Rajput reprieve for ZC
ZIMBABWE Cricket (ZC) have heaved a sigh of relief amid revelations Chevrons coach Lalchand Rajput has now had his work permit renewed, with the Indian set to return to the country and resume his duties this week.
Rajput has been holed up in his native India for the past two months following the expiry of his permit in February.
The 60-year-old coach is delighted to have his work permit sorted ahead of a busy schedule of preparatory games, which include the T20 World Cup qualifiers to be hosted by Zimbabwe in July.
“I am really happy and excited to be back as it was frustrating to be at home and (I) could not be with the team, and I just want to say that the reason I could not be there (in Zimbabwe) is because of my work permit.
“I was waiting for my work permit and I am happy that it has come now and looking forward to joining the team as early as possible,” he said.
Rajput, who had his contract extended by a further three years last year, has been tasked with helping Zimbabwe qualify for both the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia in October and the 2023 ICC ODI Cup set for India.
“Like I have said, the ODI is not in our hands anymore, but we have to do our best. At the moment, our focus should be on the
T20 World Cup, which I believe is in our control,” he said.
There was an outcry over his absence during the T20 domestic league, especially ahead of the crucial T20 World Cup qualifiers, as this meant he could not assess players at his disposal. Rajput revealed that he had to rely on his backroom staff for updates on domestic cricket.
“Though I was in India, I was still following the domestic competition and was in constant touch with the support staff, who gave me feedback all the time.”
ZC have also since announced a busy international schedule for the national select teams, and Rajput is confident the matches will give players enough game time ahead of the T20 World Cup qualifiers.
“It’s very good that we will be playing against South Africa A team simultaneously. Our A team will be playing against Nepal, so there are 30 players playing at the same time; this will give us more players to choose from.
“After that, Namibia is coming and then Afghanistan, so we will be well prepared for the very important tournament, the qualifiers,” said Rajput.
As part of preparations for the T20 World Cup qualifiers, ZC lined up a schedule that will see Zimbabwe XI playing three One-Day matches and five T20 games against South Africa A at Harare Sports Club from April 25 to May 10, while Zimbabwe A will visit Nepal for three ODIs and as many T20s scheduled for April 30 to May 9 in Kathmandu.
Back home, and hot on the heels of the South Africa A tour, will be the visit by Namibia, who will face Zimbabwe in five T20s set for May 17, 19, 21, 22 and 24 at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.
That series will be followed by Afghanistan’s tour for three ODI matches and five T20s at Harare Sports Club.
The ODIs against Afghanistan — scheduled for June 12, 14 and 17 — are part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League.
That busy schedule will also include five T20 matches between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan, which are pencilled in for June 20, 22, 24, 27 and 27, and leading up to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier tournament the following month.