FORMER Davis Cup player Martin Dzuwa will retain his post in the Zimbabwean team for the 2014 Davis Cup Africa Zone Group III qualifiers to be played in Cairo, Egypt.
BY ALBERT MARUFU
The 12-team tournament, to be held at Smash Tennis Academy, will be played the week commencing September 8.
However, unlike last year, where he accompanied the team of Mark Fyn, Takanyi Garanganga and Tinotenda Chanakira as the playing captain, Dzuwa will be a non-playing captain.
Convener of selectors Tanyaradzwa Chinamo told Standardsport that this year players would be picked according to their points and Dzuwa would travel with players as a non-playing captain.
“We had a provisional team, but since the tournament will now be played in September, we will meet mid-June to come up with the final squad. Martin Dzuwa is the non-playing captain. He will not be involved with any matches this year,” he said.
“We can’t announce the final team now because September is still far away. A lot will have happened by then in terms of players gaining more points,” he said.
Chinamo expressed confidence that this year Zimbabwe would qualify into the Euro/Africa Zone Group II.
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This year Zimbabwe will have to battle Algeria, Benin, Botswana, Congo, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria and Rwanda for the two tickets to the Euro/Africa Zone Group II. For the past three years Zimbabwe has finished third and last year they were tied with Madagascar.
Playing in Pool B, Zimbabwe beat Kenya and Ghana by an identical 3-0 score lines to finish top of their group before losing 2-1 to hosts Egypt in the final.
Zimbabwe’s players that are currently ranked include Garanganga, Fyn, Benjamin Lorke and Chanakira. Mbonisi Ndimande and Vusa Hove are some of the players who will be fighting for consideration.
Before the retirement of Kelvin Ullyett and Byron and Wayne Black, Zimbabwe once played in the elite World Group, at one time defeating Australia on their home soil.
