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Hamilton Masakadza has stepped down from his role as Zimbabwe Cricket’s (ZC) Director of Cricket following the team’s failure to qualify for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. Masakadza, who retired from all cricket formats in October 2019, took on the role shortly after his retirement.
In his resignation letter, Masakadza cited Zimbabwe’s failure to qualify for the T20 World Cup as the primary reason for his decision. He expressed disappointment over Zimbabwe‘s performance, especially after their unexpected loss to Uganda, which resulted in their exclusion from the tournament. This failure also led to the resignation of head coach Dave Houghton.
“This decision has come about after careful consideration of the successes and failures of our cricket and my responsibilities. As much as there has been a lot of progress in my tenure, the fact remains that we are the only Full Member nation not participating at the next T20 World Cup after our shock loss to Uganda. This was indeed one of the lowest points of my career and I take full responsibility as Director of Cricket,” Masakadza said in his resignation letter.
Despite the setbacks, Masakadza’s tenure as Director of Cricket saw several successes, including Zimbabwe’s qualification for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. He introduced new tournaments such as the National Premier League and the Zim Afro T10 league for men, as well as women’s provincial competitions. Masakadza also oversaw the organization of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2022 and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023 in Zimbabwe.
ZC Managing Director Givemore Makoni praised Masakadza for his contributions to Zimbabwe cricket, both on and off the field. Despite the recent disappointments, Makoni acknowledged the progress made under Masakadza’s leadership and expressed hope for his continued involvement in Zimbabwe cricket’s future endeavors.
“As he leaves his current role, as an organisation we take great satisfaction in knowing that, despite some crucial results not going our way, Zimbabwe teams and our cricket in general have made significant progress under his watch. I hope the game will continue benefiting from his knowledge and expertise.”
Masakadza expressed a willingness to remain engaged with Zimbabwe Cricket and expressed interest in serving in a different capacity. He is particularly interested in assisting with the hosting of the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026 and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027, which Zimbabwe is set to co-host.
“This decision was a very difficult one to make and I remain fully committed to Zimbabwe Cricket and would very much be interested in serving in a different capacity as the organisation looks forward to hosting the Men’s Under-19 World Cup in 2026 and the Men’s 50-over World Cup in 2027,” the former cricketer said.
Masakadza’s resignation comes at a challenging time for Zimbabwe Cricket, but his commitment to the sport and his desire to contribute further indicate a positive outlook for the future of cricket in Zimbabwe.
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