THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HARARE, Zimbabwe — Former Zimbabwe allrounder and national team coach Kevin Curran has died after collapsing while jogging. He was 53.
Zimbabwe Cricket said Curran, whose latest role had been as a national team selector, died early Wednesday morning in the eastern city of Mutare. The cause of death was not yet known but a heart attack was suspected.
Curran also coached domestic team Mashonaland Eagles, who were in Mutare to play Manicaland Mountaineers in a one-dayer and Twenty20 game when he died. Those fixtures were cancelled, ZC said in a statement, adding that a minute’s silence would be observed at another domestic game on Wednesday in Curran’s honour.
"We are still in shock. Kevin was the epitome of health and we have yet to make sense of this tragic loss," ZC managing director Wilfred Mukondiwa said. "The cricket fraternity has been dealt a great blow."
A right-handed middle-order batsman and fast-medium bowler, Curran played 11 one-day internationals for Zimbabwe and appeared at the 1983 and 1987 World Cups. He also played for English county sides Gloucestershire and Northamptonshire, but missed out on a test career with Zimbabwe by remaining in England when his country entered the longest form of the sport in 1992.
Mountaineers coach Gary Brent, who played for Zimbabwe under Curran, told The Associated Press that Curran’s death was "devastating."
"It’s so unexpected and hard to take," Brent said.
Former Zimbabwe captain and head selector Alistair Campbell said Curran was one of the most competitive people he knew.
"He instilled the will to win. Cricket is going to be poorer without him," Campbell said.
A genuine allrounder, Curran made his ODI debut in Zimbabwe’s famous 13-run victory over Australia at the ’83 World Cup — Zimbabwe’s first-ever ODI. The team was captained by former England and current India coach Duncan Fletcher.
Curran also served as Zimbabwe’s assistant coach and had a spell in charge of Namibia. He was appointed director of coaching at Zimbabwe’s cricket academy in 2004 and was national team head coach from 2005-07, replacing former West Indian batsman Phil Simmons.
Mukondiwa said Curran’s "continued contribution" to the game of cricket was "unquestionable."
"I have yet to meet a man more passionate about cricket in this country," Mashonaland Eagles chief executive Vimbai Mapukute said. "KC had put his heart and soul into developing our franchise and had great plans for our high-performance gym and other facilities … I feel that I have not only lost a key business ally but a friend as well."
Curran went on two tours to Sri Lanka and one to England with Zimbabwe. He averaged 26.09 with the bat in ODIs with two half-centuries and a highest score of 73. As a bowler, he had best ODI figures of 3-65.
But Curran’s best years were in county cricket in England, where he was considered one of the most effective overseas players from the mid-1980s to mid-1990s. He scored 1,000 runs in a season five times and had a best first-class score of 159 and bowling figures of 7-47. He moved from Gloucestershire to Northamptonshire, ultimately retiring from cricket in 1999.
He also played provincial cricket in South Africa in a well-travelled career.
Curran was coach of Zimbabwe during one if its toughest spells, when it withdrew from test cricket in 2006 because of a breakdown in the relationship between players and the board against the backdrop of Zimbabwe’s political and economic troubles.
Zimbabwe returned to the five-day game last year and Curran’s contribution as a domestic coach and selector was considered pivotal to the southern African country’s hopes of improving its cricket setup.