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Dav Whatmore Snubs The Enemy

In a clear cut case of Dave Whatmore signalling his strong desire to become part of the Indian cricket setup, word has it that he did not deign it necessary to offer the Pakistani Cricket Board a reason for not wanting discuss the vacant Pakistani coaching postion.

One would be loathe to blame Whatmore for not wanting to poke the Pakistani coaching postion with a 10 foot pole. Pakistani cricket's tendency to become embroiled in scandal after sordid scandal can hardly be a selling point to a potential candidates.

The embarrassment did not end there for the PCB. Outgoing Sri Lankan coach Tom Moody did not even answer a request to send his contact details to the Pakistani administrators.

Although no news reports are linking the actions of these two gentlemen to the tragic death, and ensuing farce that has doubled as a murder investigation, of Bob Woolmer, I would have thought that this event would have significantly influenced their actions. These revelations have almost certainly paved the way for Whatmore to be officially announced as the next coach of Team India.

However, if this piece is to be believed, the "senior players" within the Indian team had a say in Whatmore's appointment, just as they have had with the previous two coaches. IMHO, this consultation of the player group before the appointment of a coach signals nothing but the utter ineptitude of BCCI officials.

A coach ought to be selected based on his skills, demonstrated vision and his ability to implement that vision, as judged by his past performances. The playing group, no matter how experienced, should not have say in who their coach is. The only concession that could be made is to solicit the views of the incumbent captain.

Cricketing setups, even haphazard and disorganised examples such as the BCCI, follow a very simple management structure. The players play on the park and the administrators make the structural changes off it. This collaborative approach has led to friction in the past and will lead to more friction in future unless clear roles are outlined to all participants of the system.

Whatmore may indeed be a the type of person Team India needs. The pretenders that call themselves BCCI officials should have the balls to take the tough decsions themselves. That is what they are there for.

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