NewsHawks 22 October 2021

NewsHawks Sport Page 51

Issue 53, 22 October 2021 No Chevrons at T20 World
Cup, but some Zim influence 
ENOCK MUCHINJO
Langton Rusere World Cup glory in 2016, had ini- Simmons travelled to Bangladesh of the best brains in the game – a
THE T20 World Cup began in tially returned to Zimbabwe in 2003 for the 2004 Under-19 World Cup much-sought-after coach in world
Western Asia this week, minus Zim- World Cup – England and West In- as an upcoming coach to head the as Zimbabwe’s technical adviser, be- cricket with success stories as coach
babwe, who could not secure a place dies – are under the tutelage of men country’s fledgling national acade- fore being promoted to the position of Ireland, Afghanistan, and his na-
at the tournament due to a brief who launched their coaching careers my, following earlier memorable vis- of national team coach in 2005.  tive West Indies. 
but costly ban by the International in Zimbabwe. its as a player in the ‘80s. 
Cricket Council (ICC) two years The big Trinidadian is today one Simmons’ lifelong affinity with
ago. Windies coach Phil Simmons, Zimbabwe dates to the ‘80s when
who led the Caribbean side to T20 he toured the African country in its
But despite cricket’s plunge in pre-Test era, setting the stage alight
Zimbabwe over the past 17 years, with his explosive batting for Young
the country’s rich heritage in the West Indies in a series of first-class
sport remains visible on the world matches. England boss Chris Silver-
stage, at least for now, and the 2021 wood also cut his teeth as a coach in
T20 World Cup is no exception. Zimbabwe, as player-coach of local
side Mashonaland Eagles between
Andy Flower, the former Zimba- 2009 and 2012.
bwe ace, is the most prominent per-
son at the tournament with roots in Silverwood, a former England fast
this country. bowler, is remembered affectionate-
ly in the country, and credited by
The legendary Zimbabwean wick- many a player here for polishing the
etkeeper-batsman, who enjoyed im- rougher edges of their game. 
mense success as England’s coach,
is working for Afghanistan at the Somebody you cannot also leave
World Cup in the role of team con- out is the great ex-South Africa
sultant.  all-rounder Lance Klusener, who is
now in charge of Bangladesh, and
Umpire Langton Rusere is the also looking to make a bold state-
other purebred Zimbabwean at the ment at the T20 World Cup. The
tournament, which is being held man known in the cricketing world
in the United Arab Emirates and as Zulu was Zimbabwe’s batting
Oman. The 36-year-old umpire’s coach during a brief period of revival
stock has been rising fast in recent under Heath Streak.
years, and in April he made history
by becoming the first black African Not forgetting Ryan ten
to stand in a Test match. Doeschate of the Netherlands. The
41-year-old veteran Dutchman, one
Of the squad players in the 16- of the oldest players in the World
team tournament, the one with the Cup, was a regular overseas profes-
strongest Zimbabwean link is En- sional on Zimbabwe’s domestic cir-
gland bowler Tom Curran. cuit some few years back, and he is
another one who will certainly men-
The Cape Town-born son of the tion this country as one of his favou-
late former Zimbabwe star all-round- rite cricketing places.
er Kevin Curran would have been
joined by his English-born brother
Sam, who was withdrawn from the
squad after picking up an injury be-
fore the tournament.

The two brothers spent their ear-
ly years in Zimbabwe when their
locally-born father, who collapsed
and died while jogging in Mutare in
2012, was the country’s head coach. 

Then there are the coaches. Two of
the pre-tournament favourites at the

A crippling poverty of leadership at Zifa

FEW Zimbabwean football fans were mambo – never the ideal replacement a gifted local coach, who had collect- Felton Kamambo. long been embraced by all and sun-
not pleased to see the back of Phillip – was enveloped in the “Chiyangwa ed four points in the opening two dry across the continent.
Chiyangwa. Must Go” chorus. Critics of the con- Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers – HawkZone
troversial businessman-cum-politi- including a famous away win against The award for shaming your own
Quite frankly, the rabble-rouser cian celebrated his defeat fervently mighty Zambia – and replacing him Enock country this year belongs to Zifa. 
from Zimbabwe, who came to glob- and brushed aside the small matter of with a no-hoper from Croatia fresh Muchinjo
al prominence for engineering Issa the untested new broom at 53 Living- from being fired by Sudan, of all foot- The excuse coming from our foot-
Hayatou’s celebrated downfall, wasn’t stone Avenue. balling countries. um to meet basic standards that have ball association is that the National
himself everyone’s cup of tea. Sports Stadium is government prop-
Be careful what you wish for! But that does not beat presiding erty, and the government is responsi-
As he began to feel more com- Even if one wanted to give the ben- over the ban of your premier venue ble for any renovation that must take
fortable in his position as Zimbabwe efit of the doubt, Kamambo was not for national teams, twice in a space place. 
Football Association (Zifa) president, in the mood to prove how unworthy of nearly two years, simply because
Chiyangwa’s increasingly combative of it he was. you refuse to perform the minimum True, but what a pathetically con-
leadership style started to rub a great The first cardinal sin was to remove requirements requested for the stadi- venient excuse from Zifa. Whoever
many people the wrong way.  campaigns to be in a position of pow-
er at a national football federation
Days before the key Zifa elec- surely must be aware of the statutes
tions of nearly three years ago, we governing the game and the fact that
heard that a dark horse in the race, I am writing here about not having
one Felton Kamambo, had done his a stadium for our national team is
groundwork and was poised to knock further proof that we have opportun-
Chiyangwa off his perch at the ballot ists administering our sports in this
box. country.

