New coach looking to inspire Zimbabwe

Struggling Zimbabwe will hope that a change of coach will help revive their flagging fortunes in the three-nations ODI series.

Struggling Zimbabwe will hope that a change of coach will help revive their flagging fortunes in the three-nations ODI series against New Zealand and India.

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A series of six matches begins on Tuesday against the Kiwis at the Queens Sports Club where the home side went down by an innings and 46 runs, a defeat that followed one by an innings and 294 runs last week in Harare.

The new national coach, Kevin Curran, who replaced Phil Simmons of West Indies, provides an entirely new policy and background and he took charge of Friday's training session at the Harare Cricket Academy, nursery of all promising young players in the country.

Meanwhile the five New Zealand replacements for the ODIs squad, Chris Cairns, Craig McMillan, Andre Adams and Jeetan Patel for Paul Wiseman, Craig Cumming, James Franklin and James Marshall have arrived in Zimbabwe and are hard at practice.

Curran said his priority in coaching will be team effort and the team spirit. "This is natural in Zimbabwe, where schools here, right through from a very young age, are given coaching of a good standard by teachers, who regard sport as an integral part of education," he said.

And added, "I have been part of that culture, right from childhood. I know it, respect it, and all the players it has produced in 30 years."