Rajput’s coaching contract was extended recently in March by Zimbabwe Cricket, but the board has now revamped the support staff.

Houghton had also coached Zimbabwe in the late 90s, and was at the helm during their memorable run to the Super Six stage of the 1999 World Cup in England, following memorable group-stage wins over India and South Africa. Houghton has also had coaching gigs with Derbyshire, Middlesex among various other teams in English county cricket. His most recent coaching stint was with Mountaineers in domestic cricket.

“We are delighted to be bringing in Dave and we count ourselves fortunate and privileged to be able to appoint such a vastly experienced and highly respected head coach at a time we are looking to improve our on-field performances,” Masakadza said in a media statement.

“With Lance having also bounced back as batting coach, we believe we now have a formidable technical team that can push for World Cup qualification and ensure our players put in consistently competitive performances,” Masakadza said. “I would also like to thank Lalchand who has been in charge of the team for the past four years, an incredibly challenging period for our cricket.”