New coach looking to inspire Zimbabwe revival
Pakistan Times Sports Desk

BULAWAYO (Zimbabwe): Struggling Zimbabwe will hope that a change of coach will help revive their flagging fortunes in the three-nations ODI series against New Zealand and India.

A series of six matches begins on Tuesday against the Kiwis at the Queens Sports Club where the home side went down by an innings and 46 runs, a defeat that followed one by an innings and 294 runs last week in Harare.

The new national coach, Kevin Curran, who replaced Phil Simmons of West Indies, provides an entirely new policy and background and he took charge of Friday's training session at the Harare Cricket Academy, nursery of all promising young players in the country.

Meanwhile the five New Zealand replacements for the ODIs squad, Chris Cairns, Craig McMillan, Andre Adams and Jeetan Patel for Paul Wiseman, Craig Cumming, James Franklin and James Marshall have arrived in Zimbabwe and are hard at practice.

India are due here on Tuesday with their 15. Sachin Tendulkar, out of action for several months with knee surgery, is expected to be among them. Curran said his priority in coaching will be team effort and the team spirit.

"This is natural in Zimbabwe, where schools here, right through from a very young age, are given coaching of a good standard by teachers, who regard sport as an integral part of education," he said.

"I have been part of that culture, right from childhood. I know it, respect it, and all the players it has produced in 30 years."

But he added that they need to go further, because of the small first class (four provinces) structure, which is good, but not good enough. Hence the tours next year. "The intensive and long standing sports culture is why this small country has produced a number of world class sports' people over the years.

"I want all the team to rapidly improve by five percent, let's say, because that will impact on the team as a whole. I am a team man but also a really competitive person, and always have been. I want that to rub off and I'm sure it will.

"Its all very exciting for me, even though it will be a lot of hard work." Curran added that there is a verge large pool of talent in Zimbabwe, but they are so young. "When people say they need time, that's very true. One day before not very long we shall be a force in world cricket. That, basically, is down to me."●