Harare:Zimbabwe head coach Lalchand Rajput will not travel for the upcoming Pakistan tour and bowling coach Douglas Hondo will now be the acting head coach for the ODIs and as many T20I series, the cricket board announced after the team landed in Islamabad without him.
Rajput, a former India international, had the required clearance from the Embassy of Pakistan but couldn't go after the Embassy of India in Harare wrote to them, requesting Rajput to be "exempted" from the tour in line with the travel guidelines for Indian citizens, Zimbabwe Cricket said in a statement.
"The Embassy of India in Harare wrote to Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) asking that Rajput, who is an Indian national, be exempted from visiting Pakistan for the limited-overs tour in accordance with the travel guidelines stipulated by the Government of India for its citizens," the statement said. "The Embassy of Pakistan in Harare had issued a visa to Rajput."
Zimbabwe will be playing three ODIs in Rawalpindi before moving to Lahore for the three-match T20I series. This will be Zimbabwe's first visit to the country since 2015.(UNI)