145;We need a strong set up at home146;

It8217;s the one job in world cricket no one really wants but Dav Whatmore isn8217;t one for letting it get him down. Minutes after his si...

It8217;s the one job in world cricket no one really wants but Dav Whatmore isn8217;t one for letting it get him down. Minutes after his side had been trounced by an innings and 140 runs, the Bangladesh coach sat before the media and faced his critics 8212; those who8217;ve been making 8216;8216;rubbish, shallow and dangerous comments8217;8217;8212; head on.

It was a typically pugnacious performance which, though it may not restore any faith in his team8217;s abilities, leaves one in no doubt that they are in good hands.

Later, speaking exclusively to The Indian Express later, he answered the charge that his team was currently in worse form than, say, a year ago. 8216;8216;Isn8217;t that normal for any team? There will be fluctuations in fortunes. Sri Lanka was already at a level, but here we have a young side, so it will take time. They are working as hard as they possibly can to overcome their flaws, I plead with everyone to be patient.8217;8217;

Yet the batsmen are committing the same mistakes; they don8217;t show that they are learning. Perhaps they need a spell in domestic cricket? 8216;8216;International commitments are so structured that they hardly get any time8217;8217;, Whatmore said. 8216;8216;Hopefully when the season starts next month four-day first-class cricket, they would get a chance. You need good four-day and one-day meets to learn the basics.8217;8217;

8216;8216;I honestly believe that the talent in this country is of the sort that you get anywhere in the subcontinent. What we need is tougher competition to make the right decision under pressure.8217;8217;

There is talk that former Pakistan captain and coach Javed Miandad may be roped in as batting consultant. Whatmore responded with a metaphorical shrug of the shoulders. 8216;8216;Look, my philosophy is simple. I can even have the person sweeping the floor come over and talk to my team. This isn8217;t my exclusive preserve. But the bottomline is it has to help the team.8217;8217;

The next assignment is up in Chittagong, and Whatmore insists that the baggage carried there will be purely of the cricketing kind, none of the trauma of Dhaka8217;s crushing defeat. 8216;8216;You8217;ve got to forget the result. What we are really trying to dig in and tease out are the actual reasons why, rather than the fact that we lost the match.8217;8217;