Bangladesh may not renew coach Whatmore's contract

Bridgetown, Barbados: It is still unclear whether Dav Whatmore will continue as the Bangladesh coach.

Despite several reminders from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) the Australian has not indicated whether he intends to renew his contract, which expires four days after the World Cup.

Bangladesh may not renew Whatmore's contract if he fails to respond.

Sri Lankan-born Whatmore has expressed an interest in coaching the Indian team following Greg Chappell's resignation.

Meanwhile the Indian cricket board, knowing very well that Whatmore will be willing to wait thanks to the attractive salary on offer, are taking their own sweet time to decide on the next coach.

Speaking in Dhaka yesterday, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president M. Abdul Aziz said: "We will see what he wants and decide accordingly."

The BCB has also formed a six-member committee to deliberate on the coach issue since they will need a coach before the start of the series against India next month.

So the Whatmore situation right now remains a mystery and has been disturbing the Bangladesh players as well.

Skipper Habibul Bashar was bombarded with questions about Whatmore's future.

"Frankly I don't know whether we are losing Whatmore or not," was his remark.

Whatmore, however, walks around very normally, coaching the Bangladesh players.

And should anyone question him on his quitting plans, he comes up with a ready-made answer, "This is not the time to discuss such matters."