ZimCricket Sack Coach Whatmore, Masakadza

By Perkins-Tino Bare

Zimbabwe Cricket yesterday announced major changes as it sacked coach Dav Whatmore with Makhaya Ntini taking over on an interim basis whille Lance Klusener was appointed as the batting coach. Tatenda Taibu was selected as the new convener of selectors taking over from Kenyon Ziehl who had also just been appointed. Hamilton Masakadza was also stripped of the captain`s armband in all three formats of the game and Graeme Cremer takes over from him. 

In a statement which was released by Zimbabwe Cricket, the decisions came after a board meeting which was reviewing the dismal campaign of the Chevrons at the World Cup T20 when we bowed out as the preliminary stages losing out on our place to Afghanistan.

“The Zimbabwe Cricket board has made some changes following its review of the technical reports on the senior men’s performance at the 2016 ICC World Twenty20 tournament, which was hosted by India earlier this year,” reads ZC’s statement. “Head coach, Davenell Whatmore has had his contract terminated with immediate effect. Bowling coach Makhaya Ntini has taken over in an acting capacity until the appointment of a substantive head coach. To strengthen the senior men’s technical set-up, the board has appointed former South Africa international, Lance Klusener, as the batting coach for two years, with effect from June 5, 2016. The board has also restructured the national selection panel, to comprise the convener, the senior men’s national team head coach and his assistant.”

Tatenda Taibu who announced his return to the game earlier this year through club cricket in England was also roped in by ZC as the new convener “Former national captain, Tatenda Taibu has been appointed the new convener. He will have additional responsibilities in development and high performance, and will also assist ZC in bringing former Zimbabwe players back into local cricket,” the statement added. “Following the review, the board has also relieved Zimbabwe top-order batsman Hamilton Masakadza of the captaincy for all three formats of the game. His deputy, Graeme Cremer, will act in the interim” read the statement. Taibu will certainly play more of a developmental role as he`s set to have additional responsibilities with the High Performance centre and his experience is set to come in handy for the young lads.

What More Could He Have Done For Zimbabwe Cricket?
Having been appointed in September 2014, the appointment of Whatmore seemed as something that Zimbabwe Cricket especially right at a time when Steven Mangongo had made a mess of things. His influence was surely seen on the field of play especially in the ICC 2015 ODI World Cup out In Australia where the boys played their hearts out. In most of the matches they played impressively well but hey were just not able to notch up those wins.

But then again back home the situation seemed to be the same as out of a total of 3 series played during last year`s winter the team was only able to win one against Ireland whilst losing to New Zealand and India. But the back to back losses to Afghanistan left a stench in the camp as it started reflecting that maybe that Whatmore factor of having a world cup winning coach in your camp had been lost after all.

The associate nation was last on the rather long list of nations which toured Zimbabwe and it was surely an opportune moment for them to redeem themselves but they went on to lose the 2-3 in the ODI whilst being whitewashed in the T20`s. Afghanistan was at the thick of things again at the 2016 ICC World Twenty20 tournament as they secured what could have been our slot at the tournament with the Chevrons bowing out at the first stage.

If one thing was clear it was that Whatmore was really not getting the results but then what scared many was that the inspirational aspect that he came with it was no longer there. The boys were playing the same old awful cricket and it was clearly a case of what else can he do with a squad that seems to have been beat down to its knees.

Just Not Good Enough?  
Zimbabwe Cricket has always been keen to reshuffle whenever things are not working and from Andy Waller and Steven Mangongo, they were never shy to show them the door. But hen again all of these have had the same result as the boys just seem to slump back into that slimy pit and you start to wonder of the coaches are just working with duds? These reforms seem warped at ZimCricket as they are starting from the coachiing level when we should build form the ground going up. That squad is a bit faulty and testament to the fact the result is always the same its like the only team we can ever beat is Bangladesh which has made significant improvements itself which is hwy we are now playing more with the associate nations.

Whatmore may have been sacked now and be it Ntini or Mangongo who`ll be in charge during the series against India if one thing is certain is that they might play better cricket during the series but afterwards they`ll be on their way back to merry land. It then poses the question if Zimbabwe Cricket are really employing the correct changes or they`re simply asking the coaches to perform miracles here.

The politics themselves out at ZC is surely the reason behind their demise and they`re never clear as there`s always that dark hand lurking over the simplest decisions. The appointment of Taibu is questionable as he only made his return to the game he left in 2012 through club cricket for Hightown St Mary’s in the MI Dental Liverpool Competition this season and he`s already been roped in by Zimbabwe Cricket. Its no question that the man has bags of experience but he has been away for quite long and its then questionable why we`d go to appoint someone making his return when we have many guys who`ve been plugged in all along.

So Makhaya Ntini takes over on an interim basis with Steven Mangongo being tipped for the post out at Zimbabwe Cricket. Its his first appointment as coach so we can`t really expect much from him unless he pulls something spectacular starting with the series against India. But then again we may blame the politics or the coaches all we want but the real problem out at Zimbabwe Cricket seems to be with the Chevrons themselves that squad needs a major overhaul because even though the guys never deliver, it just remains the same and we can`t really expect a change of result in that instance.

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