Whatmore, Fountain keen followers of domestic twenty20

[Areesh]

LAHORE: Newly-hired Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore has been a permanent spectator during the on-going domestic twenty20 tournament in Rawalpindi.

Whatmore, along with the national team’s fielding coach Julien Fountain, has been following the performance of national and first-class players at the Faisal Bank Twenty20 Super Eight tournament, which got underway on March 26.

“They come to the stadium before the start of first match and leave late night all the while watching players in action and taking down notes,” Pakistan Cricket Board PCB official was quoted as saying by an international news agency.

The coach, who has formerly worked in Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh, had a successful start to his stint with the Pakistan side as they won the Asia Cup in Bangladesh last week.

Whatmore is now reportedly planning to shortlist players from the domestic tournament and arrange a training and conditioning camp for them in the coming weeks. He is also expected to meet with the PCB chairman at the conclusion of the tournament.

“It is clear that Whatmore wants to have a close look at young talent in Pakistan and get a chance to work on them with Fountain,” Ashraf told reporters.

The coach’s presence has forces national selectors, who are notorious for not being present at domestic matches, to get out of their comfort zones and watch the tournament from close range.

Pakistan’s next international challenge comes in May, when they tour Sri Lanka.

Whatmore, Fountain keen followers of domestic twenty20 | Sport | DAWN.COM