ZIMBABWE national cricket team coach Dav Whatmore has set about trying to build unity in the fractured national squad as he pulls all stops to help the team play to its full potential.
BY DANIEL NHAKANISO
Whatmore has come up with a series of off-field activities that he hopes would help unite the small camps within the group.
Zimbabwe will face Pakistan in two T-20s and three one-day internationals (ODIs) with the first match set for Harare Sports Club on Sunday.
In preparation for the upcoming series the group of 16 players, that have been selected to face Pakistan, had a week’s bonding session in Gweru last week ahead of their next assignment which begins on Sunday.
Since Whatmore took over Zimbabwe have won just three matches and lost 16, but to their credit the team competed well in most of the matches and with a bit of luck should have won some of them.
Lack of unity of purpose has been identified as one of the key factors that have been detrimental to the team’s progress and success, hence the latest initiatives by Whatmore.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
The squad’s trip to Gweru came hard on the heels of other various team-building activities initiated by Whatmore including team braais where the national team players have been spending time together away from the training ground.
In-between the well-travelled Whatmore, who has brought a wealth of experience to the national team set-up, also organised another outing where national cricket team players held a clinic at a local school.
Zimbabwe Cricket team captain Elton Chigumbura has been impressed with the team-building initiatives and believes they will help the players get along better both on and off the field.
“It’s obviously very important and I’m sure it will go a long way in ensuring that guys understand each other much better,” Chigumbura told NewsDay Sport in an interview yesterday.
“Usually we only meet during training or matches and during the time we spent together away in Gweru we got to understand each other on a deeper level. I’m sure it will help us even in game situations so that we are able to understand each other better and play as a team,” Chigumbura said yesterday.
Zimbabwe squad for Pakistan tour: Elton Chigumbura (capt), Richmond Mutumbami (wk), Chamu Chibhabha, Craig Ervine, Hamilton Masakadza, Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Graeme Cremer, Tinashe Panyangara, Christopher Mpofu, Prosper Utseya, Taurai Muzarabani, Luke Jongwe, John Nyumbu, Malcolm Waller
