'David Coltart targeting black administrators'

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has accused former Sports Minister David Coltart of targeting its black administrators with "baseless accusations" in a sharp rebuttal to his criticism of the board following the national team's humiliating Test series defeat to New Zealand.

The Chevrons' recent two-match series ended on Saturday with a 2–0 whitewash, culminating in an innings and 359-run loss at Queens Sports Club - Zimbabwe's heaviest defeat in Test cricket history. The team failed to score more than 200 runs in any of their four innings.

Reacting to the performance on social media platform X, Coltart wrote:

"As a Zimbabwean patriot, I am finding the current state of Zimbabwe cricket deeply distressing. To see our national team being decimated by New Zealand stirs deep emotions within me. Our players are utterly disheartened. We are so much better than this. We need a complete rethink."

ZC fired back yesterday, accusing Coltart of crossing the line. In a strongly worded statement, the board claimed his comments were a "thinly-veiled attempt to sow divisions" and "undermine the progress ZC has made" since independence.

"While selection is inherently subjective and globally sparks healthy debate among cricket fans, that is normal and part of the game. However, Coltart's persistent claims of nonexistent racist policies are both dangerous and deplorable," the statement read.

The board insisted it had fully complied with the ICC Anti-Discrimination Code and had worked to make national teams representative of Zimbabwe's demographics.

"Without proof, his accusations amount to bar talk - empty noise unworthy of serious consideration, but too dangerous to ignore, given his political standing and influence," ZC said.

It also accused Coltart of politicising the sport during his tenure as Education and Sport Minister, citing his support for the black armband protest by Andy Flower and Henry Olonga during the 2003 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup. ZC said the protest triggered England's refusal to travel to Harare for their scheduled match, resulting in a 23-year freeze in bilateral cricket relations between the two countries — a rift only healed in May 2024 with a one-off Test at Trent Bridge.

The ZC statement drew criticism from some quarters, with commentators accusing the board of deflecting from the substance of Coltart's concerns about Zimbabwe's cricketing decline.