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Harare, Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe sports minister David Coltart said on Monday the appointment of Englishman Alan Butcher as national team coach proved cricket was no longer a political game in the country.

A day after Zimbabwe’s surprise 26-run victory over the West Indies in a one-off Twenty20 international in Trinidad, Coltart said the victory was an early sign the country’s cricket authorities are making the right decisions for the sport.

“I’m pleased to note that Zimbabwe Cricket has been choosing the right people,” Coltart said.

He added most coaches around the world are appointed on their ability and “in appointing Alan Butcher, clearly ZC has chosen a coach with good credentials. Without disrespect to the coaches of the last two years, some of them have not been involved in cricket for a long enough time.”

The 56-year-old Butcher will take charge for the upcoming World Twenty20 and would have been hugely encouraged by the bowling performance in Trinidad, where Zimbabwe restricted the home team to 79-7 in 20 overs after scoring 105 in its innings.

Coltart said Zimbabwe’s young team, under the tutelage of former test players Grant Flower and Heath Streak, makes the perfect combination.

“I’ve told the ZC board that if we take the technical experience of the players who brought us test status, mix it with the exhilarating talent of the young players coming through, we will perform superbly,” he said. “We saw that last night. An outstanding performance it was.

“I was watching Streak sitting there on the side. His passion and his depth is something that has been missing. I’m very excited for the future of Zimbabwe cricket.”

Coltart was a founding member of the Movement for Democratic Change, the opposition party that has now formed a unity government with Robert Mugabe’s ruling Zanu PF.

The 52-year-old former human rights lawyer is a keen cricket follower from the country’s second city of Bulawayo.

He said Zimbabwe should not get carried away following the win in the West Indies and should focus on the long-term goal of returning to the test arena.

“We must remain level-headed,” he said. “There is a huge difference between Twenty20 and test cricket. We are still in the process of rebuilding. In the short-term, I see it as vitally important that we get as many one-day games against the top sides. That is the bridge between test and Twenty20.”

Coltart added remarks by former captain Dave Houghton, who is now the director of coaching, that Zimbabwe could return to the five-day game at the end of this year were well-founded.

However, he was quick to say the decision would be made by cricket officials free of government interference.

“We will be guided by the technical department,” Coltart said. “I respect Dave Houghton as a player, captain and coach. If he says we are ready, all of us must take that seriously. The ICC need to take that seriously.

“Let me stress. I’m minister of sports, and I love my cricket, but I never played test cricket. I’m the last to determine if we are ready or not. But if the technical people say we are ready, the international community must take note of that.”

First, though, Coltart said playing more four-day matches against touring sides would give Zimbabwe a better indication of its level.

“You can’t throw a team into the test fray unless you get some practice at the longer version,” he said. “Let me take you back to the 1980s. We had tours by Young Australia, Young West Indies; that was proof we were ready.”

Although cricket has recently mirrored the country’s political transformation with improvements on and off the field, the issue of tour boycotts by leading teams has yet to be addressed.

When he was sworn in as sports minister in February 2009, Coltart promised to investigate allegations of corruption and racism against the ZC board and accusations it had become an extension of Mugabe’s regime.

He said the unity government had made progress in putting the sport back in the hands of cricket officials.

“I don’t believe that I’ve interfered in any way,” he said. “I see my role as a facilitator. My general policy is to make sure that we have good administrators for all sports. Good administration is key to success. I don’t want to see any form of racism or tribalism.”



Associated Press