The newly unveiled Head Coach of the Sierra Leone Senior Men’s Cricket Team, Kenneth Masinga, has set his target on the country’s stay at the Division 1 level to bolster its firepower to the next orbit.

The South African born expressed this go-getting vision at a press conference held early Tuesday at the Secretariat of the Sierra Leone Cricket Association (SLCA), Kingtom Police Field Freetown.

Speaking, Coach Masinga said he has a clear mandate of effecting a change and fostering development. “The general aim is to take Sierra Leone Cricket to the next level. I need the full cooperation of the Board, staff, coaches, players, and the community of Sierra Leone,” he told newsmen early Tuesday.

The new coach went on to shed lights on the importance of government support towards the development of cricket and explained how providing players with innovative skills and enhancing their learning will create maximum impacts. “We are not changing your style of playing but bringing in some innovation to sharpen the skills that are already there,” he added.

The other assignment of Coach Masinga is to develop coaches. He has dealt with Sierra Leonean coaches before, so he understands the terrain. “Out of the field of play, we need to work on certain things. In cricket, coaches watch, observe, and analyze later. This is different from soccer where coaches make real-time changes as the game is played. So indeed achievement comes from the dedication of players, coaches, and administrators,” he pointed out, calling on the players to be time-conscious during training as seriousness starts from there.

On what matters, the South African born said he is not here for politics. “I am here for cricket and development. My goal is to take Sierra Leone to the Division 1 and to help maintain its place there. We cannot be in at one time and out the other. By this, we will be able to compete for the next level. Performance improves ICC funding. That is clear. This is why developing players at the beginner stage is a perfect strategy to break through at the senior levels,” he explained.

Domestic cricket at its best fosters good performance at the international level. To allow this to happen, Coach Masinga said contracting players helps boost commitment. “They will regard the game as a full-time job. “We lose players because they have to go out in search of jobs,” he surmised.

On his part, the Chairman of the Sierra Leone Cricket Association (SLCA), Francis Trevor Samura, said Kenneth Masinga has contributed immensely towards the success of Sierra Leone Cricket from 2016 to 2019. “We will give him enough time to know the players and to develop them so that we can build a formidable, competitive side,” he added.

Masinga was first appointed as Head Coach of Sierra Leone Senior Men’s side in 2016 and became the first coach in such a capacity to win gold for Sierra Leone at ICC senior men’s level. Following this historic feat, he was appointed Head Coach of the Sierra Leone Under-19 Men’s Cricket Team in 2018. He led the team to the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Africa Division 2 Qualifier in Potchefstroom South Africa and finished as runner-up to Nigeria to book a ticket to Africa Division 1.

He surfaced again in 2019 at the same spot with the same squad to direct frontline action at the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Africa Division 1 in Namibia and finished fourth behind Uganda.

Consistent improvement his performances were, he came back as Head Coach of the Sierra Leone National Women’s side in 2019 and took the ladies to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Division 1 Qualifier in Zimbabwe.

With such popularity among cricketers from different national representative sides, Coach Masinga will lead the Men’s Patriots to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Sub Regional Group B Qualifier in Kigali, Rwanda slated for late November to 9th December 2022.