shloboe boe
Zimpapers Sports Hub
FOLLOWING Zimbabwe’s humiliating defeat at the hands of Afghanistan in a Test series that concluded on Monday at Queens Sports Club, an explosive audio, allegedly of veteran fast bowler Tendai Chatara accusing selectors of bias has leaked.
The 33-year-old fast bowler, who last played for the Chevrons in July last year accused former captain, and current national team selector Elton Chigumbura and convenor of selectors, David Mutendera of bias and favouritism when picking the national team.
Selection bias over the past years has been a pertinent issue among various cricket stakeholders in the country with many critiquing the alleged favouritism that is employed. ZC selectors have come under heavy scrutiny for overlooking certain players for national team selection despite numbers backing them.
This comes in the wake of Zimbabwe opting to give Test debuts to Newman Nyamhuri and Trevor Gwandu ahead of more experienced bowlers. The duo was a part of the Elton Chigumbura Academy, in which Chatara accuses Chigumbura of conflict of interest.
Chatara also criticised Chigumbura for “throwing the two players into the deep end” so as to appear as if he is doing a good job at his academy. Chigumbura is also the Zimbabwe men’s Under-19 head coach.
Speaking in Shona, Chatara accused Chigumbura of selfishness.
“It’s just a matter of selfishness. He is trying to prove that since he was given the academy job, he can produce national team players and yet he is the national team selector. There is nothing like that. It’s like me saying I have an academy in Mutare and when players are needed for the national team, I will just select the Mutare boys. That’s just being selfish,” he said (translated from Shona).
He went on to throw shade at the convener, accusing Mutendera of being a mediocre cricketer who did not play a lot of cricket.
“Dhiva (David Mutendera) never played any cricket. He played little cricket,” he said. Chatara said Mutendera was fully aware that players like Gwandu and Nyamhuri were not yet ready for international cricket but in trying to save his job he was compelled to select them.
The veteran bowler was allegedly speaking to fellow Mega Market Mountaineers fast bowler Victor Nyauchi in the leaked audio. Chatara said he will retire next year upon which he will approach ZC Managing Director Givemore Makoni for a job. He believes that after retirement, he is supposed to be given a job, having served Zimbabwe for over 15 years. He told Nyauchi that they should focus on winning this year’s Logan Cup and shame the Mutendera-led selection panel.
Siphakeme .Mnindwa
