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Dave Houghton, the coach of Zimbabwe’s cricket team, expressed deep disappointment with their initial performance in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier Africa Final 2023, terming it as ’embarrassing.’ He emphasized the need for his players to swiftly shift focus from this setback and concentrate on reclaiming winning form.
Houghton had set his sights on securing a top-two finish to clinch one of the remaining spots for next year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. However, their campaign faced a challenging start, suffering a seven-wicket defeat to Namibia on Wednesday.
Despite winning the toss and playing on a favorable batting pitch, Zimbabwe managed to post only 132/8. Namibia’s strong batting performance, notably Nikolaas Davin’s impressive 89, comfortably chased down the target with more than five overs to spare.
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Houghton expressed his dismay, labeling the performance as ’embarrassingly bad,’ unable to pinpoint why his team performed so poorly.
Following the game, Houghton was quoted by ICC saying, “Our performance was atrocious today, embarrassingly so. I consider this one of the poorest displays I’ve witnessed in a Zimbabwean jersey.”
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He added, “I’m puzzled as to why it unfolded this way. We train rigorously, with a specific focus. The team put in considerable effort, and approached the game with ample energy, but we faltered in batting, followed by subpar bowling, and lackluster fielding.”
The coach stressed the urgency for the team to move on swiftly from the loss to Namibia and concentrate on upcoming matches.
“We cannot linger on these defeats. While it’s crucial for the team to acknowledge the severity of this loss – as I’ve conveyed in the locker room – we have a swift turnaround. It’s an opportunity to rectify our performance tomorrow afternoon, secure a victory, and initiate our journey towards qualification,” Houghton emphasized.
With only two slots available for next year’s 20-over tournament in the West Indies and USA from the ongoing qualifier, Houghton believes Zimbabwe must win all five remaining matches to keep their qualification hopes alive.
“Our tournament kickoff has been dreadful. Yet, we acknowledge the imperative to win the next five matches to secure qualification. It’s crucial for us. However, today was not our best, and I feel compelled to extend our apologies to our supporters,” Houghton expressed.
Zimbabwe’s next match is against Tanzania at the United Cricket Ground in Windhoek on Thursday.