MUMBAI: Still nursing their wounds after failing to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1979,
Zimbabwe
on Thursday appointed former India and Mumbai batsman
Lalchand Rajput as the interim head coach of their senior men’s national team.
Rajput was named as the head coach for the African team after Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) sacked former Zimbabwe pacer Heath Streak after the team failed to qualify for the World Cup, after looking like having made the cut at one stage.
"ZC has named Lalchand Rajput as Zimbabwe's interim head coach. The 56-year-old former India cricketer is a highly qualified, vastly experienced and well-respected coach who was in charge when India won the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in 2007. We wish you all the best! #Welcome," tweeted @ZimCricketv on Thursday.
The 56-year-old is expected to join the team ahead of a triangular Twenty20 international (T20I) series involving Zimbabwe, Australia and Pakistan in Harare in July. Rajput is a vastly experienced coach, and was in charge of the Indian team which won the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in 2007 under MS Dhoni.
His last international assignment was with Afghanistan - he was their head coach when they gained Test status. In the previous season, he coached Assam in the Ranji Trophy, and then mentored a team in the T20 Mumbai League.
He also coached the
Mumbai Indians in the inaugural IPL season in 2008. He has also been the coaching director of the BCCI’s
National Cricket Academy
(BCA) is well-documented. Rajput played two Tests and four ODIs for India in the 1980s.
Zimababwe have also axed skipper
Graeme Cremer, with wicketkeeper-batsman
Brendan Taylor the frontrunner to replace him. They had cancelled their Rising Stars Academy tour to the United Kingdom, fuelling rumours that the cash-strapped board had run out of funds.
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