Nobody said it was going to be easy. When Dav Whatmore agreed to take up the challenge of coaching the striplings of Bangladesh, he knew full well that it would be a journey into the unknown. He accepted that he was putting his considerable reputation on the line, and from the outset, his primary aim was to be as honest to the job as possible, even if it meant offending a few sensibilities along the way. But, if the politicking and horse-trading of the past fortnight are anything to go by, his mission has barely even begun.
After a three-month break from internationals, Bangladesh erupted back onto the radar in an extraordinary sequence of events last week. After rumours that his position was under threat, Khaled Mahmud was first sacked as captain, then dropped from the Test team, then forced into retirement, then coerced back into action, then reinstated to the one-day squad for the current trip to Namibia and Zimbabwe, under the new leadership of Habibul Bashar. And all in the space of three days.
It was a very topsy-turvy chain of events. Mahmud, who had been booed from pillar to post by a hostile and frustrated public in the one-day series against England, was suddenly receiving sympathy as the apparent victim of a very public stitch-up. Whatmore, the coach with the Midas touch whose mere presence had lifted Bangladesh to unpredecented heights, was being viewed with a touch of suspicion for the first time in his tenure. And all for daring to drop a man who, at one stage last year, was boasting the Test batting and bowling averages of 11.25 and 406 respectively.
Clearly, this was an issue that transcended mere cricket. As Test captains and national treasures go, Mahmud was not exactly in the mould of Steve Waugh. And yet, for many Bangladeshis, he had attributes every bit as valuable as Waugh''s grit and resolve. Honesty and integrity for starters (if tempered by a hint of delusion as to his merits as a Test cricketer), plus the loyal support of a team that had hit absolute rock-bottom when he took over as captain after the disastrous 2003 World Cup. And talking of World Cups, who could overlook Mahmud''s finest hour, when he took 3 for 31 - and the Man of the Match award - in Bangladesh''s last one-day victory, against Pakistan at Northampton in 1999. Mahmud may not have been a hero in the conventional sense, but moments like this could not be easily forgotten by his success-starved country.
And so, despite all the catcalls during his poor run of form last season, it was Mahmud''s country that rallied round when word got out of his sacking last week. Or, more accurately, it was an embarrassed Bangladesh Cricket Board, who sensed the mood of the nation and winced at Mahmud''s plaintive retirement statements, in which he spoke of his increasing isolation in the preceding days. "I admit that I have shortcomings, and I''m average too," he said in a touchingly naive display of candour, "but I have always treasured self-respect above everything in my career".
Unfortunately for Mahmud, whose embarrassment had been compounded by the fact that, back in November, he had been included in the elite grade of the team''s new pay structure, his bid for self-respect quickly hit the rocks. Soon, he was being begged to reconsider by several BCB officials, most prominently the chairman of the development committee, Arafat Rahman, who just happens to be the youngest son of the Prime Minister, Khaleda Zia. Clearly, this was not a man who takes no for an answer.
And so the absurd situation arose, whereby a player who had publicly admitted he was not good enough for international cricket, was being forced back into the side against his will. For Whatmore, it was a frustrating outcome. He had hinted to Mahmud on several occasions in the preceding months that he might want to consider his future, but each time he had been rebuffed by a proud man who could not divorce his personal sense of honour and duty from the professional needs of his team and country.
It is that ugly word "professionalism" that is at the root of Bangladesh''s struggles. For players, press and public alike, the next step in their development is proving to be the hardest to take. Mahmud, for all his manifest failings (one newspaper suggested that his "allrounder" status referred to his waistline, rather than his abilities), played the role of a national security blanket - slightly cuddly, reasonably robust, and something to cling to in times of never-ending strife.
But now the mantle passes to Bashar, the one proven Test-class batsman in the squad, and the nation holds its breath. For all his undoubted talent, Bashar has earned a reputation for aloofness that doesn''t sit easily with an inherently insecure team. The early signs have not been overly encouraging - two squeakingly tight victories over Namibia do not augur well for the forthcoming Tests against an ever-improving Zimbabwe. Three months ago, that series might have been earmarked for Bangladesh''s long-awaited first victory. But not anymore. As Whatmore has repeatedly said, there is no quick fix.
This is an era when the Australian way is the only way. Whatmore has successfully redefined the BCB''s selection policy along Aussie lines, so that the squad is now chosen first, and a captain selected from within its ranks, rather than the other way round. Now he must redefine the team. With Bashar in charge, there can no longer be any excuse for Bangladesh fielding anything less than their strongest team for every match. If Duncan Fletcher''s influence on Nasser Hussain is anything to go by, Bashar''s selfish streak could and should be channelled to Bangladesh''s advantage in the coming months.
As Whatmore himself said, he needs to be given enough rope to hang himself if he is to make a difference to Bangladesh. It has been like extracting teeth at times, but at last he is being cut the necessary slack. —Cricinfo.

