ZIMBABWE IN THE 1987/88 WORLD CUP -- OVERVIEW

by John Ward

Match reports

Zimbabwe were placed in the group which played all its games in India, so they did not visit Pakistan at all. Also in their group were Australia and India, whom they had met in 1983, and New Zealand instead of the West Indies, so it appeared a slightly less formidable group than the earlier competition. Australia were still in the process of re-building, so they were not expected to be a strong threat, but in the end they caused a surprise by winning the World Cup.

The Zimbabweans were at a disadvantage in that none of them had played in India before. New Zealand were in the same situation, except that they were able to draw on the expertise of former players who had. Australia had toured India not long before, so they knew what to expect.

This Zimbabwean team was perhaps about as strong on paper as that which had played in 1983, capable of giving most Test teams a hard fight. Duncan Fletcher, Jack Heron and Gerald Peckover had retired and emigrated, while Andy Waller, Eddo Brandes and Malcolm Jarvis took their places. There was a cloud of disappointment still hanging over the team, though, following Graeme Hick's defection to England in 1986. Otherwise the personnel was largely the same, most of the team having had the benefit of the experience gained in their first World Cup. The side was quite well balanced, but injuries, especially to pace bowlers, greatly weakened the team. Seam bowler Kevin Duers was also in the squad until almost the last minute, but the selected squad did contain one extra player and one had to be left out, so he was the one to go.

One of the new players was Kevin Arnott, a very talented although sometimes rather slow batsman who had recently returned from university in South Africa and was not then a regular member of the Zimbabwe one-day team. Just before the trip he broke his right index finger rather badly against New South Wales, who were touring Zimbabwe at that time, and so was doubtful for the tour. He spent the two or three weeks prior to the tour with it strapped and then had to pass a gruelling fitness test. It was still strapped for extra protection when he arrived in India, so he was not fully fit yet.

Andy Pycroft remembers thinking, just before the team departed the country for India, that it was the first time they had had a full pace attack. In previous years Zimbabwe had always suffered injuries to their pacemen and somebody had always been missing from vital games. The leading pace bowlers since independence in 1980 had been Vince Hogg (who last played in 1983/94), Peter Rawson, Kevin Curran and Eddo Brandes, and no tour seemed to have gone by without an injury to at least one of them.

Curran was at this stage of his career bowling very quickly -- before his back injury -- but he had broken his hand before the tour; Rawson generally kept fit apart from a hamstring problem, but missed the 1985 tour to England because of work commitments; while Brandes was always rather injury-prone. Pycroft remembers thinking that if they could get all three functioning together, even though it was in India with its reputation for discouraging pace bowlers, then they would have a good team. The attack would be built around John Traicos, at 40 still considered by many to be the best off-spinner in the world. With this attack, he felt, if the batsmen could also get runs then they were capable of beating a lot of sides.

Sadly, this was proven wrong, as the quick bowlers suffered injury problems throughout the entire campaign; in fact, in their opening match against New Zealand all three pacemen were bowling off shortened run-ups due to injury.

In this tournament, due to the shorter daylight hours in India at this time of year, the number of overs per team was reduced from 60 to 50, where it has stayed ever since. Robin Brown, for one, regrets this. In a 60-over match, he says, the better team invariably won. In matches reduced to 50 overs or less, luck began to play a greater part; a bowler who bowls particularly well, or a batsman who hits out and enjoys a bit of luck, can have an inordinate effect on the shorter game.

On their arrival in Bombay, via Nairobi, before dawn one morning, the team found a huge crowd of cricket-lovers ready to welcome them, and were grateful for the Indian officials and their liaison officer who met them and shepherded them through. On this occasion their liaison officer was the former Indian wicket-keeper Narendra Tamhane, who had managed the Young Indian team to tour Zimbabwe two years earlier and was an old friend. Eddo Brandes remembers the great humidity, even at that time in the morning. Kevin Arnott says they felt like movie stars, with cameras flashing all over the place. There was a special ceremony at the hotel where they were staying, where they were treated like royalty. All the hotels where they stayed in India were of exceptional quality except for the one in Ahmedabad.

The fact that Kevin Arnott was the son of manager Don was of great interest to the Indians, and on arrival they were taken aside by a group of photographers for interviews and photos. On tour they were at times referred to as 'Father Clough and son Clough', a reference to the English footballers in the news at that time.

Don Arnott had been one of the country's greatest wicket-keepers and an outstanding umpire, although he gave that up when Kevin began to play for the country. He was later to become the first chief executive of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union in 1993, after the country was granted Test status. In 1986 he was approached with an invitation to manage the World Cup team the following year. He had a lot of pre-tour preparation to be done, as he had to ensure the players were fit before they left, and also to organised booking arrangements, players' uniforms and much else.

