Fired coach accepts his fate Stephen Mangongo
Stephen Mangongo

Stephen Mangongo

Eddie Chikamhi in KAMPALA, Uganda
AXED national cricket team coach Stephen Mangongo has accepted his fate and will respect the Zimbabwe Cricket board’s decision to demote him to a lesser role. Mangongo, who is currently leading his Takashinga Cricket Club on a tour of Uganda, confirmed he received a call from ZC managing director Wilfred Mukondiwa to tell him about the decision. “I was extremely surprised, but I want to make it clear that coaching one’s national team is a privilege which is bestowed upon them by the board and the same board has the right to withdraw the privilege when they see it fit,” said Mangongo.

“I am sure they have seen wisdom in withdrawing the privilege and, yes, that’s it. And am I surprised? Yes, I am surprised. But I will be very honest, when I look at the unfolding of the whole drama, I am inclined to comment that I don’t think that Zimbabwe Cricket was ready for an indigenous black person.

“It’s about acceptance, it’s about being ready for that and the alarmists already rang a lot of bells because a black guy had taken the head coach’s mantle. Yes, disappointingly, we lost to Bangladesh, but a year ago I was in acting capacity and I beat Bangladesh at home. I beat them in ODI series, I drew with them in a Test series, I drew with them in T20 series.

“And on being appointed national coach, and less than three weeks into my job, I beat Australia. We did not embarrass ourselves in the series as expected by many. Yes, I am the first one to admit we did not have a good tour (in Bangladesh). I was very disappointed with that because I had even put my personal resources into that tour.

“So, I got hurt by losing. I am not a loser. My track record speaks of a coach from club, franchise, who trailblazed at Mountaineers, at Zim A, thrashed everyone and by losing (to Bangladesh), I was very much touched by that.

“But I simply believe that losing one tour and then get a sacking, when we had a precedence where we had coaches going through their terms for two or so years losing matches and yet not getting a re-assignment, is a little bit contradictory. If we were to be honest, when I took over the team was at its lowest. They were consistently losing to associate teams. We had lost in the T20 to Hong Kong. We came back home and drew with Afghanistan. So, it just tells you we were at our lowest.”

The coach is credited with cricket development in the high density areas.

“I will accept the position of the board and being Stephen Mangongo I am a very tough bloke. Cricket is in my veins, it’s in my blood. I brought up black cricket in Zimbabwe. Takashinga is a prime example. I have got an institution and nobody can take that away from me and life goes on.” he said.

Mangongo’s tenure included the famous win over Australia, which ended a 31-year wait in the ODIs. But the lowest point was in Bangladesh where the team failed to win a single game, triggering an outcry back home.

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