Justin Sammons appointed as head coach of Zimbabwe’s national cricket team

NEW DELHI: Justin Sammons from South Africa has been appointed as the head coach of Zimbabwe’s senior men’s national cricket team and will make his debut during a Twenty20 international series against India from July 6-14 in Harare.Zimbabwe Cricket chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani expressed his enthusiasm regarding the appointment, citing Sammons’ extensive coaching experience and talent development skills.”We are delighted to confirm Justin as head coach of the Zimbabwe senior men’s national team,” Mukuhlani stated. “He brings a wealth of coaching experience and a reputation of identifying, nurturing and developing some of the best young talent in South Africa. 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 has a background with South Africa’s high-performance unit and several domestic franchises. He also served as the batting consultant for the South African national men’s team from 2021 for two years. Speaking about his new role, Sammons expressed his excitement for the future.”I look forward to the road ahead and I am excited to start working with this talented group of players,” he said.Last year, former national team star Dave Houghton resigned as coach following Zimbabwe’s unexpected failure to qualify for the T20 World Cup, currently being held in the West Indies and the United States. Since then, Walter Chawaguta and Stuart Matsikenyeri have acted as interim coaches.