Zimbabwe's captain Heath Streak is in fine form and ready to captain the national side against Bangladesh this month. At the recent Logan Cup match between Matabeleland and the CFX Academy in Bulawayo, he answered some questions from CricInfo about the tours, past and future, and the state of the game in Zimbabwe.

Q: What general comments would you like to make on the tour to India, New Zealand and Australia that has just been completed.

A: From the onset there were mixed fortunes. I think we had a very hard and reasonably successful tour of India, and obviously Andy's [Flower] exceptional efforts in the Test matches there were good for us. We came back really well in the Second Test, and if we had taken our opportunities I feel we could have drawn that series.

It was hard work going into the one-day series, but we managed to scratch up our first one-day victory in India, which isn't easy. You can see how hard it is for countries like Australia to play there. We had some pretty good successes with some of the young guys there: Travis Friend, Trevor Madondo, Brian Murphy and Doug Marillier put in sporadic good performances for us, so it was nice to see some of those youngsters come through for us.

We then flew to New Zealand, which was obviously a very satisfying tour for us, and we were very proud to be involved in our first away one-day series win. I felt we played well in the Test match, although on a very dead pitch, but it was good to come right in the one-dayers. The first one-dayer brought us a very convincing win and then we lost the second. In the third, from a position where most people would have thought us dead and buried, Andy Flower once again pulled us through. I was fortunate to have one of my better batting performances and it was just nice to be able to win in New Zealand. I think that was a big milestone for us and it was good to take that confidence with us to Australia.

I think Australia was a hard tour for us. It probably took us a bit of time to get used to some of the conditions after playing in India and New Zealand where the pitches are so different. We had some really good opportunities. I thought our first one-day game in that series was a big opportunity missed, and it came back to haunt us. We tended to play our better cricket against Australia, who were very confident and batted right down the order. They had a lot of choice and variations with their bowlers, but I thought we played really well against them.

We played inconsistently against West Indies bar that one game in Sydney where we batted badly again, and we didn't put together a good batting, bowling and fielding performance all in one. Fortunately we bowled very well in Sydney for our one victory, which was very enjoyable for us. We enjoyed the series, and I think everyone knows we could and should have been in the finals. We had a fantastic last game against Australia, but we should have taken our opportunity in the previous game against West Indies to win and get into the finals.

But it was good to see some milestones on the tour: Alistair [Campbell] with his first Test century in India and he hit a one-day century against the Australians; Stuart Carlisle's superb one-day innings; Grant [Flower] batting well in the middle with a Test hundred and that ninety in a one-dayer. `Syke' Nkala as well put in some good performances, although he could be inconsistent. I was a little disappointed we didn't get to the finals, but there was also some good that came out of that tour. Hopefully we can continue to improve on that.

Q: The responsibilities of captaincy looked as if they helped your batting, but it looked for a while as if it may have affected your bowling until about halfway through the Australian tour, where you seemed to be coming back to your best.

A: I have had that knee injury and I've come back from that. I felt in the New Zealand one-dayers and in Australia that I was bowling near my best again. I enjoyed bowling in Australia, although it was hard work, and against guys who were really confident, on good batting strips. So it was very enjoyable to have some successes there, but I suppose I've always underachieved on the batting side. This is an area where I feel I can give more to the team, certainly potentially. I haven't done as well as I could in the past, so I hope I can continue putting in some good all-round performances.

Q: Which of our players do you think made the most progress on that tour?

A: Stuart Carlisle struggled in India, but then he really came good for us. We have a couple of young guys: Travis [Friend], although he was hampered by an injury, developed quite a bit, and we've also got young Nkala, but I still think he needs a bit more experience. In the future he will be one of our key players.

Doug Marillier has been struggling, but he's been trying hard to improve his technique and he's got a lot of potential for us. Brian Murphy is someone to keep an eye on. I was very impressed not only with his efforts but also with his temperament. He's got a good head on his shoulders.

Q: Looking forward to Bangladesh, you haven't played very much against them, but from what you do know, what do you remember of their players and their style of play?

A: It's difficult to mention any names. I remember watching that inaugural Test against India in Dhaka and they have some pretty useful players. Their captain [Naimur Rahman] is a useful all-rounder, and they've got some very good spinners. I think that's something we've got to be wary of, although we have played spin pretty well. We're obviously very reliant on Andy [Flower] in that department but I think that's one of the keys to their successes.

