Dav Whatmore is all set to coach the Kerala domestic team

Dav Whatmore, the renowned coach who guided Sri Lanka to World Cup glory in 1996, has chosen the Kerala domestic team for his next assignment as the coach. Whatmore played 7 Tests and an ODI as an Australian cricketer and is in the final stages of agreeing to a contract with the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA).

Whatmore interacted with players of the T20 team from the state before the South Zone leg of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy which was held in Chennai in January. Since then, he has been in touch with the KCA officials, and is expected to meet them in Chennai to finalize the contract in the coming days.

“Whatmore will be arriving in Chennai on March 22 and the contract will be finalised then. After the interaction in Chennai, we’ve had email communication with him. Former Kerala captain S Ramesh will become the game director,” KCA secretary Jayesh George was quoted as saying by Manoramaonline.com.

Apart from Sri Lanka, he also coached three other international teams Bangladesh, Pakistan and Zimbabwe. Under him, the U19 team led by Virat Kohli won the 2008 junior World Cup in Malaysia. He also served as coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL) between 2009 to 2012.

The Kerala team has not enjoyed much success in the ongoing domestic season. Their Head coach P Balachandran was sacked midway through the Ranji Trophy season and replaced by former India pacer Tinu Yohannan. The outfit failed to qualify for the knockout phase of the tournament.

The team finished fourth in the South Zone Mushtaq Ali T20 Championship and also missed out on making it to the knockout phase of the Vijay Hazare one-day championships.

Whatmore, to his credit, has changed the fortunes of each team he has coached. Under his guidance, the Kerala team too would be hoping to make a mark in the domestic circuit.