Following Zimbabwe's World Cup defeats, Houghton steps down as coach after team failed to qualify

Zimbabwe coach Dave Houghton has officially resigned with immediate effect, citing a breakdown in his relationship with players following the team's failure to qualify for the 2024 Twenty20 World Cup, where they suffered defeats against Namibia and Uganda.

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) announced Houghton's resignation on Wednesday but clarified that the accomplished former player would remain within the organization in an unspecified role. In his resignation letter addressed to the ZC board, Houghton expressed that he had "lost the changeroom" after being in charge for 18 months and believed that a "new voice" was necessary to lead the team forward.

"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 (Houghton) has done over the past year to rebuild the foundations for long-term success," stated ZC chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani in a released statement.

Mukuhlani expressed gratitude for Houghton's tireless efforts and mentioned that the organization looks forward to working with him in a different capacity as they aim to improve their on-field performance. An interim technical team is set to be named shortly for Zimbabwe's tour to Sri Lanka in January for a white-ball series.

In addition to Houghton's resignation, the ZC board appointed a three-member committee chaired by Lloyd Mhishi to investigate the World Cup qualification failures and review ZC's cricket affairs structure. The committee is expected to provide a report within three weeks.