Minister of Sport and Recreation, Makhosini Hlongwane.
“There is a lot of talent out there. What we need is to put in place structures to ensure that the talent is tapped,†he said.
The minister said the cricket authorities should not concentrate their efforts in towns and cities only but should spread the game to all the parts of the country. He was speaking during a tour of Harare Sports Club on Monday.
The Zimbabwe cricket team has been in a free fall for some time, with observers blaming this on the non-emergence of new talent. The players who have seen the team through this period of gradual decline over the past six or so years are the same players who continue to be selected.
The national team has not won for some time, and at the 2015 World Cup Zimbabwe was eliminated in the group stages after winning only one of six games against the United Arab Emirates.
Hlongwane, who replaced Andrew Langa three weeks ago, has been meeting various sporting stakeholders but is still to meet the Zimbabwe Football Association – who have made headlines for the wrong reasons.
Zimbabwe were thrown out of the 2018 World Cup by Fifa after ZIFA failed to pay outstanding salary owed to former national team coach Valinhos. The minister has so far met with the Sports and Recreation Commission, the City Bowling Club, and Zimbabwe Cricket.
Post published in: Cricket