Zimpapers Logo

Harare Bureau
ZIMBABWE Cricket, who for a long time have been battling a number of challenges, have been summoned to Parliament this week to explain the state of the game.

This comes as results on the field of play continue to elude the nation, from the age-group teams to the senior men and women teams, on the international stage.

And parliamentarians have requested the cricket leadership to furnish them with details about the game.

The ZC leadership are this Thursday expected to give oral evidence to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee of Education, Sports and Culture on their programmes, activities and the challenges they are facing.

The association looks poised for growth especially with the stability in the boardroom.

They have also been beefing up the structures with the coming of Tatenda Taibu as convenor of selectors and the appointment of another inspirational former captain Heath Streak as national team coach.

However, the association has been plagued by financial challenges which have impacted more on the game itself.

Reeling under a huge burden of rising debt, the turnaround that the Tavengwa Mukuhlani executive had been expecting has neither been smooth nor swift.

The domestic game has suffered the most with player boycotts common and fixtures some times having to be cancelled.

Moreover, the national team has been struggling to secure enough game time to keep the players active on the international stage as the country has had to rely on the Future Tours Programme arranged by the International Cricket Council.

Zimbabwe are currently ranked tenth in Tests, but they have slid on the ODI rankings and T20 Internationals where they are now behind upcoming nations like Afghanistan and Scotland.

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe A batting performances against Afghanistan A in the unofficial One Day International series currently underway at Harare Sports Club have put the future of the game on the spotlight.

The team, which is largely a group of young and upcoming players blended with a few experienced players, has performed dismally with the bat in the opening two matches which the Afghans won with relative ease.

Zimbabwe A trail 2-0 in the five-match series.

The teams will meet in the third match today and the hosts have to find a way to raise their game and keep the series alive.

The Zimbabwe fringe team has been exposed by the Afghans, mirroring the shift in the balance of power that has been taking places between the Full member and the ever-improving Associate.

Last year, Afghanistan rallied to a memorable T20I and ODI series wins over the Zimbabweans. The teams are set to meet again in February.

But Zimbabwe, whose players have been feeling the pinch of the lack of game time, should be doing a lot of soul searching.

The scales have been tilted in favour the Afghans in the unofficial ODI series currently underway between the A teams to warm the stage at the Harare Sports Club.

Zimbabwe’s batting has been their Achilles’ heel.

After losing the first match by five wickets, a shocking batting display by the top order turned an expected victory into a defeat after the bowlers had put in a fine shift on Sunday.

The batsman struggled to put runs on the board.

The home side were only saved from complete disgrace by an innings from Ryan Burl, who scored 54 runs with six sixes, while the rest of the top nine batsmen scraped 26 runs between them.

Zimbabwe A brought in promising Under-19 wicketkeeper-batsman Ryan Murray to make his A team debut and relieve the captain PJ Moor behind the stumps.

Carl Mumba finished with a five wicket haul while Tendai Chatara was also given a run.