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NEW DELHI, Feb 4 (AFP): Defending champions South Korea will clash with hosts India in the semi-final of the Asia Cup women''s hockey here Friday.
The other semi-final will feature favourites and Asian champions China against Japan.
In the last league matches played here Wednesday, India swamped Kazakhstan 8-0 to pip China to the top spot in Pool A.
The Chinese, who finished second behind Australia at the Champions Trophy in Sydney in December, brushed aside Malaysia 7-1.
Japan, meanwhile, topped Pool B with a rousing 4-3 win over the Koreans.
The Japanese girls, who scored all four goals in the first half, fought off a spirited challenge from the Koreans after the break.
The Koreans forced nine penalty corners in the second session, but managed to score from just two, the last goal coming in the final minute.
The scorers for Japan were Tomomi Komori, Sachimi Iwao, Sakae Morimoto and Naoko Saito. Han-Hye Lyoung, Oh-Sun Soon and Nam-Jin Ae 70 scored for the Koreans.

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COLOMBO, Feb 4 (AFP): Sri Lanka suffered a setback Wednesday when fast bowler Dilhara Fernando was ruled out of the home one-day series against world champions Australia due to a back injury.
Team physiotherapist Paul Klarenaar said the paceman would not be able to bowl for four weeks as the scans had shown that he had a stress fracture on the right side of his lower back.
Australia arrive in Sri Lanka on February 14 for five one-day internationals and three Test matches. The one-day series begins with a day-night match at Dambulla on February 20.
Fernando, 24, played a big role in his team''s series-clinching victory over Michael Vaughan''s England in December, bagging four wickets in the third and final Test at Colombo. The first two Tests were drawn.
The nippy paceman has so far grabbed 73 one-day and 37 Test wickets. His absence means that seasoned left-arm seamer Chaminda Vaas will be without an effective new-ball partner against Australia.
The hosts are expected to rely on spin to trap the Australians on slow pitches, having included as many as six specialist spinners among the one-day probables.
Sri Lanka beat Steve Waugh''s Australians 1-0 in the last home Test series in 1999.
Sri Lankan one-day probables: Marvan Atapattu (captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Chandana, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumar Dharmasena, Nuwan Kulasekara, Saman Jayantha, Avishka Gunawardena, Russel Arnold, Chamara Silva, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Rangana Herath, Nuwan Zoysa, Dinusha Fernando, Chamila Gamage, Charitha Buddhika, Dinuka Hettiarachchi, Thilina Kandamby, Darshana Gamage, Ruchira Perera.
Australian team''s schedule:
Feb 14: Arrival
Feb 17: One-Day practice game at Moratuwa
Feb 20: First one-dayer at Dambulla (day/night)
Feb 22: Second one-dayer at Dambulla
Feb 25: Third one-dayer at Colombo (day/night)
Feb 27: Fourth one-dayer at Colombo (day/night)
Feb 29: Fifth one-dayer at Colombo
March 2-4: Three-day practice match at Colombo
March 8-12: First Test at Galle
March 16-20: Second Test at Kandy
March 24-28: Third Test at Colombo

