Zimbabwe has appointed former England batsman Alan Butcher as its new national cricket coach, replacing Walter Chawaguta who had been in the post since August 2008, APA learns here Sunday.

Zimbabwe Cricket, the organization responsible for running the sport in the country, said the 56-year-old Butcher would be assisted by Zimbabwe’s coaching assistant Stephen Mangongo, batting Coach Grant Flower and bowling coach Heath Streak.

His first assignment will be the tour of the Caribbeans next month.

Zimbabwe is trying to rebuild its cricket squad nearly six years after the country unilaterally withdrew from the Test version of the game in the wake of a revolt against management by senior players.

The current squad, made up of mostly young black players, has made great strides over the past few years, raising hopes that the country could soon return to the more taxing Test cricket compared to the one-day version that the team has been forcing on since September 2004.

By Sports reporter