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Mehluli Sibanda, Sports Editor 

BOWLING coach Steve Kirby has officially assumed his role with the Zimbabwe senior men’s cricket team.

Kirby attended yesterday’s fine tuning session where he was formally introduced to the players as the team prepares for International Cricket Council Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 that starts in Australia. The Chevrons head off to the land Down Under on Friday. 

Kirby, a former first-class cricketer, had until his latest appointment been serving as bowling coach at Somerset, one of the sides that he played for during his long and successful county career in England. The 44-year-old also worked together with current Zimbabwe head coach Dave Houghton at Derbyshire.

When he was officially appointed at the end of last month, Kirby stated that when the opportunity to join Zimbabwe came along, he felt it was one that was too good to ignore.

“I’ve got aspirations to be the very best coach that I can be, and international cricket is something that I really want to be involved with,” he said.

Steve Kirby with Dave Houghton

“I’ve worked really well with Dave Houghton previously when we were at Derbyshire and when this position presented itself, I felt that I couldn’t turn it down. The scale of the role is hugely exciting because I won’t just be working with the national XI, but I’ll also be involved with the whole pathway structure across the country.”

Before Kirby was appointed, Njabulo Ncube had been occupying the role of bowling coach in an interim capacity while ZC sought for a permanent solution after Douglas Hondo’s contract expired.

Zimbabwe are preparing for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup where their campaign starts in the first round. The Chevrons face Ireland, West Indies and Scotland in Group B. A top two finish in the pool will see them proceed to the tournament’s Super 12. — @Mdawini_29