BY SPORTSCAST WRITER
HARARE – Zimbabwe senior bowler Tendai Chatara has blasted selectors in an explosive leaked audio, accusing the panel of favouritism and bias, as the country reels from the wreckage of a Test series defeat at home to Afghanistan in Bulawayo after giving away strong winning positions in both contests.
Experienced pacer Chatara has fallen out of favour with the selectors in recent times and wasn’t picked for Afghanistan’s all-format tour at the end of the year. The selection panel, headed by convenor David Mutendera, has come under fire after surprisingly fielding just one proven seamer, Blessing Muzarabani, for the first Test. The shock decision nearly backfired after Afghanistan battled back from the brink of defeat to almost win the rain-hit Boxing Day Test, which was eventually drawn. Zimbabwe then came even closer to record a rare victory in the New Year’s Test, but Afghanistan rallied back on the last two days of the tie to win by 72 runs, much to the chagrin of the long-suffering Chevrons fans.
Speaking in his native Manyika dialect of the Shona language, Chatara laid into the two selectors – Mutendera and Elton Chigumbura – in an apparent conversation with fellow fast bowler and teammate Victor Nyauchi.
The recording of nearly three minutes starts with Chatara accusing Chigumbura of acting in conflict of interest by picking two graduates of his academy for the first Test, so as to be “relevant”. The two rookie bowlers, Newman Nyamhuri and Trevor Gwandu, were out of depth on their Test debut and failed to provide crucial support to the more experienced bowlers, costing Zimbabwe a possible win. The duo came through the ZC-backed Elton Chigumbura Academy, run by the former Zimbabwe captain. By fast-tracking the two bowlers into international cricket ahead of seasoned seamers like himself and Nyauchi, Chatara said Chigumbura is desperate to prove that he is doing a good job at his academy. Apart from being a selector, Chigumbura is also Zimbabwe’s Under-19 coach. Chatara questioned the rationale of the same person being the Under-19 national coach, selector and academy owner at the same time.
Mutendera was also raked over the coals by Chatara, referring to the head selector in particularly unflattering terms. He called Mutendera “mh**a (an ass*ole)”, saying the former pace bowler was an average cricketer who played little cricket in his career. Chatara said Mutendera is the common denominator in Zimbabwe’s failures, as he has remained the chief selector while different coaches have left. Mutendera, Chatara said, is just a stooge selector who is simply told what to do by higher authorities.
The audio was recorded before or during one of the two Tests, as Chatara is heard predicting that the fragile Zimbabwe side would be pummelled by Afghanistan inside two or three days.
Chatara is teammates with Nyauchi at local franchise, Manicaland Mountaineers. The veteran bowler told Nyauchi in the audio that together they will this season guide the Mutare-based team to title glory in the Logan Cup, Zimbabwe’s first-class competition, and shame the selectors.
33-year-old Chatara revealed plans to retire next year, in frustration, saying he will approach ZC managing director Givemore Makoni with an offer to stay on his current contract but in a different role, possibly as bowlers’ coach. “I’ve served my country for 15 years,” he said to Nyauchi in Shona.
As for Nyauchi, the out-of-favour quick was also overlooked by the selectors for the tour by Afghanistan despite good form, and also having been effective in the Bulawayo conditions the last time Zimbabwe played Test cricket, against West Indies in February 2023 at Queens.
Nyauchi himself has previously shown signs of frustration with how he has been treated. In an unreported incident sometime last year, he had to be restrained by teammates from assaulting ZC official Hamilton Masakadza during a club match between Rainbow and Takashinga.
Former Zimbabwe captain Masakadza (41) still plays for his boyhood club Takashinga, away from his administrative role. During a match in Harare against Nyauchi’s Rainbow, the 32-year-old seamer didn’t take kindly to Masakadza’s verbal disapproval towards him over an on-field misunderstanding between the two sides. An enraged Nyauchi charged towards Masakadza, threatening to physically attack him and accusing him of “destroying my career.”
Although Masakadza officially resigned as Zimbabwe’s director of cricket last March, he continues to report for duty and is often seen officiating at ZC events.
