Ntini, Atapattu named joint Zimbabwe cricket coaches

HARARE: Former South African fast bowler Makhaya Ntini has been appointed Zimbabwe national cricket team bowling coach.

Ntini, who was handed a two-year contract, was Tuesday appointed along with former Sri Lanka captain and batsman Marvan Atapattu, who will be batting consultant for Zimbabwe’s tour of Bangladesh.

Atapattu fills the batting coach vacancy left after Andrew Waller was relieved of his duties on October 25 last year.

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) on Tuesday said Ntini would start work next month, while Atapattu and ZC would agree on a long-term engagement after the Bangladesh tour.

The Zimbabwean cricket team is in Bangladesh for four T20s against the hosts. They are preparing for the World T20 qualifiers to be played in India in March.

“Former South African bowler Makhaya Ntini has been appointed on a two-year contract as assistant national team coach in charge of bowling, with effect from the 16th of next month,” ZC said.

Douglas Hondo has been bowling coach for the last two years and has since been redeployed to the Zimbabwe A side as head coach.

Ntini (38) retired from international cricket in 2010 after playing 101 Test matches, 173 one-dayers and 10 Twenty20 International matches for South Africa.

He rose from being a product of the then United Cricket Board’s programme to becoming the country’s first black African international cricketer.

In 2003, he became the first South African cricketer to take 10 wickets in a Test match at the hallowed Lord’s Cricket Ground in England.

Five years later, he claimed 13 wickets for 132 runs in Test match against the West Indies – the best figures ever by a South African in that format of the game.

Atapattu, a former Sri Lanka batsman and captain, went into coaching after retirement. He has coached Canada and Singapore and was Sri Lanka batting coach from 2011, before taking over as head coach from April 2014 to September 2015, when he resigned.

Before retirement, Atapattu played 90 Test, 268 ODIs and two Twenty20 International matches for his home country. – ANA