Disappointed Whatmore eyes improvement

Pakistan coach insists team gave its best in Champions Trophy.

KARACHI:

Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore said yesterday the team would be reviewed with an eye on building for the 2015 World Cup after their dismal showing at the Champions Trophy in England.

Abysmal batting led to Pakistan’s defeat in all three group matches as they failed to post a single total above 170 runs. Pakistan’s failure in the Champions Trophy has prompted calls from former players, media and fans to overhaul the system and ditch Whatmore and under-performing players.

Asked about the need to overhaul the team, Whatmore said he will give a report on the team’s performance.

“The question of selection should be directed to the selectors but I will give my review, both verbal and written, perhaps with 2015 in mind,” Whatmore, 59, told reporters as he arrived back in Pakistan.

Whatmore accompanied Mohammad Irfan, Imran Farhat, Kamran Akmal, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal, Nasir Jamshed and Ehsan Adil, while captain Misbahul Haq and vice captain Mohammad Hafeez will return next week.

‘There was no lack of effort’

The former Australia batsman-turned-coach rejected the suggestion his players lacked in effort.

“The performance didn’t meet the expectations which we, as a team, wanted to put. Obviously a lot of people in Pakistan wanted us to do well and that’s why it is very disappointing,” said Whatmore, who took over as coach in March last year.

“But it wasn’t a case of lack of trying, it was just that we were unable to score enough runs in all three matches.”

Pakistan were bowled out for 170 against the West Indies, 167 against South Africa and 165 in a rain-shortened match against arch-rivals India in the Group B matches.

Only captain Misbahul Haq managed to hit two half-centuries, while top order batsmen Hafeez, Farhat, Shoaib Malik and Kamran flopped badly.

Pakistan’s batting was also found wanting on their tour of South Africa earlier this year, where they lost all three Tests and the five-match one-day series 3-2. Pakistan had hired Australia expert Trent Woodhill as batting consultant for the Champions Trophy but he failed to lift the batsmen.

Pakistan’s next assignment is five one-day and two Twenty20 matches in the West Indies next month.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 19^th, 2013.