Bangladesh cricket chiefs will convene an emergency meeting next week to discuss Dav Whatmore's future after he joined the race to succeed Greg Chappell as new coach of India, an official said.

"We've convened an emergency meeting of the board on April 10 when we will discuss the Dav Whatmore issue," Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) general secretary Mahbub Anam said.

"We have read some of his interviews in the media. Before the meeting, we will talk to him about these interviews and reports. And then we will discuss all the issues in the meeting," he added.

Whatmore has emerged among the frontrunners to succeed fellow Australian Greg Chappell as coach of India, one of the hottest and toughest jobs in cricket.

"I'm definitely interested," Whatmore told Thursday's Times of India. Whatmore's contract with Bangladesh expires after the World Cup.

Chappell quit his job following India's disastrous World Cup.

Whatmore, who coached Sri Lanka to World Cup victory in 1996, has earned respect in Bangladesh after his young team pulled off a string of victories against some of the world's top teams, including a memorable defeat of India in the Caribbean.

As a result, the team won a place in the second round of the ongoing World Cup, which triggered celebrations all over the cricket-mad south Asian country.

"It was a tremendous performance. We set the goal of winning a place in the Super Eight and we have just won that. Definitely it was a great performance by the team and the coach," Anam said.

Anam, a leading businessman, played a key role in persuading Whatmore to take over Bangladesh in 2003.

"We had to chase him for months. Under him the team has grown. We are no longer the same old team," he said, adding Whatmore made "similar noises" when India picked up Chappell as its coach two years back.

At that time, the local media reported that the BCB doubled Whatmore's salary and added more perks to keep him in Bangladesh.

This time, however, some board officials have openly criticised Whatmore for joining the race for Indian coach midway through the Caribbean World Cup.

"Whatmore must be held accountable for his statements," cricket board chief executive officer Mahmudur Rahman was quoted as saying by the Bengali newspaper Inquilab.

The daily Jaijaidin, in a front page commentary, called Whatmore's comments "irresponsible" and said they would hit the morale of the cricket team.

"It is beyond the code of the conduct of the board. It could now stand in the way to Bangladesh's better performance in the remaining matches of the World Cup," it said.

"However, Whatmore is a professional and he was just doing a bit of 'politics' to raise his salary again," it added.

Anam agreed Whatmore's reported comments could affect Bangladesh team's performance.

"At present, we are not saying anything because we don't want any distraction in the World Cup. We still have four matches to play and we want the team to do a better job than the first two matches of the Super Eight."

Chappell, the former Australian captain, sent an e-mail to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday, saying he did not want to seek an extension due to "family and personal" reasons.

West Indian legend Vivian Richards has already offered to help India's cricketers in the aftermath of the World Cup.

News reports have also put Australia quiet man Tom Moody, currently working with Sri Lanka, at the top of the list of candidates alongside Indian stalwarts Sunil Gavaskar and Mohinder Amarnath.

India must find Chappell's replacement quickly since they are due to tour Bangladesh in May for two Tests and three one-day internationals.

India, one of the pre-tournament favourites, were upset by Bangladesh in the first match and also lost to Sri Lanka to post their worst World Cup performance since 1979.

(Article: Copyright © 2007 AFP)