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THE galling three one-day international (ODI) home series whitewash at the hands of a second-string Indian side was testament to the accelerating decline in Zimbabwean cricket, and probably highlights deep-lying issues that if left unresolved could result in the literal death of cricket in the country.

The national cricket team is rapidly approaching the cliff-edge and if brakes are not applied timeously, the gorge awaiting their plunge could prove to be bottomless.

In fact, it would not be far from the truth, if we are to be honest to ourselves, to declare that the Zimbabwean game’s heart stopped beating a long time ago.

Zimbabwe lost the first one-dayer by a shave when they fell four runs short of India’s total in the first ODI. But as has become the norm, they were flattering only to deceive, as they went on to meekly surrender the second and third games by 62 runs and 83 runs respectively.

Some cricket fans may ask what decline when the boys came to within four runs of winning the opening match, but to those that have religiously followed the team over the years, these “so near yet so far” performances have become too common.

The team will threaten to register a rare victory and just when you are convinced they have done it, they will deliver a tale of devastation to the cheering fans through some inexplicable play, which, however, still leaves one convinced was just a minor error of judgment that can be easily rectified in the next match.

However, the very players carrying the fans’ hopes tend to perish cheaply in their next innings, further scarring longsuffering local cricket lovers with a humiliating loss.

Coach Dav Whatmore believes more time is required to get the team onto the winning path and pleaded with fans to bear with them, as they had only played a handful of games in the last four years.

Whatmore says more games will help the players evolve, adding that India explored the conditions better than Zimbabwe and gave them credit for batting well.

How does it happen that India exploits the conditions of our home pitches? I thought it was up to us to prepare a wicket that favours our players, and for India to have taken more advantage is a cause for concern. Shouldn’t the professional franchise system help our players master the conditions better by virtue of playing regular league cricket at Harare Sports Club?

The local cricket season is seven months, and feelings might abound that it’s not enough, but the Indians have been in the country for just 11 days.

And this is a second-string Indian side Whatmore is talking about. Now, who can blame India for sending their fringe players? Some people will readily argue that this is India we are talking about, but that doesn’t change the fact that these are players struggling to break into the side that suffered a shock ODI series loss to Bangladesh last month.

That they saw no need of restoring their pride by choosing to rest their top players and sent what they deem fringe players to deal with Zimbabwe speaks volumes of the contempt they have for the Chevrons.

With yesterday’s T20 international reaching a merciless conclusion, the sheer inadequacy of Zimbabwe cannot be ignored and it should not surprise anyone if other Test playing nations play experimental sides against Zimbabwe.

Motivating a team on a losing streak is one of the toughest challenges that Whatmore faces and without the players’ desire and determination to improve their performances, all his efforts to work on their factors, confidence, intensity, focus and emotions would be meaningless, judging by the series against India.

Actually there is no sign that the decline of Zimbabwe cricket will be arrested, and the situation could get a lot worse.

Captain Elton Chigumbura and his lads are finding it very hard to live up to the expectations of cricket fans in the country, with the batsmen instead, seemingly more worried about getting out than scoring runs. They have just become more defensive.

We now need to work on our batting pairs to run well between the wickets and keep the scoreboard moving.

Bowling errors and substandard fielding also have to be addressed as they have often proved to be the team’s Achilles heel, frustratingly exposing some possibly defendable totals the batsmen would have posted in certain matches.