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Pakistan cricket has been hit by a fresh match-fixing scandal after the leak of a confidential report from the ICC''s Anti Corruption Unit (ACU) to the Pakistan board which suggested that the team may have deliberately underperformed in two one-day tournaments in 2002 according to Cricinfo..
A story in The News, a Pakistan daily, claims that two letters were sent by Lord Condon, director of the ACU, expressing concern about the conduct of some Pakistan players in tournaments in Morocco and Kenya. Pakistan performed poorly in both the tri-nation tournaments: they lost three out of four matches in Morocco, and made it to the final in Kenya only because the host nation was the third team in the competition.
According to the daily, Condon wrote in one of those letters, dated September 29, 2002: "None of the allegations of match-fixing or under-performance made in relation to Pakistan in recent weeks are capable of proof, at this stage, for judicial or cricket disciplinary purposes. Nevertheless, a worrying amount of information is being received from different sources in different countries and I place it before you in case it resonates with your own information and anxieties about recent results.
The Pakistan team was earlier under the spotlight after their loss to Bangladesh in the 1999 World Cup. The PCB had initiated an inquiry into that performance, but the Justice Karamat Bhandari report cleared the team of wrongdoing. However, Condon''s letter stated that the clean chit by Justice Bhandari might have given the players the "confidence to fix matches".
Condon alleged: "It is suggested that the person primarily responsible for arranging the under-performance is Ratan Mehta from Delhi. Mehta has also been mentioned in the CBI report in 2000. He has always been of interest to my unit but in the last two months the intelligence reports suggest he is actively seeking to match-fix."
Condon also wrote that during the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka, two senior Pakistan players were constantly seen with a Sri Lankan who was believed to involved in criminal activities and whose background was being traced with the help of Interpol. According to the daily, the letter further stated that a Pakistani player had used the hotel room occupied by the Sri Lankan to spend time with a Russian prostitute.

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TOKYO, Feb 4 (AFP): Jelena Dokic said Wednesday she plans to end her self-imposed exile to Australia next season after launching her 2004 campaign with a win at the Pan Pacific Open.
Seventh seed Dokic looked rusty during her 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 defeat of Cara Black of Zimbabwe and said next year she intends to have a fuller lead-in schedule.
Dokic last month withdrew from the Sydney International and Australian Open, raising fresh doubts she would ever play in Australia again.
Though Dokic blamed injury for the withdrawals, unconfirmed reports suggested she has tax problems in Australia.
Dokic''s father Damir said his daughter still believed Australian tennis officials conspired against her by pitting her with Lindsay Davenport in the first round of the 2001 Open, a claim denied by tournament organisers.
On Wednesday Dokic mis-fired her hard-hit shots numerously as she lost four games in a row to go 1-4 down in the first set, which she eventualy surrendered on a double fault at love-40 in the ninth game.

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MONASTIR, Tunisia, Feb 4 (AFP): Cameroon, who have looked far from champions in their three matches, have promised to hit top gear when the African Nations Cup reaches the knockout stages at the weekend.
Against Egypt in a decisive Group C shootout Tuesday, the record-chasing Indomitable Lions barely managed to hang on. The Pharoahs outplayed and outthought them and, but for poor finishing, would have instead advanced to the quarter-finals.
Striker Samuel Eto''o is favourite to be named African Footballer of the Year later this year by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) but after three matches he has yet to find the back of the net.
"I hope to do a lot better in the second round," said the Real Mallorca star.
"I may not have scored yet but even great strikers like Ronaldo don''t score all the time. Some times you do and some times you don''t."
Cameroon have won the last two tournaments and are now chasing an unprecedented fifth Nations Cup truimph but from their first group game against Algeria, they have been far from convincing.
The defending champions were wasteful in front of goal against the north Africans and paid for it when Algeria went on to snatch a 1-1 draw.
While in their second game against debutants Zimbabwe, the team famous for a solid defence let in three goals and but for hat-trick hero Patrick Mboma could well have recorded their first loss since they were shocked by little Togo at the 2000 edition of the championship in Ghana and Nigeria.

