HARARE - Former Sports minister David Coltart wants the entire Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) board dissolved after they sacked national team coach Heath Streak and his entire technical team recently.
Convener of selectors Tatenda Taibu and captain Graeme Cremer were also relieved of their duties after the national team failed to qualify for the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup to be held in England and Wales.
Zimbabwe missed out on the global showpiece for the first time since 1983 when they lost to Associate side United Arab Emirates in their final game of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier at Harare Sports Club last month.
Coltart, who served as a Cabinet minister during the Government of National Unity between 2009 and 2013, had no kind words for the ZC board led by chairperson Tavengwa Mukuhlani particularly with their decision to sack Streak and company.
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“It is one of the most absurd and damaging decisions made by any sports body ever in Zimbabwe’s history,” the Bulawayo-based lawyer said.
“As I have sought to understand why this has happened over the last few days it seems to me that the decision has been made for reasons completely disassociated from the interests of the game and rather from the personal interests of a few.
“Indeed it seems to me that this has been done to scapegoat the coaching staff and selectors to divert attention away from the grievous mismanagement of Zimbabwe Cricket by its Board.
“It now seems clear to me that if anybody needs to be dismissed from their positions it is the Board members of Zimbabwe Cricket.”
Coltart said Mukuhlani’s executive is no different from the previous leadership which was at the helm when local cricket standards went down.
“Whilst I have been prepared to give credit where it has been due I have held deep reservations about the competence of successive Boards for many years. It is now clear to me that the current Board is just as bad as the previous Boards responsible for the near total destruction of Zimbabwe Cricket,” the MDC politician said.
“I have listened closely to the views of many and I believe that the current Zimbabwe Cricket Board should be suspended by the Sports and Recreation Board in terms of section 30(c)(i) of the Sports and Recreation Commission Act (Chapter 25:15) for ‘conducting itself in a manner which is contrary to the national interest’.”
Coltart said despite the recent disappointment of failing to qualify for the World Cup, under Streak and Taibu, the national team was heading in the right track.
“I do not think that it has been any coincidence that the performance of the national side has steadily improved since their appointment. Despite some periodic setbacks, such as the recent series against Afghanistan, the general improvement in the side was apparent to all cricket loving Zimbabweans – something attested to by the fact that Zimbabweans fans returned in great numbers to support a passionate national side in the recent World Cup qualifiers,” he said.
“Although like all Zimbabweans I was devastated by the recent failure to qualify for the World Cup I did not blame the players, coaching staff and selectors, because I saw other factors at play, particularly the appalling decision by the ICC to limit the World Cup to 10 teams, the shockingly poor standard of umpiring and their failure to allow DRS, which arguably lead to both Zimbabwe and Scotland’s elimination from the World Cup.”
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