KATHMANDU, AUGUST 27

Nepal national cricket team head coach Dav Whatmore has submitted his resignation to Cricket Association of Nepal citing personal reasons caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Whatmore, who is currently in Oman for the two-match One Day International Series with Papua New Guinea and the tri-nation series under the ICC Cricket World Cup League-II, wrote an email to the CAN today saying he would step down from the post after the tour.

CAN Secretary Ashok Nath Pyakuryal confirmed the news and said he was concerned about the team's morale after the coach made the decision ahead of an important tour. 'I am surprised that the resignation came just before the tour.

He should have waited a couple of weeks as the decision is going to affect the morale of the players,' he said. Pyakuryal was also not happy with the way the email was leaked to media. 'We had hired him for a year and it's been only nine months. And I was shocked to know that the email sent to us was published by the media,' he added.

In an email sent to the CAN, the former Australian cricketer Whatmore said: 'The letter is to confirm you that I want to resign from the head coach position of Nepal Cricket Team immediately after the conclusion of the World Cup qualifier on September 19. I also wish to confirm you that this is a very tough decision I have to make after making the deepest of my thoughts on the same.'

Whatmore said it was difficult for him to stay away from his family for a long time due to the coronavirus pandemic. 'Due to the ongoing pandemic around the world, it is very difficult for me to stay away from my family for such a long time. I wish to confirm you that this is entirely my personal decision and I truly enjoyed working with CAN and its players who are extremely co-operative to me throughout the entire tenure,' he added in the email.

Whatmore was appointed as the head coach of the national team in December last year and he led the team to victory in the tri-series involving the Netherlands and Malaysia at the TU Stadium in April.

Nepal are slated to play ODI series against PNG and tri-series involving the United States of America and Oman. Nepal are currently at the sixth position in the seven-team table of the League-2 with four points from four matches. Oman are at the top with 16 points from 10 matches, while the USA are second on 12 points from 12 games. Scotland (9), Namibia (8), and the United Arab Emirates (7) are ahead of Nepal in the standing, while PNG are at the bottom with eight defeats. A version of this article appears in the print on August 28 2021, of The Himalayan Times.