From Bombay they travelled to Delhi for the opening ceremony, held at a stadium normally used for athletic events, which the players did not appreciate as they had to stand in the middle, on a stage specially constructed for the occasion, wearing their team blazers and ties for the photographs in intense heat, before being introduced to prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. There were other festivities, including magic shows and fireworks, and a day-night game between India and Pakistan. After this the teams, which had stayed briefly together at the Taj Palace hotel in Delhi, departed to their first venues.

The pomp and ceremony was most impressive, although at times over-bearing, throughout the tour. They had a reception waiting for them at every hotel where they stayed, including numbers of local celebrities, and were welcomed and garlanded with flowers as if they were film stars. It made the team realise the exalted status of cricketers in the sub-continent, where they are treated literally like royalty, whereas in Zimbabwe the best cricketers are treated very much like the ordinary man in the street. They were unable to leave the hotel without being mobbed by people who knew exactly who they were and wanted to talk to them or get their autographs.

They were also amazed to know that almost everybody seemed to know them all by name, although they were not a Test-playing nation and had been virtual unknowns in England four years earlier. The Indian cricket-lovers not only knew their identities but also their career statistics and all about them. Robin Brown tells of numerous children aged only about seven or eight who would come up to them, wanting to touch them and have their autographs, and knowing exactly who they were and all the statistics of their careers, how many runs they had made or how many catches they had taken. They would watch the matches, shouting and cheering every stroke, every run, every good stroke, and were always eager to help out by bowling to the players in the nets.

Dave Houghton recalls how even today he is widely recognised every time he visits India, and how on a recent visit to India in an official capacity people continually told him how they always remembered him and also his innings of 142 against New Zealand. Iain Butchart remembers how a few of them were virtually trapped after entering a shop one day; news spread like wildfire that the cricketers were there and a large mob of people tried to force their way in to see them. In the end, the police had to be called to evacuate the players from the back of the store!

For Ali Shah, it was a first visit to the country of his ancestors, but he was well prepared for the experience, having been led to expect the overcrowded conditions, the poverty and the filth of many areas of the country. They stayed at the Taj in Bombay, and he remembers thinking while inside the opulent building that outside the four walls was a different world of filth and squalor. Kevin Arnott also remembers staying in a five-star hotel, which he had never done before, while outside was poverty the likes of which he had never seen before, with people dying on the streets outside the hotel.

Many of the players still managed to pick up minor stomach bugs, though, including Shah himself, although not to the extent of having to miss matches. The English physio Dave Roberts, who had been with the Zimbabwe team for some years, did an exceptional job to ensure that nobody picked up anything serious -- and ironically he himself was the first and only one to have serious problems, being laid up in bed for four days! They were warned not to eat salads, due to the possibility of their having been washed in polluted water, but took a while to learn this. Shah remembers at a hotel lunch in Hyderabad John Traicos reached out for some salads, and as he handled the salad spoon a rat ran out of the bowl! After that they were a little more circumspect! Otherwise the food was excellent. In the heat, they ate little at lunch during the matches, but made up for it when returning to the hotel after the match.

Soon after their arrival they moved to Hyderabad, where they were to play several warm-up games as well as their first World Cup match. The New Zealanders, from previous experience of touring India, had brought all their own food and drink, and hired a couple of extra rooms in Hyderabad simply to store all their provisions. The Zimbabweans had to make do with hotel food, which was good, and local beer, which they did not appreciate so much. Eddo Brandes says that the warm-up matches were an experience in themselves, getting used to the slower pitches and the rudimentary changing rooms and ground facilities. There was very little mixing with the New Zealanders until after the match, as they were utterly committed to winning and did not want to compromise their chances by fraternising with the opposition before the match!

The team found it much more difficult to concentrate on their game in India than in England. There was a lot of psychological pressure off the field as well as on it, with all the grime, the smell and the heat. They had armed escorts and were warned not to leave the hotel without an escort. At first they ignored this warning, thinking that as Zimbabweans, who did not then enjoy Test status, they would not be recognised, but were quickly disillusioned. Sometimes when several groups wanted to go to different places there were not enough guards available, so some of them simply used taxis, which were always readily available just outside the hotel. But there was not much to see, and they spent most of their free time using the swimming pool or playing cards.

The programme began with a warm-up match at Hyderabad against a local side bolstered by Clive Lloyd, recently retired as West Indian captain, and Zaheer Abbas, also recently retired. Zimbabwe, although very fresh to the country, achieved a satisfying victory which gave them confidence as they went into their first World Cup match. Other matches were played and won against strong Indian teams such as the Hyderabad Blues, and Eddo Brandes particularly remembers the enthusiasm of the local opposition.

