In a tragic news, Zimbabwe fielding coach Shepherd Makunura has passed away after battling illness for a long time. He succumbed to his illness at West End Hospital in Harare on Thursday. Due to ill health, he had missed ICC men's cricket World Cup in Australia in October-November this year.
"We have lost one of our very best coaches, an unsung hero of our game who has been instrumental in the unearthing and nurturing of many of Zimbabwe’s talented players. - ZC Managing Director Givemore Makoni. #RIPShepherdMakunura" tweeted Zimbabwe cricket.
At the time of his death, Makunura was also the head coach of Masvingo-based Southern Rocks, where he worked with some of Zimbabwe's leading cricketers like Sikandar Raza, Blessing Muzarabani, and Roy Kaia among others.
He had also been the head coach of Zimbabwe A team.
Makunura is survived by his wife, Sinikiwe Mpofu, who was a former Zimbabwe cricketer and currently the assistant coach of Zimbabwe women's cricket team, and two children.
“We are grateful for his immense contributions to the sport in Zimbabwe and beyond and the void that he has left will be hard to fill," Makoni further wrote in his statement.