Sundaymail Editor
Don Makanyanga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
AS the late afternoon sun cast long shadows over Harare Sports Club on Wednesday last week, Elton Chigumbura stood quietly by the edge of the nets, arms folded, a reflective look in his eyes.
There was no wild celebration in his voice, no chest-thumping declarations, just the composed satisfaction of a man who knows that progress, though sometimes subtle, is often the most valuable currency in youth sport.
A former national team stalwart, who is now guiding Zimbabwe’s Under-19 cricket team through a pivotal phase, Chigumbura had good reason to feel optimistic.
Fresh from a convincing 3-1 ODI series victory over visiting Ireland, his charges are slowly beginning to look the part, not as individuals chasing quick glory, but as a unit evolving into something greater, a team with a cause and more importantly, with a calendar to chase.
In less than a year, Zimbabwe will co-host the ICC Under-19 World Cup, an event of immense significance not just for the players, but also for a country yearning for a cricketing revival. Partnering with Namibia to stage the 16th edition of the junior global showpiece, Zimbabwe has a rare dual responsibility: to prepare a team worthy of home-soil expectations and to demonstrate organisational credibility on the world stage.
For Chigumbura, the task is deeply personal. “Obviously, it was good to get these games under our belt as part of our preparation,” he said, referring to the series against Ireland.
“What I was most impressed with is that almost everyone who played managed to contribute. That tells you something about the direction we’re heading.”
The Young Chevrons averaged 236 runs per game across the five-match series.
This is not a bad number by any standard, but for Chigumbura, a seasoned campaigner who knows what it takes to compete on the world stage, it is simply not enough.
“We had too many 40s,” he said, shaking his head gently. “What I want to see are players who can convert. The kind of innings that anchor the team, shift momentum and put pressure on the opposition. We need guys scoring hundreds. That’s where we want to be.”
There is a calm urgency in his tone, the kind that does not panic, but does not waste time either.
While batting showed promise and bowling looked competitive in patches, Chigumbura is brutally honest about where the team fell short.
“If I’m to be critical, our biggest area of concern was fielding,” he admitted. “We dropped far too many catches. Our calling between wickets was also poor — a few soft run-outs here and there, and those are the kind of mistakes that are within our control.”
It is a familiar tune in Zimbabwean cricket — brilliance that often stutters under pressure, sometimes betrayed by lapses in discipline and execution. Chigumbura wants that narrative rewritten, and he knows it starts with the little things.
“We’ve got to polish up. Our standards in the field must be sharper. That’s a non-negotiable going forward,” he said.
Just a year ago, Zimbabwe U-19 endured a humiliating defeat against South Africa, a wake-up call that shaped much of the current developmental path.
That series, although painful, seems to have forged a turning point.
“There has been a big improvement since then,” Chigumbura noted with a trace of pride.
“We’re around 80 percent ready. But that last 20 percent will be the difference between being competitive and going deep into the tournament.”
With two more international series scheduled before the World Cup, including tests against South Africa and Bangladesh, the exposure is building at the right tempo.
For a squad full of teenagers still navigating the emotional whirlwinds of international cricket, each game brings not just experience, but also belief.
“Play is a very big part,” Chigumbura said. “When you face your international counterparts, you get to test yourself. That’s where confidence is born. It’s not about being told you’re good enough, it’s about proving it.”
Beyond the stats and the drills, this is a campaign about legacy.
Zimbabwe’s cricket has seen its share of dark days, of talent lost and momentum squandered.
But the Under-19 project under Chigumbura feels different — grounded, thoughtful and purpose-driven.
There is a sense that these boys are not just playing to win matches, but to carry a deeper responsibility, to reignite hope and to make the most of an opportunity their seniors often never had.
And to show the world, especially with the eyes of cricket’s future elite watching from Harare and Windhoek next year, that Zimbabwe still belongs to the global stage.
For Chigumbura, it is not about shortcuts. It is about crafting players who are fearless, focused and fiercely proud of the badge they wear.
The Ireland series may be over, but in his mind, the real matches have only just begun.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter