The
Zimbabwe Cricket has started its hunt for the Under 19 and national team head
coaches. The cricket body as of Wednesday and yesterday held interviews with
short listed candidates that included former Test players Grant Flower, Andy
Waller and assistant coach Steve Mangongo for the senior national team. Walter
Chawaguta, Gary Brent and Shepard Makunura are in the running for the 19’s job.
ZC’s
interviewing panel was comprised of Freddy Kapuya, Trevor Mutangadura the ZC
General Manager, Board member Sylvester Machaka who was also the chairman of
the panel, Brian Murphy senior, an independent representative and Alistair
Campbell together with the organization’s Human Resources representative.
The
Under 19 interviews set the ball rolling on Wednesday and there it’s almost
clear who Chris Harris’ predecessor is; with Chawaguta leading the pack with
his proven track record at that age group. He also holds experience from the
national team which he was in charge of for more than four years while Brent
who is currently the head coach at Mountaineers has vast experience as a player
and not necessarily as a coach.
Makunura will be one to be groomed for the
position in the next few years as he is a charismatic fella who has a bit of
experience under his belt and is currently getting the best mentorship from
Dave Houghton at Southern Rocks in Masvingo.
The
junior’s job requires a coach who understands the needs of the youngsters, a
leader who can turn the little boys’ dreams into reality and above all a mentor
who can bring them to believe that they can play the game of cricket. Looking
at how things went in Australia last year at the World Cup, Harris many a time
appeared to have no clue what so ever when the crunch times prevailed, he
faltered under pressure eventually managing to get a 15th place
finish. However Chawaguta was part of that technical team and most of the times
players turned to him for guidance, choosing to elude the head coach. That on
its own says a lot about the caliber of coach Chawaguta is.
Looking
at the main job in the game, in a team that is depleted and lacks respect for
the man at the helm, the next man on the line must be a firm believer of unity
creation methods. In the recent past the team has been torn along racial lines
although many within the circles decide to down play this however it has been rearing its ugly head in the
senior team.
Then
his second task should be to bring back the passion and national pride into the
changing room that is characterized by ill discipline especially from the so
called senior players. Thirdly, to bring back the fighting spirit (winning mentality) for the team to gain
some sort of respect from other opposition teams.
Our
dalliance with cricket should not only be about competitiveness but also
winning hence the need for someone who shares such a vision to coach the
national team. A closer look at the short listed candidates.
Amongst the short listed candidates was Anton Roux a 31 year
old South African who was born in the United States. He does not have any
experience in the field play as a national team representative on the
international scene. Roux however did not turn out for the interview or respond
to his short list letter.
According to Mangongo’s
CV he has played first class cricket for Mashonaland and the President’s XI. He
coached the Under-19 national team to plate glory at the 2002 World Cup in New
Zealand. Albeit never played cricket at the highest level. He has however been
the most decprated coach in the past decade in Zimbabwe have coached all age
groups, collecting silverware with every franchise team he has ever taken
charge of. Manicaland won the first class competition, the 50-overs and the
T-20 competitions under his guidance. He also led Mountaineers in the popular
Stanbic T-20 championships as well as the Met Bank Pro-40 competition and as of
last week he won the Pro 50 Championship with The Mashonaland eagles and is on
the verge of winning the Twenty 20 Championships in a fortnight.
While the playing experience argument may appear to have its
merits Mangongo has
a reservoir of experience and technical ability. He has excelled in player
management, dressing room command and knowledge of the demands of the modern
game. Mangongo can transform average players into competitive
ones. He identified and nurtured Hamilton Masakadza, Tatenda Taibu, Stuart
Matsikenyeri, Elton Chigumbura and Vusi Sibanda, among many others, and
deserves to finish the work he started with them.
Mangongo won the ZC Coach of the Year award twice in 2009
and 2010 before winning the Coach of the Year award at the Annual National
Sports Awards. He has also worked as a national selector among other various
roles.
Tall and athletic,
Andy Waller's career suffered as a result of a spate of injuries and the
demands of tending his tobacco farm. A popular character, he was an
entertaining batsman, an outstanding fielder, and a more than useful - if
occasional - medium-pace bowler. A regular in the Zimbabwe one-day side from the
mid 1980s - he appeared in the 1987, 1992 and 1996 World Cups however his Test
debut didn't come until he was 37. This was largely because of his reputation
as something of a slogger, a tag he disproved with a patient 50 in his first
Test against England in 1996-97.
His experience as
a coach includes being the first coach of the Mid West Rhinos where he fell out
favor with most senior players who included his talented son and national team
all rounder Malcolm. He has that required charisma but would have challenges in
commending one hundred percent respect from the changing room due to his
gentleman like approach to things which was Butcher’s biggest let down.
And finally
younger brother to one of the most decorated coaches in current world cricket
trends England Director of Coaching Andy Flower, Grant an experienced top-order
batsman who began his career as an opener who then slipped down the order.
Grant had the stubborn temperament needed to play long innings, but was also a
powerful hitter when required.
He was also a
brilliant fielder anywhere close to the wicket, and a handy left-arm spinner at
one-day level during his playing days. He seems to have the mental toughness
required for the job but has had his disappointing escapades with the current
set up of the selection panel. At the Twenty 20 World Cup Grant is said to have
displayed his immaturity levels by refusing to get to the field of play after a
dispute over the selection of Prosper Utseya. Butcher had to eventually
intervene on the matter, despite that maturity imbalance he is a wonderful
tactician who still needs to do his time in the coaching trenches.
Many would have
wanted to see Heath Streak’s name appear in the short list, however the former
national team captain now bowling coach decided not to apply for the job.
Streak has done well with the bowling department of the team and commands a lot
of respect from the current crop of players. He has molded some good
relationships with players from his Matabeleland Tuskers franchise; he has been
instrumental in the return of the forgotten yester year players like Gavin
Ewing, Keith Dabengwa and Charles Coventry.
Another fitting
candidate who never bothered applying is former national team coach Dave Houghton;
he is one of the most influential individuals ever to be part of the cricket
setup. He has all the qualities of a good coach and has shown that he is
capable after winning the Logan Cup with The Tuskers two times in a row in 2010
and 2011 seasons.
Now the ball is on
the Machaka led panel which will submit it’s findings to the ZC board chairman
Peter Chingoka who will then sit with his board and give the deserving man the
job of national team coach. In the mean time we have to watch how Butcher
intends to exit the top job in the forth coming tour to the West Indies.
No comments:
Post a Comment