- Commissioner’s statement on Ventura, Marte
- Ronnie O’Sullivan: Masters champion ‘felt so vulnerable’ in final
- Arron Fletcher Wins 2017 WSOP International Circuit Marrakech Main Event ($140,224)
- Smith challenges Warner to go big in India
- Moncada No. 1 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Braves land 2 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Kingery makes MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- New Zealand wrap up 2-0 after Bangladesh implosion
- Mathews, Pradeep, Gunathilaka to return to Sri Lanka
- Elliott hopes for rain for Poli
Massive trust issues in Zimbabwe – Butcher
- Updated: May 27, 2016
A deep-seated trust issue is central to the problems Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) faces as it attempts to build a unified outfit, according to former national coach Alan Butcher. That conclusion was the starkest takeaway from his book The Good Murungu: A Cricket Tale of the Unexpected, an account of his three years in charge of Zimbabwe.
The honest, personal story of Butcher’s time with the team, which he largely enjoyed thoroughly, is filled with details of suspicions, misunderstandings and hidden agendas between ZC management and the players. In some instances, these divisions were racially motivated; in others, they were personality-driven, but combined they had a detrimental effect on morale and performance.
“There are massive trust issues in Zimbabwe, and these go back to a time before independence. Independence didn’t just flick a switch and make everything okay….” Butcher writes. “That there will be mistrust of each other’s motives is the most natural thing in the world.”
In particular, Butcher reveals how the actions of former convener of selectors Givemore Makoni during the 2012 World T20 led to the retirement of Ray Price the following year.
Makoni was appointed to the post in October 2011, 18 months into Butcher’s tenure. Butcher admits only knowing Makoni “a little” but being “apprehensive” about his appointment, having previously dealt with him as a selector.
Butcher’s reservations were confirmed shortly after, when the selectors, led by Makoni, unilaterally announced the Test squad to play New Zealand, without meeting with the coach or captain. The group initially excluded Chris Mpofu and Tatenda Taibu, who both ended up playing in the match at Butcher and Brendan Taylor’s insistence. Butcher won that battle, but he would not win many more.
The next March, during the World T20, Butcher was invited to dinner with ZC’s communications manager Lovemore Banda, Makoni, and assistant coach Steven Mangongo in Colombo. There, Banda told Butcher there was a perception that Butcher was marginalising Prosper Utseya.
“The point was a none too subtle warning there were ‘people’ who were disappointed by the fact that if I thought someone should be dropped from the team that person was always Prosper Utseya and that those …
continue reading in source www.espncricinfo.com
