Hamilton Masakadza Steps Down as Zimbabwe’s Director of Cricket
Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) announced on Thursday, 7 March, that former Zimbabwe star Hamilton Masakadza will be stepping down from his role as Director of Cricket this week.
Masakadza’s decision to resign comes in the wake of Zimbabwe’s failure to qualify for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies.
Zimbabwe, also known as The Chevrons, finished third in the Africa Qualifier, with losses to Namibia and a surprising defeat against Uganda. Namibia and Uganda subsequently qualified for the World Cup.
Masakadza, who assumed the role of Director of Cricket in 2019 following his retirement from all formats, expressed his disappointment over the team’s performance. “This decision has come about after careful consideration of the successes and failures of our cricket and my responsibilities,” he said.
“Despite the progress made during my tenure, the harsh reality is that we are the only Full Member nation not participating in the next T20 World Cup due to our unexpected loss to Uganda. This was indeed one of the lowest points of my career and I take full responsibility as Director of Cricket,” he added.
During Masakadza’s four-year tenure as Director of Cricket, Zimbabwe qualified for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, where they reached the Super 12 stage.
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Zimbabwe also hosted the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2022 and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023.
Despite his resignation, Masakadza expressed his interest in remaining involved in the staging of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026 and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027, both of which Zimbabwe will co-host.
“This decision was a very difficult one to make and I remain fully committed to Zimbabwe Cricket and would very much be interested in serving in a different capacity as the organisation looks forward to hosting the Men’s U19 World Cup in 2026 and the Men’s 50-over World Cup in 2027,” Masakadza said.