Zimbabwe: Hamilton Masakadza resigns as cricket director

Former Zimbabwe batting allrounder Hamilton Masakadza resigned from his position as Director of Cricket of Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) on Thursday. After Zimbabwe failed to qualify for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and West Indies, Masakadza decided to leave his post. The Chevrons finished third in the Africa Qualifier, suffering a defeat to Namibia and an upset loss against Uganda along the way. Ultimately, Namibia and Uganda emerged as the qualifying teams. After resigning, while speaking to the media, Masakadza said that he resigned after considering the “successes and failures” of Zimbabwe Cricket. The 40-year-old accepted that it was the “lowest point” of his career. “This decision has come about after careful consideration of the successes and failures of our cricket and my responsibilities. As much as there has been a lot of progress in my tenure, the fact remains that we are the only Full Member nation not participating in the next T20 World Cup after our shock loss to Uganda. This was indeed one of the lowest points of my career and I take full responsibility as Director of Cricket,” Masakadza was quoted by the International Cricket Council (ICC) as saying. During Masakadza’s four-year tenure as Director of Cricket, Zimbabwe qualified for the T20 World Cup 2022, where Zimbabwe ended their voyage in the Super 12 stage. Even though he resigned as the Director of Cricket, Masakadza remained keen to be involved in the staging of the U19 Cricket World Cup 2026 and 2027 Cricket World Cup, both of which Zimbabwe will co-host. “This decision was a very difficult one to make and I remain fully committed to Zimbabwe Cricket and would very much be interested in serving in a different capacity as the organisation looks forward to hosting the Men’s U19 World Cup in 2026 and the Men’s 50-over World Cup in 2027,” Masakadza added. Masakadza took over as Director of Cricket of ZC in 2019.