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Brandon Moyo, [email protected]
ON Thursday evening, Zimbabwe and the world of cricket woke up to the news that former Chevrons captain Hamilton Masakadza had stepped down from his role as Director of Cricket within Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC).
Masakadza’s own statement pointed to Zimbabwe’s failure to secure a spot in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 as the catalyst for his resignation. Yet, the delay in his departure, coming four months after the qualifiers and closely following a Committee of Inquiry’s report to the ZC board, has sparked speculation and demands for clarity.
Was Masakadza “stepping down” from one of the most powerful positions a genuine cricket decision and admission of failure or he was sacked again by the board — same board that fired him as captain in 2016 — and they tried to save face for the Zimbabwean legend.
If it was genuine cricketing reasons, Masakadza should have been long gone by now. Why would he stay in power for so long to only step down after a Committee of Inquiry suggests that ZC should bring some changes?
One cricket writer and expert who spoke to Saturday Chronicle believes there is more to what is going on than what meets the eye.
He believes ZC owes all stakeholders “real” answers as to what exactly transpired. He believes that Masakadza shouldn’t have left alone.
“The Director of Cricket is one of the most powerful positions, they wield a lot of influence and they are heavily involved in cricketing decisions. If things don’t go well, they should face the chop. He has to be held accountable. But, in this case, ZC has to do some explaining. What power did they give him, because at this point we can only blame him in general? I would prefer to go further and demand to know his job responsibilities.
“His resignation or sacking or whatever it was, it comes after that Committee of Inquiry and these guys have to be seen to be acting on it and maybe he was asked to step down just to save face. A sacking would mean he has been fired for the second time in different roles but some people remain in their positions. ZC has to be open and tell us what he did that warrants him to go alone,” he said.
Some fans took to social media to air out their views on the issue with one Tonderayi Machiridza saying it’s a loss to Zimbabwean cricket.
“Sad to see him go! Lots of respect for him and what he has done for the game in the country. I wish him the best in his future endeavours,” Machiridza wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Taking over the role of Director of Cricket in 2019 after he called time on his playing career, Masakadza’s tenure was one full of ups and downs but it was the latter that seemed to have been the order of the day. In the past couple of years, the game has been on a downhill.
Zimbabwe became a punching bag to minnows, losing against associate teams and in some cases — winning but unconvincingly. The lowest point of Masakadza’s tenure came when the Chevrons failed to qualify for two World Cups within four months of each other.
It was at the T20 Qualifiers where things appear to be really going down for the sport in the country, summing up Masakadza’s time as disastrous. Zimbabwe lost against Namibia and Uganda in the T20 World Cup Qualifiers — something which wouldn’t have happened under the Zimbabwe of old. The likes of Netherlands, Ireland and Scotland also had their way with the Chevrons.
The qualification spot was there for the taking but they chocked against minnows, teams they are expected to beat at any given time.
Despite the string of poor results, there were some positives under his time such as the successful hosting of the Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2022 and the Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023 in Zimbabwe. He was also at the helm when the Chevrons recorded their first-ever ODI win against Australia Down Under.
In his words, Masakadza said: “This decision has come about after careful consideration of the successes and failures of our cricket and my responsibilities. As much as there has been a lot of progress in my tenure, the fact remains that we are the only Full Member nation not participating at the next T20 World Cup after our shock loss to Uganda.
“This was indeed one of the lowest points of my career and I take full responsibility as Director of Cricket.”
It appears it will not be the last we hear of Masakadza within Zimbabwe Cricket circles as he said he looks to serve in a different capacity as the organisation looks forward to hosting the Men’s Under-19 World Cup in 2026 and the Men’s ODI World Cup in 2027.
Zimbabwe will co-host the Under-19 World Cup with Namibia and the Men’s ODI World Cup with Namibia and South Africa.
@brandon_malvin
Online Reporter