Heath Streak speaks out

Former Zimbabwe cricket coach Heath Streak

FORMER Zimbabwe Cricket coach, Heath Streak says he was shocked when Zimbabwe Cricket fired him and his entire coaching staff last month.
The former Chevrons captain says his lawyers were now dealing with the matter because there were contractual and labour infraction owing to the manner in which the dismissals were done.
In an interview with Sport24, last week Streak, who is now Kolkata Knight Riders bowling coach, spoke about being unfairly blamed for Zimbabwe’s failed bid to qualify for next year’s ICC Cricket World Cup in England, being fired, racism allegations and why world cricket needs to expand and not contract.
“It was a shock when I was told by Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) that my coaching team and I must resign, failing which we would be fired. It was massively disappointing that we missed out on qualifying for the 2019 Cricket World Cup but, since taking the helm 18 months ago, we almost doubled our win ratio and won our first away ODI series in 17 years,” he said.
“Moreover, getting players like Solomon Mire, Brendan Taylor and Kyle Jarvis back from Australia and England respectively was also a good achievement for the future of the game in Zimbabwe. Unfortunately, the ZC board felt that we were not good enough as a management group and they wanted to go in a different direction after the big downer of missing out on World Cup qualification,” said Streak
He said the Chevrons had a good lead-up to the qualifying tournament, but sadly lost their last game against the United Arab Emirates, via the Duckworth-Lewis method, which proved crucial. Streak chose not to resign as he felt it would have been degrading to the national players and technical team. As a result, he was dismissed.
“My lawyers are now dealing with the matter because there are contractual and labour infractions owing to the manner in which the dismissals were done. However, the axe has not only fallen on the national team, but the A-team, under-19 side and the selectors as well, who were given the option to either resign or be fired. For me, the most disappointing thing is how we have been treated. We didn’t get a chance to have a hearing and only received an e-mail outlining the course of action from the powers that be. It is extreme and short-sighted,” Streak said.
Commenting on Makhaya Ntini’s exit as Zimbabwe’s bowling coach in January, Streak said he thought the board just felt that he was not up to the mark with the coaching.
“It was something that was a general feeling and they wanted someone who knew the local players more. Ex-Chevron Douglas Hondo was the man they felt would do the job well. (In terms of some players not being happy as far as Ntini’s management style was concerned) those are not things I would like to get involved in. People did have opinions, but ultimately the feeling was that Ntini was not able to do the job as needed… I must thank my staff who worked tirelessly, often going for months unpaid and, having had two pay-cuts during their tenure, still retained unwavering professional commitment,” he said.
Streak said he would like to thank captain, Graeme Cremer and all the players for their patriotism and commitment during his time as coach.
“I’m deeply saddened if my journey with them ends here. I feel I have a lot to offer Zimbabwe cricket given that I have been involved for 12 years as a player and six years on the coaching staff. I would still like to be involved in some respect,” he said.
Responding to allegations against racism, Streak said the Zimbabwe Cricket had far too often tried to use the race card as a way to deviate from the actual issues of poor governance.
“They need to start looking at themselves in the mirror. All the players I have coached and the people around me know me well enough. I don’t even need to try to vindicate myself or qualify why I’m not a racist. For me, the allegations of racism (by ZC board chairperson Tavengwa Mukuhlani) are actually laughable. Not only do I speak Ndebele, my wife and I have a black foster son. I was pretty upset by Mukuhlani’s comments and it’s something I’m considering taking action against in the future,” he said.
He said the statements against him were not only defamatory, but were also damaging.
“I have spent a lifetime building my reputation and for him to say something like that publicly is not acceptable. I take it extremely seriously. I agree 100 percent with Ray Price who said. Racism is not the problem in Zimbabwean cricket. Bad cricket management is the problem,” said Streak.
The former Chevron coach said it was “now” about getting the correct personnel involved and people with the requisite skills to be able to run an organisation as big as Zimbabwe Cricket.  He said he hoped this episode would prove to be the catalyst that will bring people’s attention to the changes that need to occur within Zimbabwean cricket.
“Throughout sports organisations, you definitely need a balance between former players, who understand the needs of professional players, and people with good corporate acumen and proven track records in the business world. We need more cricketers involved in decision-making at the top level and on the board. I would like to believe that decision-making in the future will be in the game’s best interest,” he said.
This approached he said would ensure that there was a pathway for the next generation of cricketers.
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