ZC lobby for more internationals

September 6, 2023

ZC lobby for more internationals

Mr Tavengwa Mukuhlani

Eddie Chikamhi, Senior Sports Reporter

ZIMBABWE Cricket are lobbying the International Cricket Council to address the imbalances in bilateral cricket in a move that is set to afford the Chevrons an opportunity to increase the number of games on the international stage.

The Chevrons, along with other cricket nations such as Ireland and Afghanistan are perennially starved of international cricket exposure against the big guns of the game due to lack of opportunities for bilateral cricket commitments.

ZC chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani said the cricket authorities are determined to plug the gaps in their calendar by engaging the ICC.

Mukuhlani, who is a member of an ICC working group that has been mandated to look into present and future FTP bilateral planning arrangements, along with England Cricket Board’s Martin Darlow and New Zealand Cricket’s Martin Snedden, admitted that the Chevrons and the Lady Chevrons have been disadvantaged.

“In terms of the playing time for our guys and our ladies, it’s been one of the issues that we have always raised at the ICC that there is a great imbalance in terms of bilateral cricket,” he said.

“In its wisdom, the ICC heard our plea and have put in place a sub-committee of the ICC, which I am part of. It’s a three-member committee chaired by Martin Snedden from New Zealand, with Martin Darlow from England and myself.

“The main purpose is to look at how we can realign world cricket in the face of the upcoming leagues, ICC events and bilateral cricket,” said Mukuhlani.

The working group was formed earlier this year after Mukuhlani, who had wanted to run for ICC presidency, used his leverage to push for a review into the current and future FTP bilateral planning arrangements.

Zimbabwe, who played their first Test in 18 months when they hosted the West Indies this year, have mostly been starved of the longer version of the game.

Chances for limited overs matches have been sparse and they almost always get to play familiar opponents like Ireland, Afghanistan, Bangladesh repeatedly and at times traditional cricket allies such as India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Zimbabwe last year toured Australia for the first time in nearly 20 years for three ODIs. They are set to tour England in 2025 for a four-day Test, for the first time since 2003.

“I am happy to say there is a clear understanding at ICC level that we need to seek redress of this imbalance. But outside that, we continue to play our traditional allies – India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan and of course England have come on board now.

“We continue to play bilateral cricket against those traditional friendly countries. So, you will see a lot of bilateral cricket.

“I think the distortion now is because we are preparing for the ICC World Cup (to be held in India in November), which we are not part of.

“But in terms of bilateral cricket, there is a lot that is in place. You should have seen there has been more traction in terms of how we are interacting with Cricket South Africa from a playing point of view.

“We have been playing their Emerging side for the ladies, at A side level, we have a memorandum of understanding that we will continue to play their A side and then of course the main Proteas. So a lot of work is going on to try and get as many bilateral series as we can.

“In December, I think we have Ireland coming through. We also have Afghanistan and Sri Lanka (early next year). I don’t have all the specifics but we have tours that are lined up,” said Mukuhlani.