Former Zimbabwe cricketer Hamilton Masakadza will quit his post as Director of Cricket this week, Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) announced on Thursday, March 7. Masakadza opted to step down from the position after Zimbabwe failed to qualify for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the United States and the Caribbean.

The Chevrons placed third in the Africa Qualifier, losing to Namibia and an unexpected loss to Uganda. Namibia and Uganda eventually emerged as qualifying teams.

Masakadza, who took over as Director of Cricket in 2019 after retiring from all formats, said: “This decision has come about after careful consideration of the successes and failures of our cricket and my responsibilities.

“As much as there has been a lot of progress in my tenure, the fact remains that we are the only Full Member nation not participating in the next T20 World Cup after our shock loss to Uganda.

“This was indeed one of the lowest points of my career and I take full responsibility as Director of Cricket.”

During Masakadza’s four-year term as Director of Cricket, Zimbabwe qualified for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, reaching the Super 12 stage. Zimbabwe have also hosted the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2022 and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023.

Despite his resignation, Masakadza remains eager to participate in the staging of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026 and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027, which Zimbabwe will co-host.

“This decision was a very difficult one to make and I remain fully committed to Zimbabwe Cricket and would very much be interested in serving in a different capacity as the organisation looks forward to hosting the Men’s U19 World Cup in 2026 and the Men’s 50-over World Cup in 2027,” he said.