FORMER Zimbabwe middle order batsman Stuart Matsikenyeri is relishing the challenge of guiding the senior men’s national team in the Asian jungle against the Tigers of Bangladesh next month after being appointed head coach on an interim basis.
The Chevrons date the subcontinent side in five T20I matches scheduled between May 3 and 12.
The team is training in Bulawayo acclimatising to the conditions akin to the ones they will experience in Bangladesh.
“The camp is going OK. In Zimbabwe, this is the best place that we can almost replicate the conditions of Bangladesh, so the choice of Bulawayo is quite easy in that regard,” Matsikenyeri told NewsDay Sport.
He was part of the backroom staff under former gaffer, Dave Houghton, who threw in the towel in February after a spate of poor results and is looking forward to a positive hunt in Bangladesh.
“Obviously, it is a great honour to be asked to represent my nation in such a position. It means a lot, but more importantly, it’s not about me, it’s about what it means to Zimbabwe Cricket as a whole,” Matsikenyeri said.
“I think there are points on offer for this tour. Obviously, we missed out on the World Cup, but we can’t go back to that now, we got to look forward. So, if we can come out of this tour with some points, it will go a long way for us.”
In February, the Zimbabwe Cricket board adopted the report presented by the commission of inquiry led by the association’s legal mind Lloyd Mhishi, which was tasked to probe the Chevrons recent freefall that resulted in the failure to qualify for the T20 World Cup to be co-hosted by West Indies and the USA.
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The three-man committee chaired by Mhishi recommended the restructuring of Zimbabwe Cricket’s cricket affairs department headed by Hamilton Masakadza, who was the director of cricket.
Zimbabwe Cricket has since advertised the posts of head coach for the senior men’s national team and the Zimbabwe U-19 men’s national team among a cocktail of recommendations.
