captaincy of the national team and, while the Asian show was a disappointment, most of them feel there is need for caution to deal with the only sporting discipline competing at World Cup level.
The fans were reacting to a Facebook campaign, initiated by The Herald, which gave Zimbabweans chance to use the social media forums to debate their team’s 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup show.
Alan Butcher and his men crashed out during the group stages, winning just one of their five games, with a final tie against Kenya still to be played on Sunday. The Zimbabweans fielded brilliantly against world champions Australia but came short in their run chase where their batting was crudely exposed.
After convincingly beating Canada, the Zimbabweans were poor against New Zealand, crashing to a 10-wicket defeat after another terrible batting display and, when they finally found a good opening batting partnership against Sri Lanka, they failed to make full use of that and were bowled out for just 188.
Both Butcher and his skipper Elton Chigumbura have already said that the team could have done more, especially given the preparations they put into this World Cup, and pointed to their batting shortcomings.
But while the Zimbabwe team will return home early next week, some Zimbabweans still feel that they derived a lot of joy just seeing their boys competing at the World Cup show.
Here are The Herald’s readers’ World Cup comments:
Regis Chamunogwa Madungwe: “For me the cricket team is the only national team at the moment with an upward surge and did well at the World Cup. There are those other big teams who will always treat us as minnows. What is needed is the stamina to go the extra mile and a dose of confidence to withstand the pressure. Exposure ndiyo shoma.”
Godfrey Madzinga: “I think it’s wise and good for the nation if you can leave some guys in India in the company of Tendukar just for weeks maybe some skills can rub off him and stick to our poor boys. Zvikaramba zvakaoma kudaro ko kumboedza Musona na Mushekwi as opening batsmen kana Peter as in cricket age is not a worry.”
Charlton Chinzou: “We need to improve our batting. We need to look for guys who can play like Flower, Blignaut, Campell, guys who can bowl like Olonga, Streak. Even if we return to the Tests we don’t do much.”
Anesu Kuture Tuporahwo: “We need depth in our batting. Someone else needs to take over the captaincy. Masakadza must come back in the team, we need genuine pace bowlers, someone who bowls around 140 plus. Whatever came out of that country search for a pace bowler? Someone in the team needs to grab the bull by its horns and be a major player, the star in the team like Sachin or the AB of the team.”
Tawanda Chabara Kasparov: ” Our team was not at its best as always. Elton is having a tough time with the captaincy, so I feel Price should be given the tag. As it stands we only have one batsman I wonder how the selectors made the team. Honestly we need to have batsmen with character and skill not what we are having.”
James Maluwa: “Price for captaincy and Taibu deputises. One the way forward, this is the talent we have we just hope the best will come from the youngsters. They now need to understand that that they are no longer youngsters, in cricket terms. Chigumbura deserves to be in the team but the captaincy overawed him. I believe the future is bright, let’s not take emotional decisions as we may end up destroying what we built.”
Marshy P Makanjera: ” It seems supporting our national teams will always backfire, no matter how much we try.”
Livas Masiyiwa Kangara: “Captain a toss up between Price and Taibu and we need batsmen who can play fast bowlers and we also need to look for genuine pace bowlers.”
Fungai Tome: ” Let’s build around Ray for captain, Taibu, Ervine, Coventry, Taylor and bring in new blood. I feel lucky was not on our side. The guys need a motivator, a psychologist and Elton was a little bit soft and got stage fright. Overall performance – 4 out of 10.
Elvis Chamboko: “I am deeply hurt by the performance of Elton Chigumbura since being elevated to captain. We need a captain with character and maturity. Why not try Ray Price as captain? Our top order batsmen let us down, save for Brendan Taylor. Craig Ervine, Taibu and Price were the better players during the tournament. Let’s harness for more talent in schools and also let’s play teams like India, Australia, Pakistan, SA, Sri Lanka and not just the Tigers of Bangladesh, in preparatory games.”
Patrick Patso Chuma: “The truth is that Zim cricket has improved since the last World Cup, we have an average of 160 per innings which is not bad for a team playing powerhouses like Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Our biggest problem is not making use of many dot balls. Imagine if we were to utilise the 300 dot balls it translates to 300 runs, coupled with a couple of fours and sixes, and we also need about three or four guys wit an average of 50.”
