& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

'The Champions Trophy could give us a start'

AL MUSABBIR SADI
After a dismal Asia Cup, damage limitation appear to be the first objective when the Bangladesh cricket team leave for England today to play in the ICC Champions Trophy.
The Tigers will also be without their captain Habibul Bashar, who will have to undergo an operation on his fractured right thumb injured during a net session last week. This has compounded the problems for coach Dav Whatmore who desperately looks for a way out of the Tigers' perennial batting crisis.
Having failed to cross the 200-mark in their last four games, Bangladesh have included three players from the Under-19 squad including two batsmen to strengthen the line up for England, where they have fond memories of the famous one-day international victory against Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup.
Whatmore however felt that this tour would be as tough as they get considering Bangladesh's recent
performance. The 50-year-old Sri Lankan-born Australian had a candid talk with The Daily Star prior to the departure of the team.
Following are the excerpts of that cajole cogitation:
Daily Star (DS): You are certainly
going to miss Bashar?
Dav Whatmore (DW): It's never nice to lose your captain especially when he is your top batter as well. It's difficult playing without an important member of the team. Leadership is also very important but these things happen and you have to accept things as they come.
DS: Your top players have not been among the runs for long. Do you consider this as your failure to motivate them or are there other reasons?
DW: Look, the past is history. The Asia Cup was just one tournament where most of the batsmen failed. I believe whoever plays for the team is capable of scoring runs. They had small problems but I am looking forward to this tournament (Champions Trophy) to sort things out.
FROM PAGE 13
DS: You said earlier that we didn't have match winners but we are in the process of making stars. You have at least ten months to go with the Tigers. Do you think by that time we are likely to get one or two match winners?
DW: We are doing as best as we can.
I am hopeful that if this team plays consistently, we will have players who will win matches for us. There are a lot of matches on home soil this season. We will be busy and if we start picking the habit of winning, which is necessary for the team, players will improve as well.
DS: But Bangladesh have hardly played well at home.
DW: May be it's because of pressure. The expectation is high and the home supporters make the players nervous.
DS: In Sri Lanka, we played under familiar conditions but that did not prove an advantage as our mighty neighbours were also doing the same. We also did not play well against teams like South Africa or England at home although the side has performedbetter away. How do you explain this?
DW: Well, the abroad-form does not always follow. It's a matter of confidence of the players. We did not play well against England but in the future we have to learn how to push the opposition hard at home. We have to hit the home-form as well. That is very important. You also have to remember that we have always been the bottom-ranked team but that's no excuse. The coming four series', starting in October with New Zealand coming first, will be very tough. We have to go upward in the graph and we need a start. The Champions Trophy could give us that.
DS: But your opponents, West Indies and South Africa, will be hungry for wins after getting some battering in their recent tours?
DW: I guess so. Facing them is difficult. We have to understand what their current form is. South Africans must be stressed after a poor series in Sri Lanka but they have been second ranked in the world for long. Although the West Indies were whitewashed (by England) in the Test series, they
played in the final of the tri-nation against New Zealand at the cost of the home team. I think the time we are getting (in Ireland and Scotland) to acclimatise before the Champions Trophy will help the boys.
DS: You have three players from the U-19 squad. What are their chances?
DW: We are going to give exposure to a couple of youngsters. I think it's time to do that.
DS: Do you see yourself with the Tigers beyond your contract?
DW: That is to be decided by my employers.
DS: Many were surprised when a high-profile coach like you joined Bangladesh. Having worked with them and getting only two wins so far, do you think that your reputation is at stake?
DW: (Laughs) No. I have more things to worry about. There is the Champions Trophy and a long home series. I must concentrate on those rather than thinking about reputations. I am enjoying this challenge and just concentrating on my job.