Whatmore to stay on as Pak coach

Karachi: 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 today. 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 Misbah-ul-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 performs 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 while adding that the Australian has been conveyed the board`s concern over his performance. "They are also financial issues facing the board and if at this stage they release Whatmore before his contract ends in March, 2012 they will have to pay him a hefty compensation," another source said. Whatmore is reportedly drawing two million rupees a month for his coaching assignment. PTI