Zimbabwe coach Dave Houghton ‘embarrassed’ by his team’s ‘awful’ performance

BY ICC

WINDHOEK, Namibia – Zimbabwe coach Dave Houghton expressed his disappointment and labelled his team's performance in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Qualifier Africa 2023 opening match as "embarrassing." After suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of hosts Namibia by seven wickets, Houghton urged his players to quickly move on from the dismal display and regain their winning form.

Image: Cricket Addictor

Zimbabwe, considered one of the strong contenders to secure a top-two finish in the standings and qualify for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, got off to a dreadful start. 

Opting to bat first on a favorable batting pitch in Windhoek, they could only manage a modest total of 132/8. 

Namibia's formidable batting lineup, led by an impressive knock of 89 from opener Nikolaas Davin, comfortably chased down the target with more than five overs to spare.

Houghton expressed his frustration, describing the performance as "embarrassingly bad," and struggled to find an explanation for the team's poor showing.

"After the game, I spent some time in the changing room with the team, and when you ask what went wrong, as far as I am concerned, we got everything wrong," Houghton stated.

"We were awful today, embarrassingly bad. I think it's probably one of the worst games that I have ever been associated with in a Zimbabwean jersey."

Houghton emphasized the team's hard work and preparation leading up to the match but acknowledged that they faltered in all aspects of the game.

"We train hard, we train with specifics. The guys worked really hard, they had enough energy coming into this game, but we batted poorly and followed that up by bowling poorly, and our fielding was average."

The defeat has put Zimbabwe's qualification hopes in jeopardy, and they must regroup quickly and address their shortcomings to bounce back in the tournament.