Whatmore to coach Nepali cricketers

Kathmandu, January 19

Australian coach Dav Whatmore is all set to train the Nepali cricketers for two weeks ahead of their World Cricket League Championship matches against Kenya.

Bat and Ball Foundation invited Whatmore, who coached Sri Lanka to the 1996 World Cup victory, under its Corporate Social Responsibilities initiatives of assisting the upcoming as well as current cricketers. “We approached Whatmore with an initial objective of helping out upcoming cricketers. He was impressed with our proposal and he is coming to Kathmandu next week,” B2B Foundation Chairman Parash Shakya told The Himalayan Times. “As he will be here for more than two weeks, Whatmore will be looking after the national team players as well,” Shakya added.

Cricket Players Association Nepal will provide the B2B Foundation with the players’ list for training. The Foundation has also sent a written notification to the International Cricket Council regarding Whatmore’s schedules in Nepal. The former Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe coach, Whatmore will also be a part of the inauguration of the B2B Foundation, which is established with the aim of helping

cricket and the cricketers, on January 23.

“We are planning to have a session for local coaches with Whatmore the following day and he will be looking after the national team training from January 25 to February 7,” Shakya added. Whatmore, who was also linked with Indian team job, coached IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders from 2009-12. Whatmore played seven Tests and one ODI match for Australia and has scored over 6,000 runs for Victoria at first-class level. He coached Sri Lanka in two separate spells, during the first of which he won the 1996 Cricket World Cup. He also coached Lancashire where he won the National League in 1998 and 1999, and the NatWest Trophy in 1998.

Nepal are preparing for the WCL Championship fifth round matches against Kenya scheduled for March 11 and March 13 at the Tribhuvan University Stadium. Nepal are at the sixth position in the eight-team table with six points from eight matches, while Kenya are fifth with eight. Papua New Guinea and the Netherlands have 12 each, while Hong Kong and Scotland have 11 apiece. Namibia and United Arab Emirates are behind Nepal with two points each. Currently, 52 players, divided into four teams, are playing in Super League and a three-member committee led by national team head coach Jagat Tamatta will pick up 24 cricketer after the matches.