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Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul made a solid start for West Indies in the final ODI against South Africa, despite some typically tight bowling from Shaun Pollock. After 15 overs the score was 66 for no wicket according to Cricinfo.
Pollock opened up with a maiden to Gayle, and South Africa looked to keep the shackles on by using Makhaya Ntini as Pollock''s opening partner, following Andre Nel''s mauling Sunday at Centurion. For a while the ploy worked, with Ntini''s second over also conceding no runs, but soon Gayle exploded, hammering 15 off an over. He smacked a towering six over mid-on, and smashed two fours through backward point.
South Africa did have one chance, however, to get rid of Gayle, when on only 2. Hitting Pollock to Graeme Smith at mid-off, he ambled through for a single, and if Smith had hit, Gayle would have gone.
Pollock continued to bowl tightly, conceding only 14 runs from his six-over burst, and came mighty close to trapping Gayle lbw. Chanderpaul, meanwhile, quietly went about his business, snatching runs through impressive placement and timing, including three sweetly timed fours.
Gayle and Chanderpaul provided a solid platform, on which they can now build an imposing total.
15 overs West Indies 66 for 0 (Gayle 29*, Chanderpaul 33*) v South Africa

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MELBOURNE, Feb 4 (AFP): Indian batsman Rahul Dravid admitted Wednesday that his side was delighted to be returning to the more docile wickets of Australia''s eastern seaboard after two difficult one-day cricket matches in Perth.
India''s seemingly unbeatable batsman were suddenly exposed by the fierce bounce of the Western Australian wicket where they lost to Australia Sunday and then lost six wickets in pursuit of Zimbabwe''s paltry 135 Tuesday.
On both occasions the Indian batting line-up looked more fragile than it has done all summer.
On Wednesday, India returned to Melbourne in preparation for its first match in the best of three finals series of the tri-nation one-day competition against Australia Friday.
"It will be nice to get back to that part of the country, we have had a lot of success there," Dravid said prior to leaving for Melbourne.
Friday''s first tri-series final at the MCG presents India''s opportunity to erase some of the memories of the heavy losses to Australia in the World Cup final and November''s tri-series final in Calcutta.
Australia has a 3-1 lead in the preliminary games going into the final but that form will count for little in Melbourne and Sydney.

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MANCHESTER, England, Feb 4 (AFP): Ruud van Nistelrooy says he has struck up an instant working relationship with new Manchester United striker Louis Saha.
The Frenchman, signed from Fulham for 12.8 million pounds, was on target on his debut for the Premiership champions and van Nistelrooy later scored the winner in the 3-2 triumph against Southampton Saturday.
Manager Sir Alex Ferguson had spent 18 months looking to bring in a new striker, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaers four-month absence following knee surgery stretching his options.
Ferguson believes the pair can rekindle memories of the 1999 Treble-winning efforts of Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke and new partnership could not have had a better start.
"Right from the first couple of training sessions I felt we were going to do well together," Van Nistelrooy told MUTV.
"From what I have seen of Louis so far, he reminds me of Yorke. Like Dwight, Louis is strong in his upper body.
"He has great strength, turns sharply and is difficult for defences to contain. The encouraging aspect is that we dont do the same things, which is important at the start of a new partnership.
"When you have different movements and different qualities, it means you can change things and I feel we are going to be a lot more dangerous now.
"Saturday didnt feel like the first time we had played together. Louis brings a new dimension and once he settles in and get used to playing for United he will only get better."

