ZIMBABWE Cricket (ZC) has set its sights on building for the future following the appointment of high performance expert Justin Sammons as the national team's coach this week.
Sammons previously served as a batting coach for Cricket South Africa (CSA) High Performance for a year and was also the Proteas men's batting coach from August 2021 to March 2023. During his time across Limpopo, he coached notable Test batsmen such as Dean Elgar, Sarel Erwee, Theunis de Bruyn, Tassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Khaya Zondo, Kyle Verreynne, and Heinrich Klaasen.
Given the struggles of the Zimbabwean team in scoring runs, Sammons is seen as a perfect fit to lead then out of their troubles.
Former Zimbabwe Test batsman, Dion Ebrahim, will support Sammons as his assistant.
With the 2027 ICC World Cup to be hosted by Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Namibia coming up and with current team's key players nearing the end of their careers, Sammons and his technical staff are tasked with nurturing new talent to take the country forward after the 2027 World Cup.
Tavengwa Mukuhlani, the chairperson of ZC, described Sammons as a natural choice due to his wealth of coaching experience and reputation for identifying and developing young talent in South Africa. Mukuhlani also noted Sammons' hard-working and passionate approach as well as his values on and off the pitch, labelling him as the ideal person to lead the team forward.
“We are delighted to confirm Justin as head coach of the Zimbabwe senior men’s national team," he said.
“He brings a wealth of coaching experience and a reputation of identifying, nurturing and developing some of the best young talent in South Africa.
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“His hard-working and passionate approach as well as sense of values on and off the pitch make him the ideal person to take us forward.”
Sammons fills in the void left by Dave Houghton who quit last year after some poor results.
Stuart Matsikenyeri held fort as the board searched for a substantive coach.
An elated Sammons said: “It is an absolute privilege to be appointed as the Zimbabwe senior men’s national team head coach.
“I look forward to the road ahead and I am excited to start working with this talented group of players.”
His assistant, Ebrahim, represented Zimbabwe in 29 Tests and 82 one-day internationals before he later pursued a coaching career in New Zealand where has been involved at the highest level with the Black Caps.
The rest of the technical staff for the senior men’s side will be appointed in consultation with Sammons.
ZC has also announced former Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura as Head Coach of the Zimbabwe Under-19 Men’s National Team.
Rangarirai Norbert Manyande, who played first-class cricket in Zimbabwe before he went on to feature for Namibia, was named as his Assistant and Batting Coach, while former South Africa star Paul Adams will be the Bowling Coach.
These appointments, which followed a rigorous recruitment process, were confirmed during a ZC Board meeting held this Wednesday
