ZIM head coach Dave Houghton resigns after failure in 2024 T20 World Cup qualifiers
Dave Houghton resigned as Zimbabwe’s head coach after the team failed to qualify for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
New Delhi: Dave Houghton resigned as Zimbabwe’s head coach following his side’s failure in the recently concluded ICC T20 World Cup 2024 qualifiers. ZIM suffered embarrassing losses to associate nations Namibia and Uganda and failed to qualify for the mega tournament to be held in the West Indies and the US next year.
The former ZIM player thinks that players no longer respond to his voice. Houghton is no longer Zimbabwe’s coach after handing in his resignation at a Zimbabwe Cricket board meeting on Wednesday. However, he will have a new role within the organization.
“Players no longer respond to my voice. I have always had Zimbabwean cricket in my heart and although my coaching of the national team is coming to an end, I would like to be involved in other areas,” Houghton said in a ZC statement. “The talent base in Zimbabwe is enormous. How we take players from talented to high-performing players on the international stage is a great project to be involved in,” Houghton told ESPN Cricinfo.
The Zimbabwe Cricket Board will appoint an interim coaching staff for the upcoming white-ball tour of Sri Lanka.
Zimbabwe’s tour of Sri Lanka for white series comprising three ODIs and as many as T20Is in January next year with a three-match ODI series starting from January 6, followed by a three-match T20I series between January 14 and 18.
This will be Zimbabwe’s first bilateral visit to the island since 2022. Zimbabwe has shown good form against the Lions in recent years, including a stunning 3-2 win in the ODI series during their tour of Sri Lanka in 2017.
Sri Lanka will look to pick up the pieces after a disappointing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign in which they failed to qualify for the knockout stages and finished in the penultimate place.
The upcoming game time will be invaluable for the Sri Lankan team, especially with the T20 World Cup on the horizon. They have a full schedule, including T20I series against Afghanistan (three matches at home) and Bangladesh (three matches away) in early 2024.
Zimbabwe, on the other hand, will be hoping to improve after a series of disappointing results. They failed to qualify for the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup after failing to secure a top two finish in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Region Qualifier. This was followed by a 1-2 series defeat against Ireland on home ground.