Stephen Mangongo’s cricket coaching pedigree will be under severe scrutiny when he takes charge of Zimbabwe during Bangladesh’s tour later this month.
BY MICHAEL MADYIRA
Zimbabwe Cricket appointed Mangongo as stand-in coach for the home series following the expiration of Englishman Allan Butcher’s contract. Andy Waller is expected to succeed Butcher next month.
The 43-year-old Mangongo will be in charge of two Tests, three one-day internationals and two Twenty20 matches in a series that runs from April 17 to May 12.
Mangongo who had been Butcher’s assistant for two years, is aware of the big task that awaits him.
“It is a mammoth task for me. It is my biggest assignment ever, so personally it is a defining moment. I have a job to do and I want to get it right,” said Mangongo.
The coach who has no playing history has been a major reference point in a raging debate over whether to have former players as national team coaches and selectors.
But he believes he is the best coach in the country.
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“There are people out there who believe that such a job cannot be performed by people of my background, people who think only the elite should coach the national team. I am the best coach in the country. I do not need to prove that to anyone. My results in domestic cricket speak for themselves. Nobody has more trophies than me in domestic cricket,” Mangongo said.
He is widely credited for his role in the establishment of Takashinga Cricket Club which has produced many national team players.
Zimbabwe host Bangladesh against the background of a lethargic show in their tour of the West Indies where they lost all the seven matches.
Mangongo described Zimbabwe’s performance in the Caribbean as “unacceptable.”
“That rubbish we did in the West Indies should not continue. We looked like a bunch of boozers. While our bowling was better, our batting was at sixes and sevens and is nowhere near international level. There is a lot of work that needs to be done in that area,” he said.
Fast bowler Brian Vitori, Pakistan-born Sikandar Raza and all-rounder Elton Chigumbura are back for the upcoming Bangladesh series.
Richard Muzhange and Shingi Masakadza have also returned.
