One of the main topics of conversation in Zimbabwe cricket at present, especially among the players, is the structure of domestic cricket. All the international players I have spoken to about this subject over the past few months have been unanimous that the present structure is not serving the needs of the game in the country as it is today. So have CFX Academy director Gwynne Jones and coach Dave Houghton.

The present structure is that the main diet of the players is the 50-over league competition. Twenty-odd years ago, in amateur days when overs were bowled at a decent pace, one-day cricket was still played but without restriction of overs. Teams had to bowl each other out, and they often did, frequently getting through many more than 100 overs in a day in the process. Often a team got a second innings as well, and sometimes outright victories were recorded over two innings. Then came the period when everything, it seemed, had to go limited-overs, and one-innings matches were the rule, with a 60-over limitation. This has in recent years been reduced to 50, in line with one-day international matches.

There are many disadvantages. Young players, Sean Ervine being one example, are often put in low down in the order, where they frequently do not get an innings at all, or if they do it is either to save a crisis or to slog desperately in the dying overs. Nobody gets a chance to build an innings in the way that is desirable in Test cricket. Bowlers soon learn to play safe and concentrate on keeping the runs down rather than actually taking wickets. And for most of Zimbabwe's adult cricketers, this is the only type of cricket they are able to play.

The best players from each province can now play Logan Cup cricket, five matches a year. This is hardly enough to develop completely new skills, especially when there is rain threatening and they have to play with one eye on the weather all the time. Dave Houghton has said that two of his most difficult tasks during his period as national team coach were in teaching the young players how to build an innings and in teaching the bowlers how to dismiss opponents, as opposed to merely containing them. These are skills that desperately need developing before the players are plunged into Test cricket.

Even experienced Test players realize that they do not get enough practice in the longer game. In the last two years, before the Logan Cup programme began, Grant Flower played in 24 first-class matches, 14 of which were Tests. Of the remaining ten, five were on the tour of England last year. Hardly enough for a batsman struggling to find his form. In the same period he has played 59 one-day internationals.

Mluleki Nkala before the present Logan Cup competition began played in only 12 first-class matches, five of them Tests. Hardly enough for a young player learning his way. He has played 22 one-day internationals. Most of our top players have played many more one-day internationals than they have first-class matches. But it is in Test cricket that the reputations of individuals and that are really made, and we need to provide the best possible training ground for that.

Suggestions have been made for perhaps a two-day club competition and a double round of Logan Cup matches. Either of these would be of great benefit to young players needing to learn the longer version of the game. But do the provinces and clubs have the will or desire for change, even if it will obviously benefit the game in this country?

Bryan Strang talks about this in an interview that was mainly about his superb bowling in the match that saw Matabeleland tumble haplessly to 19 all out. Dave Ellman-Brown gives the official position in the second part of the interview that began in the last issue. Any recommendations for change must come through the channel of players to club, club to province, province to domestic cricket committee and thence to the Zimbabwe Cricket Union. Given the apathy of many individuals on the way, suggestions often get lost in transit, as hinted at Mr Ellman-Brown when he expressed his regret that so little was produced at the ZCU's annual general meetings. There is a strong case for a `hot line' between the players and the ZCU that will bypass the red tape.

At least we have enthusiastic, enterprising provincial committees in Midlands and Manicaland. I will be in Bulawayo this weekend and see what progress is made in Matabeleland, but the less said about Mashonaland the better. Their promotion of the Logan Cup was non-existent, and they have a reputation for inaction. If they ever appoint the full-time administrator they were talking about two or three years ago, things might improve, but as things stand they only have officials who are too busy it seems to do anything more than maintain the status quo. Yet in Mutare and Kwekwe officials seem to find time.

Many of the clubs may be too reactionary and parochial to back the move for a change. There was much opposition to the ZCU's plan to spread talented players, especially those from the Academy, around the country. Some city clubs are reported to be most unhappy about losing some of their promising players, even if it will benefit the game in the country overall. This is understandable to a point. One club chairman did tell me that he was not so much arguing with the policy as with the fact that there was far too little communication between ZCU and the clubs on this matter. Better communication all round is needed, it seems, with ZCU, provinces, clubs, Academy and players all needing to be involved. The correct channels may be fine in theory, but they are not always working in practice.

THIS ISSUE

We finish our biographies of the Academy players this week with Sean Ervine, who returned after injury to captain the side against Manicaland on his first-class debut. We have also updated biographies of four of the Manicaland ex-Academy players: Jason Young, Patrick Gada, Kingsley Went and Alec Taylor. All seem happy to be in the little eastern border city, despite its appalling roads, shortage of top players and facilities (rapidly being remedied) and excessive rainfall this year.

Congratulations to the Manicaland administrators for keeping them happy and for all the development they have going on there. The people are friendly and very enthusiastic, and there is a real community spirit. One cannot help but compare this with the attitude in Harare. We include a letter this week from a lady cricket supporter bewailing the neglect of the Logan Cup in Harare. There is far more support in Mutare and Kwekwe with a fraction of the population.

On the statistical side, we include the updated Logan Cup table – the competition has now definitely been won by a Mashonaland side that is unfortunately unsupported at home and unpopular away - and the Test and one-day international records of Guy Whittall. This weekend's Logan Cup matches will be:

Midlands v Mashonaland, at Kwekwe Sports Club
Matabeleland v CFX Academy, at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo
Manicaland v Mashonaland A, at Mutare Sports Club

It appears that the rains are almost over, or is it tempting fate to suggest that? Somehow last weekend's matches managed to avoid much interference by the weather, and Manicaland hope it stays dry long enough for them to be able to play at home for the first time; if not, the match will probably be transferred to a Harare ground again. The long-suffering but supportive Mutare residents certainly deserve a chance to see their team in action.

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