Rajput’s new ‘catch them young’ outlook

ZIMBABWE Cricket coach Lalchand Rajput says he is leaving the door open for the Under-19 World Cup-bound players to join the national side, as the gaffer hopes to widen the player base in the lead-up to next year’s loaded schedule.

Rajput will be keeping an eye on the 2022 Under-19 World Cup in the West Indies next year, and has since revealed that the Zimbabwe players that do well there stand a chance of being selected into the senior national team should the need arise.

“The Under-19 World Cup, it’s a good thing that it’s happening at the beginning of the year,” said the Chevrons’ gaffer.

“The players who will do well there will definitely get a look in.

“I believe in giving opportunities to young players, and it is part of building a team for the future.

“My slogan is very simple — catch them young,” said Rajput.

The Chevrons have a hectic schedule next year, starting next month when they host Afghanistan in three ODIs and five T20Is.

Zimbabwe will also take part in the 2022 T20 World Cup qualifiers to be held in Australia next October.

With an ongoing domestic season, and a crash programme for the Chevrons next year, Rajput feels that there is a need to manage the players’ workload ahead of the scheduled international tours.

“Because of Covid-19, lots of matches have been postponed.

“Now that the T20 World Cup is next year, it’s going to be a hectic one.

“It’s good that we are playing some domestic cricket, as it allows the players to showcase their performances and help the selectors to pick the right players.

“However, due to the packed itinerary (next year), we also have to manage the workload of the players.

“We need to make sure that they are fit for the international matches,” said Rajput.

Rajput, who has been tasked with a rebuilding exercise on the senior men’s national side, continues to hit a brick wall in his project.

The global pandemic continues to wreak havoc on his plans at every turn.

“First we had the suspension, and now the pandemic,” said the Asian gaffer.

“The on-and-off situation that we have found ourselves in on numerous occasions, has been forcing us to go back on things and stalling progress.

“Luckily, I seem to be managing, largely thanks to the help of the selectors and the Zimbabwe Cricket Board. “They have all been very supportive. “We remain optimistic of achieving our goal, and becoming a competitive side once again,” said Rajput.

With concerns being raised on the opponents for the Chevrons, which has seen some big guns allegedly shunning tours, Rajput is happy with playing lower ranked teams as part of the rebuilding exercise.

”Playing against the lower-ranked teams is not a problem as we rebuild.

“We just need to build the confidence of the youngsters, which will prepare them for more intense international matches.

“Playing against the so-called big teams when we are not exposed much to international cricket, can be very detrimental.

“We are taking it one step at a time, and believe that we will be better placed to compete once we are done rebuilding,” he said.