Zimbabwe sack entire coaching staff, Graeme Cremer loses captaincy

Graeme Cremer first became captain of Zimbabwe in a match against India in June 2016. (Source: AP File)

Zimbabwe have sacked their entire coaching staff and removed Graeme Cremer as captain following their failure to qualify for the 2019 World Cup. According to ESPNCricinfo, Zimbabwe Cricket had given them an ultimatum following the qualifiers and the coaching staff had refused to step down. “For everything I have given Zimbabwe Cricket, as a former player and a coach, to be given an email with no full explanation or even the courtesy of a hearing is something I didn’t expect,” said Heath Streak, who was head coach, “I understand that every coach’s tenure will come to an end, but we should at least have been given the chance to give our comments and ask some questions. I was looking to take the team to the World T20 in 2020.”

Those given the boot include head coach Streak, batting coach Lance Klusener, bowling coach Douglas Hondo, fielding coach Walter Chawaguta, fitness coach Sean Bell and team analyst Stanley Chioza – all other coaching staff, including the Zimbabwe A coach Wayne James and Under-19 coach Stephen Mangongo have been booted out. Convener of selectors Tatenda Taibu has also stripped of his position.

Streak was sent an email on Thusday evening by Zimbabwe Cricket MD Faisal Hasnain in which it was written, “Further to our discussions, please give your technical staff (and yourself included) until 3 PM tomorrow to formally resign. After which time the technical team can consider themselves dismissed and relieved of their duties with immediate effect.” While Zimbabwe could not reach the World Cup, Streak argued that his and the staff’s work hasn’t been an overall failure. This is seen in Zimbabwe’s win-loss percentage since they took over which stands at 37.5 percent whereas it was 22.6 percent before that between April 2014 and October 2016.

While the purge can be reated directly to Zimbabwe’s failure to reach the World Cup, it also highlights another financial crisis that the board is going through. Save for the failure to reach ICC’s flagship tournament, Zimbabwe cricket has been going through a positive phase off late with the return of Brendan Taylor and Kyle Jarvis to the Test squad followed by an ODI series win against Sri Lanka away from home.