Sports / Cricket
Zimbabwe Cricket gives sacked cricket coach $70 000 handshake
10 Jul 2016 at 06:40hrs | Views
ZIMBABWE Cricket have paid off former national team coach Davenell Whatmore who they sacked at the end of last May for poor results. Wilfred Mukondiwa, the ZC chief executive officer could not be drawn to comment on the matter because he is on leave.
However, investigations by the Sunday News suggest that the 62-year-old Sri Lanka born Australian got $70 000 from ZC on 16 June. The figure was also corroborated by our source who disclosed that Whatmore was happy with his severance package.
Whatmore was shown the door as national team mentor barely 18 months into a four-year deal. The source also revealed that Whatmore's four-year contract was up for review every two years which meant that there was still six months before ZC re-evaluated his contribution as national team coach.
By the time of review ZC according to our source could have decided either to let Whatmore stay on as national team coach or sack him. Firing Whatmore with six months left before his deal was due for assessment therefore meant that ZC could not pay him for the remaining two and half years that he was still to serve had his stay been extended, said the source.
"Zimbabwe Cricket actually made a saving by firing Dave Whatmore, they paid him
$70 000 on 16 June, he had a four-year contract which was up for review every two years. At the time of reviewing the contract ZC could have either kept Whatmore or fired him so now that they decided to fire him with six months before the review, this means they cannot pay him for the remaining 24 months of his contract. They did not even pay him for the six months,'' said the source, who added that ZC and Whatmore agreed on a confidential agreement which the 62-year-old accepted before he left the country last month.
It is understood that ZC and Whatmore agreed that the results were not favourable, especially after the team failed to progress beyond the preliminary round of the International Cricket Council World Twenty20 in India this year where they came second in the qualifying group to Afghanistan. Whatmore was hired at the end of 2014 as a replacement for local coach Stephen Mangongo and was given a long term deal at the beginning of last year to preside over the national team.
It appears ZC have learnt from the mistake of firing a coach with a long term contract and dealt carefully with the Whatmore issue. Ironically, ZC are still paying West Indian Philip Simmons who was sacked 11 years ago over the national team's unsatisfactory results. Whatmore's dismissal was announced the same day as the removal of Hamilton Masakadza as captain and a change in the selection panel which was headed by Kenyon Ziehl.
Makhaya Ntini was installed as national team coach on an interim basis, leg spinner Graeme Cremer became captain also on a temporary basis while former national team skipper Tatenda Taibu was put in as head of the selection committee. ZC also hired former South African all rounder Lance Klusener as the national team batting coach. All these changes were effected a few days before India arrived for a three match One Day International as well as the same number of Twenty20 International contests at Harare Sports Club.
However, investigations by the Sunday News suggest that the 62-year-old Sri Lanka born Australian got $70 000 from ZC on 16 June. The figure was also corroborated by our source who disclosed that Whatmore was happy with his severance package.
Whatmore was shown the door as national team mentor barely 18 months into a four-year deal. The source also revealed that Whatmore's four-year contract was up for review every two years which meant that there was still six months before ZC re-evaluated his contribution as national team coach.
By the time of review ZC according to our source could have decided either to let Whatmore stay on as national team coach or sack him. Firing Whatmore with six months left before his deal was due for assessment therefore meant that ZC could not pay him for the remaining two and half years that he was still to serve had his stay been extended, said the source.
$70 000 on 16 June, he had a four-year contract which was up for review every two years. At the time of reviewing the contract ZC could have either kept Whatmore or fired him so now that they decided to fire him with six months before the review, this means they cannot pay him for the remaining 24 months of his contract. They did not even pay him for the six months,'' said the source, who added that ZC and Whatmore agreed on a confidential agreement which the 62-year-old accepted before he left the country last month.
It is understood that ZC and Whatmore agreed that the results were not favourable, especially after the team failed to progress beyond the preliminary round of the International Cricket Council World Twenty20 in India this year where they came second in the qualifying group to Afghanistan. Whatmore was hired at the end of 2014 as a replacement for local coach Stephen Mangongo and was given a long term deal at the beginning of last year to preside over the national team.
It appears ZC have learnt from the mistake of firing a coach with a long term contract and dealt carefully with the Whatmore issue. Ironically, ZC are still paying West Indian Philip Simmons who was sacked 11 years ago over the national team's unsatisfactory results. Whatmore's dismissal was announced the same day as the removal of Hamilton Masakadza as captain and a change in the selection panel which was headed by Kenyon Ziehl.
Makhaya Ntini was installed as national team coach on an interim basis, leg spinner Graeme Cremer became captain also on a temporary basis while former national team skipper Tatenda Taibu was put in as head of the selection committee. ZC also hired former South African all rounder Lance Klusener as the national team batting coach. All these changes were effected a few days before India arrived for a three match One Day International as well as the same number of Twenty20 International contests at Harare Sports Club.
Source - Sunday News
