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Tight race for national cricket team coach

Sports Reporter

FORMER Zimbabwe senior national cricket team captain, Heath Streak, has emerged as the favourite to land the post of Zimbabwe senior national cricket team coach, a position that is heavily sought after by a number of individuals.


Streak, who is already the team’s bowling coach, leads the pack that also includes former Australia and South African captain Kepler Wessels, former England fast bowler Chris Silverwood, Grant Flower and Walter Chawaguta.
Zimbabwe Cricket managing director, Ozias Bvute, said they have received a substantial number of applications for the position from all over the world but could not reveal some of the names.
“We have received a number of applications from all over the world but I am not at liberty to divulge the names, our cricket committee will create a short list of candidates to be invited for interviews. The cricket committee will make a binding recommendation to the Zimbabwe Cricket board and we expect that process to be complete by 15 February,’’ said Bvute.
The ZC boss said the new coach would not take charge of the team during Zimbabwe’s tour of West Indies at the end of next month but instead Chawaguta, Streak and coaching consultant Dave Houghton would be at the helm.
A source in the Zimbabwe Cricket’s cricket committee which is responsible for recommending the final candidate to the ZC board confirmed that Silverwood and Wessels had applied for the position.
South Africa-born Wessells played for Australia when South Africa were banned from international sports and then returned to lead South Africa when they were re-admitted in 1992. He has coached English county side Northamptonshire and is now a television cricket commentator.
Silverwood, a former England international bowler is already the coach of Harare-based Mashonaland Eagles.
Asked that since the International Cricket Council 2011 Cricket World Cup is just over a year away, would ZC give the new coach a one-year contract, Bvute said they would negotiate with the individual and agree terms.
Sources have said Streak is likely to land the position with Flower whose brother Andrew is enjoying success as England coach coming in as his assistant. If the two are appointed, it will eliminate the need for specialist coaches as both the batting and bowling would be covered.
ZC have since 2005 appointed a local coach and might continue with that trend. The last foreign coach was Phil Simmons from Trinidad who was fired in August 2005 and replaced by Kevin Curran.

zimfan1 wrote:If Wessels is interested i would snap his hand off, also interesting to see that David Houghton is really starting to become very influential in zimbabwe cricket, i think he is starting to see what Zimbabwe can really achieve if we have the right structures in place.