Chennai

Whatmore, the chief coach at the Centre of Sports Sciences at the Ramachandra University here, took some time out to watch a young Afghanistan side sweat it out in a practice match. As the boys in blue went about their business, Whatmore heaped praise on the Afghanistan board for doing the ‘right things’. 

“They are very young guys and have a lot of potential in them. Their cricket board has been getting it right most of the time. They are ready to spend money on preparation for events like the World Cup qualifiers and have indulged in smart delegation of resources and funds. It is one of the reasons why they have been awarded the Test status in five years, a lightning quick time,” the Australian explained.

With Sri Lanka winning their first World Cup just after a decade of attaining Test status, Whatmore didn’t rule of a possibility of Afghanistan doing the same. 

“It is undoubtedly a big call. No one gave Sri Lanka a chance in 1996. Having said that, we can never say never. There are players like Rashid Khan, Mohd. Nabi and Tariq etc. who have taken the cricketing world by storm with notable performances. There could be more gems in their ranks. We can rule out any possibility,” Whatmore added. 

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