Online Reporter
Don Makanyanga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
DOMESTIC cricket stakeholders have reacted angrily to the latest in a series of attempts by Bulawayo mayor David Coltart to cause friction in the senior national side the Chevrons.
In his latest bid to create trouble in the Chevrons dressing room, Coltart took to X to try and pull a tribal and racial line, questioning the absence of “Bulawayo players’’ in the national team which recently featured at the T20 World Cup jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Hosts India retained the T20 World Cup with a comprehensive 96 runs victory over New Zealand.
Despite the Chevrons having attained their best finish at a T20 World Cup that saw bowler Blessing Muzarabani making it in the Team of the Tournament, Coltart seemingly saw nothing positive about both the senior side and Zimbabwe Cricket.
“It comes down to three words “biased selection policy”. There are racial quotas and ethnic & regional biases. How can it be that our T20 World Cup team didn’t have a single player from Bulawayo at the World Cup? As magnificent as our performance was it could have been better if the team was entirely selected solely on merit,’’ wrote Coltart.
However, former Zimbabwe international Hamilton Masakadza and other stakeholders feel Colart’s latest allegations and persistent attacks on ZC, could not be left to go unchallenged.
Masakadza described Coltart’s sentiments as disheartening “at a time when the country should be celebrating the Chevrons’ achievements’’.
“I feel the team played really, well when they went to the World Cup recently, and I think we can all agree that they have taken us to a place where we have never been before in that T20 format.
“We made really good strides. To be discussing something like this now is disappointing because we should be celebrating the team’s achievements and the players’ performances in reaching the Super 8 stage,” said Masakadza.
He suggested that the criticism stems from a disconnect with the team’s progress.
“That obviously points to people not being in sync with what the players are doing. It seems they are just looking for a negative to deflect attention from the success of the boys and the work they put in at the World Cup.”
Masakadza emphasised that results on the field are a product of the national team’s collective effort, rather than race or regional background.
“The first thing I will say is that a successful Zimbabwe cricket team on the field means success for Zimbabwe cricket as a whole,” he said.
“It is in everyone’s best interest that the best team takes the field at any given time. Whoever is performing well should get the opportunity to represent the country,” said the former national team captain.
Masakadza dismissed assertions that selection is based on race, or regionalism, noting that management is held to high standards.
“Zimbabwe Cricket management is accountable to the board. One of the things they monitor is whether diversity is being maintained and if the process is all-inclusive for everyone available to play,” said Masakadza.
His sentiments were echoed by former national opener Chamu Chibhabha, who insisted that meritocracy was the determining factor in team selection.
“I think national team selection has always been based primarily on merit, performance, and what the technical team believes is best for the team at that particular time,” said Chibhabha.
Having risen through the ranks from age-group cricket to administration, Masakadza provided insight into the selection process, which he insists serves the country’s best interests.
“Zimbabwe Cricket has been very sensitive to these issues and has worked hard.
“Having been a player, I have seen how things were done in the past compared to how they are done now,” said Masakadza.
Chibhabha added that the country’s recent achievements should be used to build momentum as a united front.
“The important thing is to unite Zimbabweans. We may have different views about selection, but it is important to remain constructive and focus on the growth of the game rather than dividing supporters or communities with false narratives,” said Chibhabha.
Organising Secretary of the Zimbabwe Cricket Supporters Union, Malvin Kwaramba also took a swipe at Coltart and questioned his motive at always trying to divide the cricket family.
“Every time Zimbabwe cricket begins to gather momentum, someone reaches into the attic, dusts off the old accusations of regionalism and racism, and presses play again.
“The result is predictable: noise, destruction, and needless division,” said Kwaramba.
“Selection debates are as old as the sport itself, but to stretch those debates into accusations of systemic regionalism or racism is, in our view as supporters, clutching at straws. The reality on the ground tells a different story.
“The squad assembled recently for the World Cup is one of the most balanced and competitive groups Zimbabwe has fielded in years.
“It reflects the depth, diversity, and growing talent within our cricketing structures,” he added.
