New Delhi: Amid all the ball-tampering saga that has rocked the Gentleman's game over the last one week and that has witnessed the "harsh" one-year-long ban for Steve Smith and David Warner, Zimbabwe Cricket comes up with another shocker for the week. After giving them an ultimatum, the board on early Thursday evening sacked coach Heath Streak and his entire coaching staff for their failure to make it to the 2019 Cricket World Cup that was held earlier this month in their country. Even captain Graeme Cremer was removed from his role, while Brendan Taylor will take over the responsibility.
Zimbabwe Cricket MD Faisal Hasnain wrote a mail to Streak on Thursday evening which said, "Further to our discussions, please give your technical staff (and yourself included) until 3 pm tomorrow to formally resign. After which time the technical team can consider themselves dismissed and relieved of their duties with immediate effect."
Along with the senior coaching staff that comprises head coach Streak, batting coach Lance Klusener, bowling coach Douglas Hondo, fielding coach Walter Chawaguta, fitness coach Sean Bell and team analyst Stanley Chioza, rest of the staff including Zimbabwe A coach Wayne James and Under-19 coach Stephen Mangongo were also sacked. Convener of selectors Tatenda Taibu has also been dismissed from his role.
Zimbabwe bagged comprehensive wins over Nepal and Hong Kong in their group-stage ties, a narrow two-run win over Afghanistan and a tie against Scotland. The hosts had finished top of group B with seven points in four matches.
In the Super Six stage, they defeated Ireland in the first match, but faced successive defeats to West Indies and UAE, paving way for Windies and Afghanistan to make it to the 2019 World Cup. Zimbabwe finished third behind the Carribean nation. It will be the first time since 1983 that Zimbabwe won't be part of the coveted tournament.
Since Streak taking over the coaching responsibility, Zimbabwe's win-loss percentage have increased from 22.6% to 37.5%.
"For everything I have given Zimbabwe Cricket, as a former player and a coach, to be given an email with no full explanation or even the courtesy of a hearing is something I didn't expect," Streak, who has been appointed as Kolkata Knight Riders' bowling coach for IPL 2018, told ESPNcricinfo. "I understand that every coach's tenure will come to an end, but we should at least have been given the chance to give our comments and ask some questions. I was looking to take the team to the World T20 in 2020."