ZIMBABWE Cricket (ZC) yesterday reinstated national cricket team coaches before firing them later in the day after serving them with letters of termination of contracts following their refusal to step down from their posts.
by KEVIN MAPASURE
Head coach Heath Streak and batting coach Lance Klusener were served with the letters through the law firm representing them, G.N Mlotshwa and Company Legal Practitioners.
The letters were dispatched late in the afternoon yesterday but before the legal firm representing ZC, Mhishi Nkomo Legal Practice, had written to the coaches lawyers advising them that the cricket administration had withdrawn the decision to summarily dismiss the coaches.
ZC had been condemned for the manner in which they had dismissed the coaches with the initial communication of the firing of the entire technical team having been done through Streak.
ZC demanded that the coaches step down following the team’s failure to qualify for the International Cricket Council World Cup finals after a defeat to the United Araba Emirates.
Part of the letter written by the ZC to the coaches’ representatives reads; “After extensive consultations with our client on the position of the law, our client has resolved to unreservedly retract all and any communication leading to the ultimatum to resign and the subsequent dismissals against your clients. For the avoidance of doubt Zimbabwe Cricket has withdrawn the decision to summarily dismiss your clients.”
The coaches were initially given an ultimatum to step down from their posts or risk getting fired through a letter written by ZC managing director, Faisal Hasnain, which was sent via WhatsApp.
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Streak refused to resign saying that he together with his assistants and other members of the technical team were being treated unfairly.
The coaches wanted to have a chance to explain themselves, something that ZC was not willing to accommodate.
All national team coaches that include the Zimbabwe A technical team as well as the Under-19 team coaches were dimissised from their posts.
ZC board chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani said that the process of recruiting new coaches had begun and the senior national team, which will play a triangular series with Australia and Pakistan during winter, will have a new technical team by month end.
“The process of recruiting new coaches has begun and I can safely say that we will have new coaches for the national team by end of April.”
