ASHLEY DUBE
HARARE – The Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) Board has officially accepted Dave Houghton’s resignation from his position as Head Coach of the Zimbabwe senior men’s national team with immediate effect. However, he will continue to be part of ZC as the Board plans to re-assign him to a new role within the organization.
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| Dave Houghton |
In his resignation letter, which was submitted on the eve of Wednesday’s board meeting to evaluate Zimbabwe's failure to qualify for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 after setbacks against Namibia and Uganda in the recent regional qualifying event, Houghton expressed that he had “lost the changeroom” after leading the team for 18 months.
He emphasized the need for a “new voice” to guide the team forward. This decision was also influenced by the team’s recent loss in a limited-overs series against Ireland over the past fortnight.
Following the acceptance of his resignation, ZC chairman Mr. Tavengwa Mukuhlani expressed regret over Houghton's sense that a new direction was necessary.
Mukuhlani emphasized Houghton’s significant contributions, particularly in laying the groundwork for long-term success, despite recent disappointments in failing to secure qualifications for the 50-over World Cup and the T20 World Cup.
Notably, Houghton stated, “I have always had Zimbabwe cricket at heart and, though my coaching of the national team comes to an end, I would love to be involved in other areas.
“The talent base in Zimbabwe is enormous. How we move players from talented to performing well on the international stage is a great project to be involved in.”
With Houghton's departure, an interim technical team will be announced in due course to oversee Zimbabwe during their upcoming tour to Sri Lanka in January for a white-ball series.
During its meeting, the Board appointed a three-member committee led by Mr. Lloyd Mhishi to investigate the World Cup qualification setbacks and to assess ZC’s cricket affairs structure.
The committee, comprising Mr. Godfrey Nyadongo and Mr. Blessing Ngondo, has been tasked with completing these assignments within three weeks.
Houghton joined the Zimbabwe national team in 2022. He led the Chevrons to T20 qualification.
Zimbabwe shocked the world with a one run over Pakistan but subsequent defeats in the tournament resulted in Zimbabwe missing out on automatic qualification.
Other notable high points were the Chevrons’ win against Australia in Towmsville, series wins against Ireland, Bangladesh and Netherlands.
But the nosedive in hampered the side in series against Namibia and the African T20 qualifier.
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