Dave Houghton resigns as Zimbabwe cricket coach

ZIMBABWE Cricket (ZC) board has accepted Dave Houghton's resignation from his position as head coach of the Zimbabwe senior men's team with immediate effect.

He will, however, reportedly remain with ZC as the board looks to re-assign him to a new role within the organisation.

In his resignation letter, which he tendered on the eve of Wednesday's Board meeting to review Zimbabwe's failure to qualify for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 after losing to Namibia and Uganda at the recent regional qualifying tournament, Houghton said he had "lost the changeroom" after 18 months in charge and felt that a "new voice" was needed to take the team forward.

This also followed the team's loss in a limited-overs series against Ireland over the past fortnight.

After the board accepted his resignation, ZC chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani said: "Dave will always be a legend of our game and it is with regret that he felt the changing room needed a new voice.  While the past few months have been disappointing as we failed to qualify for both the 50-over World Cup and the T20 World Cup, they should not obscure all the work he has done over the past year to rebuild the foundations for long-term success.  Dave leaves the team with our sincerest thanks for his tireless efforts and we are looking forward to working with him in a different role as we seek to change our on-field fortunes."