Zimbabwe now has a voice in the room where global cricket’s biggest decisions get made. Tavengwa Mukuhlani’s appointment as ICC Deputy Chair makes him the first Zimbabwean ever to hold the position, arriving after two decades of building the domestic administration from near financial collapse to co-host of a World Cup. His rise reflects years of committee work most fans never see, and it lands at a moment when Zimbabwe’s on-field fortunes are also turning, with a home World Cup now less than a year away.
A Two-Decade Rise Through Zimbabwe Cricket
Mukuhlani, nicknamed Doc from his university days training as a pharmacist, joined Zimbabwe Cricket’s board in the early 2000s as chairman of the Mashonaland Cricket Association before becoming a full board member in 2003. He served as vice-chairman from 2004 to 2011-12 under long-time chairman Peter Chingoka, and is credited with drafting the organisation’s current constitution during that period.
He took over as ZC chairman in August 2015, replacing Wilson Manase, and has since been re-elected four times, most recently securing a fourth term despite the scrutiny that comes with running a board that once carried significant debt. Under his tenure, Zimbabwe Cricket cleared those debts, added the women’s team to the ICC’s Future Tours Programme, and qualified the men’s side for next year’s ODI World Cup as co-hosts, its first appearance in the tournament since 2015.
Beyond Zimbabwe, Mukuhlani has built a long resume inside the ICC itself, serving on the Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee, the Nominations Committee, and chairing the HR and Remuneration Committee, in addition to his role leading the Africa Cricket Association. Earlier in his career, he also sat on the ICC’s Audit and Membership Committees, giving him a breadth of governance experience across nearly every corner of the organisation.
Jay Shah Hails a Historic Milestone
ICC chairman Jay Shah issued a warm statement following the appointment, praising Mukuhlani’s experience in administration and his understanding of the global game. Shah said Mukuhlani has earned the confidence of his fellow directors and that he looks forward to working closely with him to grow the sport across the ICC’s member nations. He specifically called the appointment a significant milestone for Zimbabwe, noting that Mukuhlani becomes the first Zimbabwean to serve in the role.
Shah also pointed to cricket’s expansion globally and its return to the Olympic Games as reasons strong leadership matters at board level right now, framing the appointment as timely rather than simply ceremonial. The praise reflects how central Zimbabwe has become to the sport’s global conversation in recent years, a far cry from the financial uncertainty that once threatened the board’s ability to function at all.
Tavengwa Mukuhlani, ICC Deputy Chairperson
The role itself has existed only since 2017, created alongside the ICC’s current chairman-led governance structure. Singapore’s Imran Khwaja was the first person to hold it, appointed at the role’s creation and reappointed in December 2024 before departing the board this year, a departure that triggered this succession. Khwaja also has his own place in ICC history, having served as interim chairman between July and November 2020 following Shashank Manohar’s resignation, the first person from an Associate cricket nation to lead the organisation in any capacity.
Mukuhlani becomes only the second person to ever hold the deputy post, and his term runs through November 2027, covering the period that includes cricket’s return to Zimbabwean, South African and Namibian soil for the next World Cup. That gap of nearly a decade between the position’s only two occupants underlines just how rarely it changes hands.
Role Arrives Ahead of a Landmark World Cup
The timing lines up with cricket’s biggest event in years. South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia co-host the 2027 Men’s Cricket World Cup between October and November, the first time the tournament returns to Africa since South Africa and Zimbabwe last shared hosting duties with Kenya in 2003. Zimbabwe is set to stage between seven and ten matches across Harare, Bulawayo and a brand-new venue at Victoria Falls, built specifically for the tournament and due to open in 2027.
Fourteen teams will contest fifty-seven matches across twelve confirmed venues, with South Africa staging the bulk of the schedule and the final likely at either the Wanderers or Newlands. That is the backdrop against which Tavengwa Mukuhlani’s ICC Deputy Chairperson duties now begin, with a home World Cup arriving before his term at the ICC even ends.