Will Zimbabwe rise again?

On paper the developments are abundant; the cricket association is constantly looking for a change in the administration so as to fetch better performances from their team which is slumping down the ranks of international cricket for quite a while now. A slew of changes were recently made in the coaching staff introducing yesteryear South African bowler Makhaya Ntini as the head coach of the team rising from his previous position as the team’s bowling coach in just 4 months. The most famous victim of Zimbabwe’s government’s and its cricket administration’s brutally intertwined politics, Tatenda Taibu appears to have resolved his differences with the cricketing board as he makes a return to cricket in a different role though functioning as a convener for selectors.

Taibu confidently asserts, ‘the boys will come around’ but will they? Zimbabwe cricket and head coach Ntini have been hell bent in asserting and demanding the top nations of international cricket to send their teams to Zimbabwe for a bilateral cricket series. While the BCCI has respected these demands, Ntini has still gone on to blast the BCCI for undervaluing the cricketing prowess of Zimbabwe’s cricketers and sending its second string teams to Zimbabwe.

He was confident in asserting before the start of this year’s bilateral series between India and Zimbabwe that nations which have been sending their second string teams here will be in for a surprise as they will be buried under the carpet forcing them to reconsider their selection choices. The tall claims have obviously backfired but Ntini goes on unperturbed, blasting Cricket South Africa (CSA) now for its limited interference policy in Zimbabwe cricket. Ntini, on the other hand, may be right in asserting that being the only cricketing powerhouse in Africa, South Africa owe to it to Zimbabwe to have a positive influence in the country’s cricketing affairs, acting in its capacity like an elder brother to Zimbabwe cricket.

The invisible problem here is that the cricket association in Zimbabwe is far too quick in losing its patience with the team staff and players.  While the sacking of Dav Whatmore as head coach may have been justified considering that he had a slew of unfavourable results behind him, among them a series defeat to Afghanistan which sent the alarm bells ringing. The team’s dismal performance in this year’s World T20 only aggravated the matters and Whatmore paid the price.

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The Zimbabwe cricket (ZC) chairman Vivian Banhire aims to defend the working of the board citing that in the last 3 years, the cricket board has changed 3 board chairman, 3 convener of selectors and 4 captains and yet they are just getting worse; this frequent change in the team administration, in fact may precisely be the reason behind the dipping form in Zimbabwe cricket as the board is expecting quick results and magical changes in a fortnight. Another area of decision making where the board is faltering may be its choice of opponents. ZC has expressed its desire that the A-list teams send their best sides to Zimbabwe for a bilateral series, many have done so but the cause doesn’t seem to be effective in raising the morale of the Zimbabwe team.

The cricket administration all this while has ignored or perhaps is unaware of the fact that cricket is a sport which relies heavily on confidence building. Suffering serious drubbings from the A-list teams of international cricket with occasional conciliatory wins coming now and then has done very little in raising the morale of the Zimbabwe cricketers; as a consequence. their shoulders seem to be slumping even more with each series with an A-list nation.

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The appropriate alternative here would be to choose your opponents wisely, start from the scratch and play against teams where the players can involve themselves in a competitive game of cricket. Playing frequent bilateral series against Ireland, Scotland and Afghanistan along with other Associates may provide Zimbabwe with the much-needed impetus they need to once again instil a belief in themselves that they belong to the top tier of international cricket. They need to ask themselves what they are gaining from a one-sided competition against India and what they potentially stand to gain from a competitive series against Ireland or Scotland, realistically speaking there’s no point for Ntini to stand around and wait for the A-list nations to send their teams regularly to Zimbabwe, meanwhile Zimbabwe must focus on developing a competitive domestic cricket structure and the adequate infrastructure. After all, it doesn’t happen every day that 3 matches in a bilateral series are played at the same venue in a space of 6 days; either way, it’s a telling sign of ZC facing a shortage of funds and infrastructure.

The memory of Zimbabwe beating Australia in the 2014 tri-series also featuring South Africa remains fresh. The scenes of celebration were a sign of good things coming ahead and a bright future for Zimbabwe, that victory became the most talked about thing for days as the international cricket community hailed the event as the rebirth of Zimbabwe cricket but alas, things only went downhill for the  team ever since.

Zimbabwe cricket’s progress today has been stalled by the rapid rise of Afghanistan in international cricket. With Afghanistan stealing away the 10th spot in the ICC ODI rankings, ZC has had to bear a brunt in its development grants from the ICC. What remains today is a nation struggling against internal problems of politics and a dipping economy trying to salvage some sort of pride in one of the few sports in which this Southern African nation has gained some recognition and achievement at the international stage.

The past laurels remain a distant memory and at times, seem like they belong to a different life altogether. The success of Zimbabwe cricket from the late 1990’s till the early 2000’s was stalled by political dissatisfaction in the country as dictatorship took over and the players through the reach of the sport tried to condemn this death of democracy at their home and were instead handed their contract termination letters by their cricket board which is heavily influenced by the ruling party of Zimbabwe led by the country’s president Robert Mugabe. This is precisely the reason why despite producing some all-time greats of the game like Andy Flower, Alistair Campbell and Heath Streak, the progress of cricket in Zimbabwe has been uncertain.

Written by Harshit Rakheja