Felton who? Well, Kamambo had Zifa has used that stadium since its
previously been part of the Zifa board construction back in 1986. Anyone
led by Chiyangwa and he, in fact, entrusted with control of the asso-
held considerable clout of his own in
the circles. ciation must know what ought
to be done, and the buck stops
For me at that time, I felt as right at their doorstep. 
though that Kamambo was not quite
the right person, all the more so be- And please, do not tell me
cause I had been hugely impressed by about the government. My
the likes of Nigel Munyati and Trevor lack of faith in this lot does not
Carelse-Juul, who in previous elec- change the slightest bit because
tions had unsuccessfully tried to take the Sports minister of the coun-
control of Zifa. Perhaps disillusioned try is Africa’s greatest Olympian.
by the previous defeats, both men
did not return for another bite of the I say this without pulling
cherry in the December 2018 vote. punches because, in all hones-
ty, like everybody else involved
But the stunning victory of Ka- in this collective shame, she also
deserves a fair amount of flak.

Sports A crippling A crippling
poverty of
poverty of leadership
at Zifa

leadership

at ZifaThursday 1 October 2020

Friday 22 October 2021 @NewsHawksLive TheNewsHawks www.thenewshawks.com

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small elCitehaomf girseaartseacENOCKMUCHINJO
IT is a very short list of Zimbabwe- out to Khupe
ans, simply because it takes something
very special to be recognised in your Unofficial president calls for emerge
chosen sport as one of the world’s
greatest of all time. Cara Black.

Cara Black’s nomination for the In- batsman and later a genius England ning the Wimbledon three times, the extremely proud, and she definitely tional Tennis Hall of Fame.”
ternational Tennis Hall of Fame – if it coach, Flower joined the eminent ros- Australian Open once and the US deserves to be inducted into the Inter- Veteran sports administrator Nick
pulls through – will make her only the ter of some of the world game’s great- Open once – in addition to being a national Tennis Hall of Fame. So you Chouhan, who did commentary on
fifth Zimbabwean to be inducted on est personalities with induction into former number one doubles women’s now know where my vote is definitely Zimbabwean tennis in the late ‘80s,
such an illustrious global cast in any the International Cricket Council player. going!” paid tribute to the famous Black ten-
sport.  (ICC) Hall of Fame. Support for Black’s nomination Former Harare mayor and ten- nis family, brought to global promi-
This is the company that Cara has come in the form of one of the nis enthusiast Much Masunda also nence also by Cara’s brothers Byron
There will be of course a few other Black will be in if her nomination four global Hall of Famers from Zim- backed Black’s bid for induction. and Wayne, the ex-Davis Cup stars.
sportspersons with connection to this goes all the way and, a voting process babwe, Kennedy Tsimba, the fastest “Cara Cavell Black is in a class of “I’m delighted that Cara has
country – by birth, family roots or that includes members of the public ALmASfarOnicatnIoNrfeSirasIctDh-clE1ass00r0uFgpbionyinaatnns dcineoSnMoeuintohfistyhtewenrniopiswepnslaaoyseurostne$eve3or.f2ptrhoBediluflicinoeednstindfeeZmpimaole-sitoiancrahstieefdvuendindthsitshaeccIonltaZedrienmabt'yisobnleaailntegTsnetnolmnais-nd
other relations – who have had such is ongoing. The former Zimbabwean c
great honour bestowed upon them in
different disciplines, but then accom- doubles specialist has been nominated the world’s finest flyhalves of his era. babwe,” said Masunda. Hall of Fame,” said Chouhan. “It is
plished their fame elsewhere and rep- alongside Spaniards Juan Carlos Fer- “Cara has had an exemplary tennis “She made up for her diminutive a proud reflection of their parents;
resented other nations.  rero and Carlos Moya, Ana Ivanovic career, the number of Grand Slam stature by her prodigious work ethic the late Don, who played at Wimble-
of Serbia, Italy’s Flavia Penneta as well wins in her career shows that she was which was second to none. It is not by don and coached his kids, and their
For example, World Rugby Hall as Lisa Raymond of the United States. world-class, playing at elite level,” accident that she became one of the mother Velia. They were committed
of Famer George Gregan, the former On top of several other achieve- Tsimba told The NewsHawks this leading doubles players on the WTA in providing the best encouragement
Wallabies captain and Australia’s most ments on the circuit, Black totalled week. Tour during her era. She will certainly and facilities for the children to reach
capped international who was born five Grand Slam doubles titles – win- “She made us fellow Zimbabweans be a worthy nominee for the Interna- such heights.”
in Zambia to an Aussie father and a
Zimbabwean mother.

Deliberately, this article excludes
those stars and focuses on the ones to
have made their mark from playing
for Zimbabwe or from competing un-
der the Zimbabwean flag.

Nick Price, the former world num-
ber one golfer and three-time major
winner, was the first of the four Zim-
babwean greats that have been hon-
oured with such lofty recognition to
date.

In 2012, the brothers Richard and
Kennedy Tsimba became the first eth-
nic black Africans, only after Nelson
Mandela, to be added onto the World
Rugby Hall of Fame. 

The older of the two, Richard, was
posthumously inducted following his
tragic death in 2000. The first person
of colour to represent Zimbabwe in
rugby, the enormously gifted Rich-
ard Tsimba was the only black player
in the entire inaugural edition of the
Rugby World Cup in 1987, returning
with the Sables for a second tourna-
ment appearance in 1991. 

Then earlier this year, it was Zim-
babwean cricket hero Andy Flower’s
time to be immortalised for his im-
mense contribution to the game. 

A former Zimbabwe captain,
one-time Test cricket’s number best

ALSO INSIDE No Chevrons at T20 World Cup, but some Zim influence