Whatmore to stay as Pak coach

The Pakistan Cricket Board is unlikely to release head coach Dav Whatmore from his two year contract despite the recent string of failures that the national team has endured in South Africa and 

England.

An official in the board said Whatmore, who joined the team in March 2012, is likely to be given a chance to complete his contract.

‘The idea is to have some consistency in our decisions and not panic despite the recent poor results,’ a source said. Whatmore has come under fire for his failure to lift spirits within the Pakistani team and has attracted criticism from former players who believe he has played a passive role so far preferring to back captain Misbahul-Haq and Muhammad Hafeez in every decision.

Even in the selection meeting held on Wednesday to pick the squad for the West Indies tour apparently Whatmore supported Misbah and Hafeez who weren’t too keen on Shahid Afridi or 

Umar Akmal making return to the side. 

‘The selectors however took a stance this time and insisted on the selection of Afridi and Umar,’ he said. Unless Pakistan perform very badly in their coming assignments in the West Indies, Zimbabwe and against South Africa or Sri Lanka this year.

Whatmore would stay on as coach. ‘Whatmore was hired on a lucrative contract with high expectations so far he has failed to deliver,’ he said.