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Makhaya Ntini

ZIMBABWE Cricket have made two appointments in the batting and bowling departments of the senior men’s national team. 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.

The former bowling coach, Douglas Hondo, has been re-assigned to the Zimbabwe A team.

Ntini, aged 38, had an illustrious playing career for South Africa, rising from being a product of the then United Cricket Board’s development programme to becoming the country’s first black African international cricketer.

In 2003, he became the first South African to take 10 wickets in a Test match at the hallowed Lord’s ground in England. In 2008, 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.

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

ZC have also moved to fill the vacancy left after then batting coach Andrew Waller was relieved of his duties on the 25th of October last year.

Former Sri Lanka coach Marvan Atapattu has been appointed as a consultant batting coach for the Zimbabwe tour of Bangladesh this month. Atapattu is also a former Sri Lanka batsman and captain who 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 his retirement, Atapattu played 90 Tests, 268 ODI and two Twenty20 International matches for Sri Lanka. He made 5 502 Test runs and is fourth on the all-time double hundreds list, behind Australia’s Sir Donald Bradman (12) and England’s Walter Hammond and West Indies’ Brian Lara — each with seven.

Atapattu’s contract will be reviewed after the Zimbabwe tour of Bangladesh, with a view to entering into a longer relationship. — Zimcricket.