Coach Mangongo Looking Forward To Young Talent On The Upcoming Tour
Stephen Mangongo, the Zimbabwe XI coach told reporters he is looking forward to the performance of the youngsters who are hoping to get a call up in the national team, ahead of the Netherlands and Canada tour.
The tour will feature limited overs and four-day International Cup fixtures of the International Cricket Council Intercontinental Cup. The schedule for the tour is tight, Zimbabwe take on hosts http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Netherlands-c753 in a one day match on Friday and then starting Sunday, a four day match. They then head to Canada in yet another Intercontinental Cup match, which will be from the 2nd to the 5th August.
There were three youngsters that Mangongo was especially excited about, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Natsai-Mushangwe-c2074 – the talented off spinner, Tendai Chatara - the seamer and Nathan Waller – the all rounder.
These three featured and impressed in the International Cricket Council Under-19 World Cup, which was held in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 earlier this year and have all been selected in the national squad. “Tendai Chatara has shown a glimpse of genuine pace, Nathan Waller has a good physique and all the attributes of a fast bowler and Mushangwe is a brilliant turner of the ball - his domestic statistics speak for themselves.” Mangongo told reporters.
Mangongo defended his decision of recruiting the youngster and went on to stress the importance of having younger players on the squad. “It is good for Zimbabwe cricket that we are identifying http://www.senore.com/Cricket/A-Young-c41367 crop that we can nurture. To me, that is one of the key elements for cricket to survive.
The youngsters in our current squad are very exciting.” Mangongo said. However, he admitted that it was important to strike a balance within a team and according to him, Captain Vusi Sibanda had done a very good job with his consistent performances over the previous matches.
“[He's] been around for a while. He has played for the senior team and is a player who knows his cricket. He has been the top runner in the past year in franchise cricket. He has over seven centuries and that in itself is a sign that he has what it takes. The team is well-balanced and we are spoilt for choice.”
Mangongo, who plays the role of the assistant coach in the senior national side, was full of praise for his coaching staff. His assistant coach and team manager for the tour is Andy http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Waller-c95917, a former national player. And the national side’s bowling coach; Heath Streak will accompany the team on the tour, which is a big boost for the team.
“I am definitely one lucky man to be surrounded by this kind of technical staff. Bundu [Waller] is an astute coach. He has played the game at the highest level and is passionate about the team. Indeed, he is a superman and I am looking forward to working with him on this tour.” Mangongo told reporters.
Streak, who is an experienced bowling coach, believes that the upcoming tour of Netherlands and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Canada-c748 will be an opportunity for the less experienced players to get a taste of the international stage and impress the selectors in hopes of getting selected for the national side.
He said it was this international exposure that helped build players, “http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zimbabwe-c3045 XI players are supposed to aim for places in the national team,” he said. “They can only do that through performances that give top players more pressure. In doing so we create more options and the depth that we need as we approach our return to playing Test cricket.”
Tags: