Whatmore - 'Coach of the season' (26 November 1998)

26 November 1998

Whatmore - 'Coach of the season'

by Sa'adi Thawfeeq

The coach whom world one-day champs Sri Lanka didn't want, Davenall Whatmore, has been voted the "Coach of the Season" by readers of 'Wisden Cricket Monthly'.

Whatmore, best known for steering Sri Lanka to the World Cup in 1996 polled 321 votes, 65 more than his nearest rival Jack Birkenshaw, coach of English county champions Leicestershire.

Whatmore became coach of Lancashire 18 months ago and in the recently concluded English season, the county won the NatWest trophy and the Axa League and finished runner-up in the county championships. They were also voted the "Team of the Season", and John Crawley, who will lead them next season, the "Batsman of the Season".

England coach and former Lancashire coach David Lloyd finished third in the poll with 147 votes.

"David Lloyd, another Lancashire man would surely have collected more than 15 percent of the poll if he had not let slip those unguarded remarks about a Lancastrian-to-be - Muthiah Muralitharan," said the publication.

Sri Lanka's ace spinner will play for Lancashire as the county's overseas star after the World Cup competition in June next year.

Muralitharan's feat of taking 16 wickets in the one-off Test against England at the Oval was voted as the "Performance of the Season" by the readers.

Muralitharan's extraordinary bowling performance brought him a thumping 438 votes, 355 more than the second best performance of the season, the confrontation between Michael Atherton and Allan Donald in the fourth Test.

"Murali was playing his only Test of the summer. But his display was most reminiscent of Shane Warne, combining great stamina and control with extravagant turn. Not the least of his feats was to bowl a record number of overs (113.5) for a Test at the Oval, the oldest venue outside Australia", said the publication.

Muralitharan is also the best slow bowler ahead of Warne in the World XI picked by the readers. Three Sri Lankans figure in the team captained by Australian Steve Waugh.

Sanath Jayasuriya (699 points), Michael Atherton (657), Brian Lara (516), Alec Stewart, wk (580), Sachin Tendulkar (837), Aravinda de Silva (519), Steve Waugh, c (786), Shane Warne (606), Muthiah Muralitharan (635), Allan Donald (839) and Glenn McGrath (476).

Predicting the next World Cup winners, the readers favoured South Africa for the title, but barely ahead of holders Sri Lanka. South Africa polled 275 votes and Sri Lanka 267 with Australia (203 points) and hosts England, fourth (168). The rest of the countries received less than 25 votes each.

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