Brigadier Luckson Muradzikwa: ” I am a proud Zimbabwean, who has cricket at heart. Firstly there is no help in changing the captaincy. Why? Age is still affecting us and we need Test cricket in order to bat for a long time in a crisis. That is affecting us because our fielding is splendid. The coach sometimes makes bad decisions but we are still in the right track if we maintain the same squad.”
George Damson: “Agreed and granted, Taibu has had issues with ZC, but he must be reinstated as captain as a matter of urgency. Elton is not captain material. Let’s work on our batting big time and pace bowling, over-reliance on spin is not the wisest decision. We need a full time psychologist in that team and the guys’ psyche must be worked on.”
Washington Mazanhanga: “We can’t send boys to play against men. Look at the little master, Murali etc. There is no real talent in the team, where is Blignaut, he used to take on the best bowlers and in the current team there is noone who can do that?”
Lucky Kawero: “We need to play more games with teams like SA, Aussies, India for exposure. Ray or Taibu for captaincy.”
Qhawe Madonko: “What happened to Razza Butt? I think his name is not Zimbabwean but I think he’s good with a bat.”
Andrew Kaseke: “It shows that we are in good direction even though we didn’t make it to the quarter-final. How does it feel to see your country participating in such tournament like that? Hang on to that good standard guys.
Lazarus Sauti: “Honestly, we have to build from now. We should not wait for miracles. All cricket stakeholders should work hard if our team is to make some meaningful progress from now and in the future. Our performances were of mixed views.
They played well in some matches and dismally against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. What should we do as a nation? It’s not easy but Zimbabwe need bowlers. We need fast bowlers. The selection panel should select players on merit and suitability rather than popularity.
Experience should be the guiding factor. Zimbabwe Cricket should play a major role. They should help build our team patiently. Success comes after a hard struggle. On the issue of captaincy, I think that Zimbabwe need a captain who can inspire. Zimbabwe need someone who is focused and who can sacrifice to die for the team. People should not fold their arms. If all cricket stakeholders believe, and I believe, then all things are possible.”
William Mpasu: “I personally think we should be ‘all terrain’ fans kwete kuita semumvuri wekuti kana kuine chiedza huri hwese nakatsande asi kana zvagozha toshayikwa!!
I do not subscribe to the notion that whenever there is a problem we replace the wheel with a new one and fix the spare because they will be too many ‘new’ spares.
It was indeed unfortunate that the team could not come to the party . . . the players who were there deserved the call up and those left behind should up their game or as is always fit into the coach/selectors’ plans/criteria . . . ZC has taken the game across the country and continues to promote several franchises (with such experience as Steve Tikolo,etc), schools, clubs like Mash Eagles, etc, time, patience, focus, etc is required in the long term to yield results not only for cricket but many other sports too, tennis, rugby, judo, swimming, hockey, squash, soccer.
Most of us are not there for our players (or worse still children, siblings or friends) during the formative years to inspire them to aspire for greater achievements like Sir Ian Botham, Pollock, Brian Lara, Sir Viv Richards. We only want to marvel at the butterfly not nurture the worms.”
Sam Chasaya: “Though that was a disappointing campaign in the sub-continent, let’s not destroy this team, we need constructive criticism. It wasn’t Elton’s team’s problem that they were not exposed to these levels of the game. They were used to playing Bangladesh and Kenya. The selectors got it wrong in Chibhabha and Hamilton.”
Braiden Mufuka: “A bunch of players who don’t deserve to earn what they are getting. Chigumbura is not the best of leaders, they should give the captaincy to Price.”
Tapiwa Risinamhodzi: “I think Tatenda should be the captain.”
Evance Ndigume: “The team is improving with each passing day. Let’s give them few a more years together. The coaching department is okay.”
Kudzai Mazombe: “Total disgrace, it’s a slap in the face of all the cricket fans.”
VaChirandu Gono: “I love cricket but expecting the team to perform is like expecting the Warriors to do wonders.”
Godfrey Mashoko: “The bowlers look fine but batting was a flop.”
Wilbert Sibanda: “Taibu for captain, like all other wicketkeepers Dhoni, Sangakkara.”
Jonathan Jaricha: “RAY PRICE SHOULD BE THE CAPTAIN HE IS VOCAL LIKE A BULL DOG WE NEED THAT.”

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