Former Bangladesh head coach Dave Whatmore recently gave his thoughts on the incredible development of Bangladesh cricket in a conversation. Dave Whatmore, who captained the team in the 2007 World Cup, is presently playing in the Bangladesh Premier League for Fortune Barisal.
Dave Whatmore expressed his happiness while returning to Bangladesh and mentioned that it was always a good idea to visit the country of his childhood memories.
“It is always beneficial to return to Bangladesh.” Arriving at the airport and seeing so many familiar people is a pleasant experience. As someone with happy recollections of Bangladesh, it’s always a pleasure to visit,” Dave Whatmore remarked.
The experienced coach emphasized the noteworthy shifts in the cricket scene and credited the changes to the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s deliberate player development expenditures.
“There’s a significant difference (from the past). The results of the monies invested in development, such as the High Performance and A teams and the funds allocated to the Under-19 squad, are what I have witnessed thus far,” he remarked.
Dave Whatmore discussed the change in strategy and noted that the latest results show a discernible difference, particularly in home matches. They were successful in New Zealand, demonstrating a more assured approach overall, even if they acknowledged the difficulties of touring overseas due to different weather.
“The outcome clearly indicates that (a shift in strategy) is the case, especially in your own nation. Traveling overseas makes things a little more difficult. The weather, cuisine, and everything else are all different now, but they just won in New Zealand, so you can be sure that the general strategy is now more assured,” he continued.
Seniors must acclimate them before imparting their knowledge: Dave Whatmore
Furthermore, it was understood that older players, such as Shakib, Tamim, and others, had a responsibility to guide the next generation.
Seniors have a duty to acclimate them to their surroundings in order to impart knowledge and ease their transition into adulthood. That’s something that those kids will ultimately have to accomplish, but they can get assistance along the way, so yes, they do have a responsibility, and from what I’ve seen, they are fulfilling it,” Dave Whatmore stated.
The coach emphasized how important the Bangladesh Premier League is to hastening the growth of players. According to him, the main T20 competition is essential because it gives many kids and seniors access to important possibilities for development, such playing in front of sizable crowds and against elite international players.
“This is your premier T20 tournament and this is vastly important as it exposes lot of juniors here as well as the seniors, and it accelerates the development like playing in front of big crowds and against some very good international players so it is very important tournament,” he said.