place during the tour about what we need to do. We need to see whether or not we're moving in the right direction. Those areas will be very painfully defined during these matches."

But he downplayed suggestions that there was no signs that things were getting any better, insisting that there was plenty of talent in Bangladesh. "They're oozing with it," he enthused. "They just need to get a little bit tougher and be able to withstand that extra pressure that comes along from time to time, and go ahead and bat for four hours."

Although he is only three weeks into his tenure, the reports circulating locally are all positive. It is claimed that Whatmore has identified and remedied several fundamental problems within the squad.

Manjural Islam, previously only able to bowl outswing, has been taught to move the ball in to the batsman, and Tariq Aziz's run-up has been remodelled to good effect. Whatmore has instilled in all the bowlers that they need to attack rather than contain, which has been their aim in recent matches.

The batting - which has deteriorated significantly in the last 18 months- is a bigger challenge. Whatmore has had all the players practising on specially-prepared bouncy wickets, and has concentrated on getting the top-order batsmen to learn which balls they can leave, and which ones they have to play at. He has also, so the reports claim, instructed the batsmen to forget playing any attacking strokes until they have reached 25.

Additionally, Whatmore has looked to restore calm off the field, One of his first acts was to meet with Khaled Masud, who was sacked as captain following the World Cup amid recriminations and accusations that he adversely affected team morale. "I had a long talk with him and he was very keen to integrate into the group the best way he can," Whatmore said. "He's a good player and the other members of the squad are also very keen for him to be here."