adminTadious Manyepo
Sports Reporter
HE was certainly the silver lining, during the ill-fated CHAN finals campaign, in which the Warriors looked like a bunch of losers.
In that dark cloud where Zimbabwe, for the first time, exited a tournament without at least a point, coach Zdravko Logarusic insisted he had picked some positives.
He declared he had identified some good players, who could hold the Warriors together in the future, and one of them was CAPS United defender, Carlos Mavhurume.
The 25-year-old was only drafted into the CHAN squad, after impressing the Croat, when the Green Machine played the Warriors, in a practice match, days before Loga picked his final squad.
“He is definitely one of the best defenders in Zimbabwe. His all-round performance wasn’t by chance,’’ said Loga, after the tournament.
‘’I saw some very special attributes in him, that’s why I picked him even if he was not in the original squad.
“He is more than just a defender, he is a good player of the ball, too. In him, we can have a very good defender, and an intelligent player.”
Predictably, Logac included Mavhurume, in his bloated provisional squad, for the final two 2021 AFCON qualifiers, against Botswana and Zambia, later this month.
The former Herentals central defender, was included together with five other players, who were part of the CHAN team.
They include Harare City’s Tatenda Tavengwa, the Bulawayo Chiefs duo of Shadreck Nyahwa and Farau Matare, Highlanders goalkeeper Ariel Sibanda as well as Dynamos midfielder King Nadolo.
The only other local-based player, who was not at the CHAN finals, is FC Platinum midfielder, Brian Banda.
Mavhurume stands a huge chance of getting some minutes, especially if the Turkey-based pair of Alec Mudimu and Teenage Hadebe, fail to pitch up for the two games.
“Football is about being given a chance and I would like to thank the technical team for this honour,” said Mavhurume.
“Being called into this Warriors team is the dream that every player wishes to have.
“I know I got some rave reviews, the last time out at the CHAN tournament, but I owe all that to the technical team, and all those who helped me grow, to be the player I have become today.
“I don’t have anything to prove, in the team, but what I can say is that the performance I gave at the CHAN finals wasn’t a fluke.
“At the end of the day, what’s important is to give total effort, fighting for the country’s badge.”
He said the upcoming matches were tricky.
“Football has evolved. There is no longer a country which is a whipping boy.
“Zambia can beat any team on their day and Botswana have grown to be quite a force.
‘’It becomes even trickier, given that both our opponents are our neighbours, which makes both ties big derbies.
“Derbies are tricky and we need to do our homework, throw everything and tighten every screw when we play.
‘’We have the destiny in our own hands and we can’t let the opportunity, to qualify for the AFCON, slip.”
The 2021 Afcon finals will now be held next year in Cameroon following a one-year postponement.
Online Reporter
dyton mupawaenda