Zimbabwe boss sees progress

Zimbabwe Cricket chief Peter Chingoka has admitted last month’s 5-0 series whitewash in Bangladesh was not acceptable.

Chingoka was elected substantive ZC chairman on December 29 after a year in charge on an interim basis and he will now be at the helm for the next four years.

Coach Kevin Curran saw his side comprehensively beaten in Bangladesh, and Chingoka concedes the result was a bitter pill to swallow.

He said: “We are custodians of the game on behalf of the nation. A series whitewash, let alone against a side that we are expected to do well against, does not portray the country in a good light.

“As custodians, we cannot be seen viewing that result as acceptable.”

Despite the whitewash, Chingoka does believe Zimbabwe have made progress in one-day internationals.

“It is not really correct to say that there has been no progress with our one-day game,” he said. “There has been.

“We toured West Indies mid-last year and the results are in the scorebook for all to see (another 5-0 whitewash).

The departure of Heath Streak was a great loss to Zimbabwe

“We returned and beat Bangladesh to win the Bank Alfalah Cup. After that we toured South Africa and there were flashes of promise there with both bat and ball.

“Yes, the results after that have not been good but there is no argument that the talent abounds and that what is needed now is continued exposure.”

And with the current squad significantly lacking in experience, Chingoka has reiterated some of the talented cricketers who abandoned Zimbabwe in the wake of the April 2004 rebel saga could still be considered for a top-level return.

“We have always said that the door is open to any Zimbabwean who makes himself available, to be selected if good enough to represent the country,” he said.

Chingoka has been in charge since Zimbabwe attained Test status in 1992 and has presided over what many believe to be the collapse of the game in the country.

“The critics need to appreciate that I did not decide to remain on the board,” he said. “I was nominated and then voted in by the stakeholders.”

Chingoka denied rumours that ZC is on the verge of bankruptcy, insisting the current struggles were only to be expected.

He said: “ZC is not nearing bankruptcy. Like all other Test-playing nations, we work on a four-year cycle based on income from the ICC Cricket World Cup which is our main source of revenue.

“Like the other nations, we struggle financially as we near the World Cup.”