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ADELAIDE, Australia, Feb 4: Victoria all but clinched the right to host this year''s Sheffield Shield final after posting a 197-run victory over rivals South Australia here Wednesday. Victoria, still raw with shock after the death of former Test batsman David Hookes in a brawl outside a Melbourne hotel last month, were aided by the bowling of paceman Allan Wise who captured a career best 5-47. Chasing 354 to win, South Australia started the day at 75 for two with skipper Darren Lehmann and Greg Blewett at the crease and carrying their state''s hopes. But South Australia suffered a dreadful collapse of 81 for eight to lose the game before lunch. Wise''s fellow left-arm paceman Mathew Inness finished with 4-26. South Australia had made 262 in the first innings in response to Victoria''s 343 and were all out in its second innings for 156, in reply to Victoria''s 272. —AFP

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb 4 : Sevilla midfielder Julio Baptista was called up by Brazil for the first time Tuesday for the friendly against Ireland in Dublin on February 18. However, striker Rivaldo has been left out of the squad as he will be playing in the Libertadores Cup for his Brazilian club Cruzeiro. Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira picked 20 European-based players and only two playing in Brazil -- World Cup-winning goalkeeper Marcos of Palmeiras and forward Luis Fabiano of Sao Paulo. The absence of Rivaldo, the former world player of the year who recently returned to play in Brazil for the first time in seven years after being released by AC Milan, will disappoint Irish fans. —Reuters

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BEIJING, Feb 4: A Chinese footballer who tested positive for the banned substance ephedrine has been banned by the China Football Association (CFA) for six months. Beijing defender Zhang Shuai has already received a three-month suspension and 6,000-dollar fine from his club. It is the first case of doping in China''s professional football league. Zhang tested positive in a random test late last year and also returned a positive result at a second screening for confirmation. The 22-year-old could have faced a ban of two to four years, but received a lesser punishment after the CFA confirmed he had taken the drug unwittingly, the Beijing Youth Daily reported Wednesday. His punishment is in stark contrast to that of Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand, who is currently serving an eight-month ban for simply missing a drugs test. He was also fined 50,000 pounds. —AFP

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BOMBAY, Feb 4: Cricket legend Kapil Dev was this week offered a luxury that was denied him almost three decades ago when he was a fledgling young fast bowler - extra helpings of chapatis (Indian bread). In 1976, Kapil, then a 17-year-old tearaway hoping to play big-time cricket, was rebuked by officials when he asked for more bread during a training camp for young cricketers at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) here. "Why do you want more chapatis?" thundered camp commandant Keki Tarapore, who had the reputation of being a strict disciplinarian. "I am young and want to be strong, so that I can become a fast bowler for India," replied Kapil. "Forget it," scoffed Tarapore. "No extra helpings for you or anyone. I know a fast bowler when I see one." Kapil, who made his international debut two years later in 1978, ended up as one of cricket''s leading all-rounders with a then world record tally of 434 wickets in 131 Tests and 5,248 runs.— AFP

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Thursday, February 5
FOOTBALL: African Nations Cup in Tunisia (until February 14)
TENNIS: ATP at Davis Cup 1st rd. WTA at Tokyo (to February 8)
GOLF: EPGA at Heineken Classic, Royal Melbourne GC, Australia, USPGA at Pebble-Beach National Pro-Am, Pebble Beach, California (to February 8)
Friday, February 6
FOOTBALL: African Nations Cup in Tunisia (until February 14)
TENNIS: ATP at Davis Cup 1st rd. WTA at Tokyo (to February 8)
CYCLING: Tour of Qatar (ends)
GOLF: EPGA at Heineken Classic, Royal Melbourne GC, Australia, USPGA at Pebble-Beach National Pro-Am, Pebble Beach, California (to February 8)
CRICKET: 1st Final, VB Series, Melbourne (D/N)
SWIMMING: World Cup ninth leg, Rio de Janeiro (to February 8)

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