Zimbabwe Cricket to restructure after ICC qualification heartache

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has endorsed an entire report submitted by a Committee of Inquiry formed to investigate Zimbabwe's World Cup qualification shortcomings and examine the cricket affairs structure. 

Zimbabwe failed to qualify for the 2023 Men's ODI World Cup despite hosting the qualifying tournament in June last year. They have also failed to qualify for the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup, which will be held in the USA and West Indies, starting on June 1. Notably, the World Cup qualifying failures prompted head coach Dave Houghton's resignation.

A statement from ZC said that the board had “adopted the comprehensive report presented by a committee of inquiry that was established to probe Zimbabwe’s World Cup qualification failures as well as to review ZC’s cricket affairs structure."

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The three-member committee, chaired by Mr Lloyd Mhishi, delivered its findings to ZC after receiving feedback from internal and external stakeholders. The Board decided to accept the report in its entirety and to put the committee's recommendations into effect right away. 

The key points in that report include - restructuring ZC’s Cricket Affairs Department and its personnel, restructuring ZC’s domestic and development pathway, advertising to fill the head coach positions for the Zimbabwe Senior Men’s national team and the Zimbabwe Under-19 Men’s national team, to restructure the coaching set-up at first-class level, to establish a National Academy; and to set up indoor training facilities in all the five first-class provinces.

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Within four weeks, management was expected to review every recommendation from the Mhishi Committee and provide an action plan to the board. Moreover, the board confirmed the appointment of Walter Chawaguta, former Zimbabwe cricketer and men’s team coach, as the senior head coach of the Zimbabwe Senior Women's National Team during the meeting. The board has also accepted Prosper Utseya's resignation as head coach of the Zimbabwe Under-19 Men's National Team.