New Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore has is looking forward to the challenge of taking charge of a third Asian team and is confident the side can improve their standing in world cricket. Pakistan cricket team arrived Thursday in Dhaka to compete in the four-nation Asia Cup tournament scheduled to start in Dhaka on March 11.
Pakistan team led by Misbah ul Haq along with new head coach Dav Whatmore reached Dhaka three days ahead of inaugural match against hosts Bangladesh in the tournament which also features India and Sri Lanka. "I see this tournament as the first of many challenges ahead of us. The other teams are good one-day sides and strong competitors," he told reporters at the airport.
Whatmore said he did not need reminding that Pakistan would face arch rivals India at the Asia Cup but was also aware of the other fixtures at the event and not just the March 18 showdown. "It is good for the sport when there is so much interest revolving around a match but as a team, we have to focus on all the matches not just one game," he said.
Along with Whatmore, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) brought in Englishman Julian Fountain as fielding coach to help improve Pakistan's performances following one-day international and Twenty20 series defeats to England last month. Whatmore said Pakistan had an abundance of talent, as displayed in the 3-0 Test series win over England prior to the One-dayers, and he was looking forward to studying the players up close. "It is an exciting prospect for me as a coach looking at the future but right now the immediate task is to ensure Pakistan do well in this event," he added.
Talking to reporters here, Misbah dubbed the match against arch rivals India as "a tough one", but added that his team has been playing good cricket following the World Cup last year barring the series against England and he is hopeful that his team will do better.
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