Dav Whatmore takes over as Kerala cricket team coach

Kochi: Dav Whatmore, a hugely successful cricket coach who coached four international teams, on Saturday took over as the coach of the Kerala cricket team for a period of six months. Addressing reporters here, Whatmore said that he sees his new assignment as a challenge.

“Kerala has huge talent pool and hence it’s going to be a challenge for me,” said Whatmore.

BCCI vice president and former Kerala Cricket Association president and secretary T.C. Mathew told IANS that the appointment of Whatmore is for a period of six months.

“We were able to get his services for only six months as he has other commitments in Chennai. We see this short term under Whatmore as an exciting period as he brings with him a wealth of international experience, which is certainly going to be a new experience for our cricketers,” said Mathew.

The 63-year-old former Aussie national cricketer, in his tenure as a coach, turned out to be hugely successful for Sri Lanka which won the World Cup under his guidance in 1996.

He later coached Bangladesh, Pakistan and Zimbabwe and also in between had a second term with Sri Lanka.