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Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter

IN the aftermath of the Chevrons’ disastrous tour of Bangladesh where they lost all their six matches, Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) will carry out an in-depth assessment, with tough decisions to be made.

Zimbabwe lost the only Test, suffered a 3-0 loss in the one-day international series before falling 2-0 in the Twenty20 Internationals.

ZC chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani feels it’s opportune for them to conduct a comprehensive review of how the team performed since it played in all three formats of the game.

“Because we have played all three formats, this has exposed the fissures in the team. We can now do a full review, there is enough for the team to be properly accessed and proper decisions to be made,” Mukuhlani said.

Chevrons coach Lalchand Rajput is expected to provide his assessment of what transpired in Bangladesh and suggest a possible way forward.

“Everyone must accept when decisions don’t go their way. Players will be dropped and they must accept; senior players must step up,” Mukuhlani said.

He said although they want the team to win, the hopes have to be realistic since the Chevrons are in a rebuilding phase, with a number of players new to the Test arena, while Under-19 star Wesley Madhevere has been drafted into the limited overs set-up.

“We want them to win, but it must be reasonable. Bangladesh lost many times to us before they started beating us. We won’t put unnecessary pressure on the players. In a rebuilding exercise, it is expected that the team will lose,” he said.

Selection has also been blamed for the team’s poor display in Bangladesh, but Mukuhlani defended the panel of selectors.

In the past ZC was known to fire coaches, but Mukuhlani stated that they will find better solutions to address the team’s poor performance.

“We have progressed to looking for solutions not firing and hiring coaches. Everything that can affect a team’s performance will be dealt with. People must be prepared to see those changes,” Mukuhlani said.

Former ZC board member Vumindaba Moyo said it was always going to be tough for Zimbabwe in Bangladesh since they had new players that were not used to sub-continent conditions.

“The senior players needed to stand and be counted for the team to have a chance; unfortunately that did not happen,” Moyo said.

The absence of Kyle Jarvis and Tendai Chatara meant that Zimbabwe lacked quick bowlers to put the Bangladesh batsmen under pressure. Moyo believes for Zimbabwe to compete at international level, they need to get rid of players that are failing to carry out their roles or do not seem to know what their role in the team is.

Tough decisions must be made to address humiliation the team suffered in the Bangladesh whitewash ahead of the incoming tour by Ireland should it go ahead.

Ireland are scheduled to play three ODIs and three T20Is next month. — @Mdawini_29