Zimbabwe's sad plight in international cricket continues, as two awful batting collapses handed victory to Sri Lanka on a plate in the two one-day internationals that reached a conclusion. It seems futile to continue looking for reasons for this plight, and one can only hope that the players themselves will have the character to fight their way out of their slump.

It is interesting to see the contrasting attitudes of the players and the press to matches played in Bulawayo and Harare. The players are very much in favour of the former; the press the latter.

The players feel that both the pitch and the practice facilities in Bulawayo are superior to those in Harare. Noel Peck in Bulawayo always seems able to prepare a beautiful batting pitch whatever the weather conditions, and the nets too are dry and immaculate. The pace bowlers usually find they can get something out of it if they are prepared to bend their backs, while the spinners usually get a little turn.

In Harare, since the sad death of the head groundsman in a road accident during the Australian tour, things seem to have gone into decline. The batsmen in particular are very wary of the pitch, especially if they are required to bat first on it, and although they do not generally try to use it as an excuse, obviously if they feel that way they are at a psychological disadvantage.

For the press, the opposite is true. Press facilities in Harare have improved immeasurably since Dave Ellman-Brown took over as chief executive of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union just over a year ago, for he has brought all this to pass. Before then, the press were placed in a tent almost at ground level about ten metres beyond the long-leg boundary, where it was impossible to see what the bowlers were doing with the ball and with the public persistently wandering across their already inadequate line of vision. They also had to find their own lunches, although telephone lines were usually in place.

Today there is a new media centre, rather hastily constructed and possibly to be replaced at a later date, but ideal for its current purpose, situated above the sightscreen at the clubhouse end. Even the visiting press rave about the lunches provided, with a good choice of hot and cold meals, with dessert, available in a tent by the Sports Club swimming pool (which doubles as a fish pond, depending on the colour of the water!).

Meanwhile press complaints about Bulawayo proliferate. They expect a brand new media centre to be in place by the time England arrive in February, but cannot be certain that it will be equipped with telephone lines by then. When the President's XI played the Australians there in August, the lack of telephones forced the Australian press to go out and buy their own cell phones as this was the only way they could communicate with home base. Phone lines were available for the Test against Sri Lanka, but only in the scorers' box. Even these were removed in time for the one-day internationals there last weekend.

Most of the press were seated in a tiny tent, fortunately next to the sightscreen, but, according to the visiting press who occupied it, without a television set, although one was enjoyed by the occupants of the president's enclosure next door. Live reports by CricInfo were impossible as there was no phone line, and there wasn't even room for them in the press box. The local authorities seemed quite unable to anticipate the problems experienced or to do anything about them. No lunches were provided during the President's XI match against the Australians either; this has now been remedied, but the quality of the meals does not begin to compare with Harare.

Fortunately Mr Ellman-Brown is aware of the situation; he enjoys a well-earned reputation as a man who gets things done, and so Bulawayo will no doubt enter the twentieth century just before the twenty-first begins (which will be on 1 January 2001, despite popular opinion!).

There have been some very negative reports on the state of cricket in Zimbabwe in the Sri Lankan press. Some of the criticisms are valid, but there does not seem to have been much credit given to the massive progress which has been made since Test status was granted in 1992, and especially since Mr Ellman-Brown took over as chief executive. Visitors with more international experience such as match referee and former West Indian wicket-keeper Jackie Hendriks, interviewed in this issue, are more appreciative. The situation was not helped, though, by a local reporter who took a very temporary break from crucifying the local team to slating the Sri Lankans, with some very immoderate language. Goodwill and a willingness to understand are unfortunately in short supply in certain quarters.

It would be easy to retaliate by interviewing those from this country who have toured Sri Lanka and found different, but very real, problems there. However dialogue is more constructive, as we have urged in previous issues in a different context. There needs to be an acceptance by both sides that they are operating on different wave-lengths; what may seem a problem to one side is not a problem to the other, but that does not make the grievance unacceptable.

Then those with the complaints need to take them up in the right quarters first, as we have done concerning conditions in Bulawayo. If this is done and if action is taken, as it will be in Zimbabwe as long as Mr Ellman-Brown is in charge, then what need is there to make the issue public, except to praise those responsible for putting it right?