KARACHI // Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal has apologised for remarks about national coach Dav Whatmore that triggered controversy and threatened their relationship.
In an interview with Geo Super television on Tuesday Ajmal spoke of the language barrier between Whatmore and the players and said former coach Waqar Younis had handled the side better.
Whatmore, who was born in Sri Lanka and grew up in Australia, said on Twitter he was "deeply upset and hurt" by the comments from Ajmal, one of his senior players.
The 59-year-old later tweeted that Ajmal had apologised to him in person and he had accepted it.
But the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), keen to avoid any disruptive controversy ahead of a difficult series in the UAE against South Africa, then issued a detailed apology from Ajmal.
“I immediately went up to Dav and apologised and explained the context and circumstances in which I made certain remarks,” Ajmal said in a PCB statement released late Wednesday.
“Dav has worked tirelessly with the Pakistan team and it would be extremely unfair not to recognise his services. I enjoy very good relations with Dav and am hopeful of continuing this in the coming series.”
Whatmore has been under pressure following Pakistan’s embarrassing Test defeat against Zimbabwe last month and faces the daunting prospect of tackling world No 1 Test side South Africa in two weeks’ time in the UAE.
Numerous former Pakistani players have gone on record saying the side would be better off with a local coach.
Whatmore took up the Pakistan job in March last year with a big reputation as coach, having guided Sri Lanka to World Cup glory in 1996 and seeing minnows Bangladesh through to the second round of the 2007 edition of the tournament.
But Pakistan have not won a Test series under him and his contract is not expected to be renewed when it runs out in February.
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4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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Sudden change in behaviour or displays higher levels of stress or anxiety
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Ability to sleep well diminishes
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