Dav Whatmore sacked as Zimbabwe head coach

Less than a fortnight ahead of their home series against India, Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has opted for a major shake-up, sacking coach head coach Dav Whatmore and relieving Hamilton Masakadza of leadership duties across all formats. Graeme Creamer, Masakadza’s deputy, will take his place as an interim skipper.

Makhaya Ntini, the former South African pacer and bowling coach of Zimbabwe, has taken over in an acting capacity until Whatmore’s successor is appointed. Zimbabwe have also roped in Lance Klusner, another former South African cricketer, as their batting coach.

According to an official release, the decisions were taken after a review of the technical reports on the senior men’s team’s performance in the recently-concluded ICC World T20 in India. Zimbabwe failed to qualify for the tournament proper as Afghanistan pipped them with three wins.

Tatenda Taibu, the former Zimbabwean captain, has been appointed the new convener of a revamped selection panel that will include a new senior mens national team head coach and his assistant. The release stated that Taibu will also have additional responsibilities in development and high performance, and will also assist the board in bringing former Zimbabwe players back into local cricket.