They have some very good orthodox left-arm spin bowlers in their side. Their seamers are hard workers, although I didn't see anyone who looked to be express; they just seemed to work on line and length and frustrate the opposition into playing bad shots. So I would think that we will have to be very positive, but pay them the respect they deserve. They are an unknown entity still.

Their batting is very strong and obviously they are used to Asian conditions and slow decks, so I don't know how they will cope with conditions like Harare Sports Club. It will be a good series and hopefully we can continue where we left off with some good performances in New Zealand and Australia. We certainly aren't going to take them lightly but we also know at the same time that it's a good opportunity for us to put in some good performances at home.

Q: There has been quite a bit of discussion recently about the structure of domestic cricket, the amount of Logan Cup, the amount of club cricket and the type of club cricket being played. What are your personal opinions about that?

A: I think it's good that there is a broader spectrum of players in first-class cricket now. My personal feeling is that we should be playing four-day cricket on very flat pitches. I think that will teach our young players how to prepare for Test cricket, and in four days, instead of having to conjure up results, the guys will actually have to bowl teams out and learn how to spend time at the crease. That's the only way they will develop and play Test cricket properly.

I truly believe the bowlers have to learn to work hard for their wickets on flat pitches. If they're lively pitches where all they have to do is trundle up and it all happens, it's easy, but when we go to the subcontinent or play on most Test pitches these days, which are flat batting pitches, they're going to struggle.

I also think we're one of the only countries that doesn't play a domestic one-day competition amongst the provinces. I feel it's important as well that we have a domestic one-day competition. Not everyone is going to be a Test player, but there are some of our youngsters who can come through in the future and be specialist one-day players. I certainly think it's something we should be looking at.

Things aren't east, and it's obviously quite expensive for the provinces and the cricket union to run two separate competition and to foot the bills for accommodation and transport, but certainly I think it's important for the development of our game for us to be playing as much cricket as we can at a domestic level, and try and improve the level of our domestic cricket so that the level between domestic and international cricket is not as big.

Obviously it's not easy at the moment for clubs at the moment to extend and maintain their facilities. Inflation is really high at the moment, so to maintain practice facilities and keep nets in condition and to employ staff and the cost of irrigating are all big factors, and I think that's the biggest threat to the development of clubs. I think it's important for those clubs to have a structure where they have junior levels and coaching facilities, so the young cricketers have the means to get themselves to provincial or academy level, and in future on to national representation at whatever level it is.

Q: In Harare, the clubs have four separate competitions: the national league, the national league knockout, the Vigne Cup and the Vigne Cup knockout, all of 50 overs each. Do you feel this is the best option?

A: Bulawayo is limited to only four clubs – Queens, Mac Club, BAC and Busters. I think the more competitions like that the better. You have to keep the young guys interested in playing cricket, and when there are international tours and our international players are away on duty, cricket shouldn't come to a halt. I think it's important the game continues, and they want to keep developing young players and give them opportunities.

It's something that Carl Rackemann has mentioned that maybe we should be looking to play over a weekend over Saturday and Sunday, almost declaration cricket, which encourages teams to bowl the opposition out and the emphasis is on winning. But I think the longer version of the game is important for the development of players. The more time youngsters can spend out there batting and bowling can only improve their game.

Maybe there is scope for the national league to be a two-day competition, but once you start doing that there are the expenses of accommodating people for an extra night and so on. There is a lot that could be done, but these things have to be explored. We are a small country and we have a small player base, so we must make sure that we make full use of whatever talent or potential we have. We can't afford to use young guys because there is not enough cricket or enough opportunity for them.

Q: Are there any other points you would like to make?

A: I think these ZCU `think tanks' have been really good and hopefully we will see positive changes in terms of restructuring of the Board. I think people have realized that cricket here is becoming more professional and that's going to filter through not only at national level but at province and club levels as well, so that we've got a good structure, coaching facilities and all we need for the game to develop. We can't afford to fall behind countries like Australia who are fortunate where they do have that much more money and sponsorship. I think there have been a lot of very positive moves by our cricket union and I hope they continue to make those positive strides.

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