New Zimbabwe cricket coach Sammons to debut against India

South African Justin Sammons has been named coach of Zimbabwe and will debut in a Twenty20 international series against India, the national cricket board said in Harare on Wednesday.

"We are delighted to confirm Justin as head coach of the Zimbabwe senior men's national team," Zimbabwe Cricket chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani said.

"He brings a wealth of coaching experience and a reputation of identifying, nurturing and developing some of the best young talent in South Africa.

"His hard-working and passionate approach as well as sense of values on and off the pitch make him the ideal person to take us forward."

Sammons will prepare a T20I squad for five matches against global giants India in Harare from July 6-14.

Sammons, who has worked with the high-performance unit and several franchises in South Africa, was part of the national men's technical team as batting consultant from 2021 for two years.

"I look forward to the road ahead and I am excited to start working with this talented group of players," he said.

Former national team star Dave Houghton quit as coach last year after Zimbabwe surprisingly failed to qualify for the T20 World Cup, which is currently being played in the West Indies and United States.

Walter Chawaguta and Stuart Matsikenyeri separately filled caretaker roles as Zimbabwe lost one-day international and T20I series in Sri Lanka and a T20I series in Bangladesh.

Zimbabwe must qualify for the 2026 T20 World Cup, to be staged in India and Sri Lanka, but will automatically participate in the ODI World Cup one year later as co-hosts.