One of Robin Brown's lasting memories of the country was going to the Gymkhana Club in Hyderabad to practice, and passing a huge field with about eleven pitches laid in it, and matches being played on each. The boundaries for each match were the neighbouring pitches, and Brown turned to Peter Rawson sitting next to him and said, "There's more cricket being played on this field than we play on Sunday in Zimbabwe in our league cricket." Wherever they went they could see similar sights of literally millions of children and adults throughout the country playing the game.

With much greater distances to cover than in England, the team travelled between venues by airbus. They were kept in the VIP departure lounge at airports until about five minutes before the plane was due to leave, and then taken on when the plane was full by bus, even if the plane was only a few metres away, to help them maintain some privacy. Everybody else on board had to be seated and their baggage stored at least two hours before the scheduled departure time, while the cricketers were brought on board at the last minutes and the plane took off as soon as they were strapped in. Prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had given instructions that, whatever happened, every aeroplane with cricketers on board must take off and land exactly on time, and these instructions were followed to the letter. They usually travelled between the hotels and the grounds where they were playing by bus, a trip which often took up to an hour in the crowded streets.

Practice was easy, as they could order as many bowlers as they wanted of any particular type to bowl to them in the nets; there was never any shortage of eager and skilled volunteers, willing to bowl for hours at a time in the heat and humidity. Zimbabwe's seam bowlers were often injured and in any case could not bowl for long spells in such heat, so the batsmen were grateful for local substitutes. Many of them were schoolchildren, dressed in their whites, eager to bowl and able to do so very well. Robin Brown remembers one little 14-year-old who bowled leg-breaks, googlies and top-spinners, and says that none of their players was able to lay a bat on anything!

Malcolm Jarvis and Eddo Brandes recall a time when Kevin Curran was batting in the nets at Bombay when a middle-aged man in a grey beard and turban came along and offered to bowl to him. Curran, somewhat contemptuous, advanced down the pitch to the first delivery, tried to hit it out of the greened, and would have been stumped easily. He just managed to keep out the second delivery, but was bowled by the third. Further efforts brought a similar lack of success. They discovered later that it was Bishan Bedi. Curran's excuse was that if he had know it was Bedi he would have played him properly!

In each centre the team were assigned club grounds, of varying quality, where they could practise, and invariably did so in front of several thousand spectators. When they had fielding sessions, any fielder to drop a catch would evoke a huge roar and derogatory comments from all the spectators.

While the 1983 World Cup had aroused hope and enthusiasm in Zimb-bwe, this one was a disappointment. More had been expected, but less was achieved. The recent defection of Graeme Hick to England had been a serious blow to Zimbabwean cricket. There were two narrow defeats against New Zealand, but in the other matches Zimbabwe were clearly outclassed.

The side simply did not play up to its potential, even allowing for the injuries to its pace attack. Even this handicap was not as serious in India as it would have been elsewhere in the world. Despite its problems, the bowlers had been consistent but not penetrative. None of the batsmen had been consistent enough, and Robin Brown admits that he struggled to adjust on the slow pitches, as he was not the sort of player easily able to hit the ball over the field, and the ball never came on to the bat sufficiently to allow him to work it around for runs as he usually liked to do.

Morale within the team was generally high, with only one relatively minor problem. Kevin Curran had been using an Irish passport in order to play for Gloucestershire in the English county championship, which meant he had to give up his Zimbabwean passport as it was now illegal to hold two passports in Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwean government had also decreed that only Zimbabwean passport-holders could play for the country, which eliminated Curran.

However, there was a clause whereby in special circumstances, if it affected his livelihood, a person might be permitted to hold two passports, and the Zimbabwe Cricket Union spent much time persuading their government that this was the case with Curran. Finally Curran was given a special dispensation to keep his Zimbabwean passport and represent Zimbabwe again, just in time for the World Cup. Unfortunately in some ways he was to prove a liability to the team; some team members testify that, although he was the professional in a team of amateurs, his behaviour was at times quite unprofessional. Some found him aloof and individualistic, seemingly arrogant, and did not appear to take his responsibilities seriously. He showed a reluctance to take part in net practice and this tended to rub off on some of the younger players, and some thought The Management was not strong enough to handle him. On the other hand, most state that he was not as disruptive as some rumours have claimed. Malcolm Jarvis suspects that his back injury was worse than he revealed, and his behaviour was perhaps his way of trying to hide it and also his poor form. But he could not be blamed for the failure of the team as a whole. This was Curran's last season for Zimbabwe in any case, as the Zimbabwe Cricket Union could not afford his financial demands, and he emigrated in search of greener pastures.

Traicos, in a new situation, attracted some criticism as captain on this trip. Like other captains, he had difficulties in deciding the right course to take on winning the toss. He had a tendency to react to situations rather than take calculated risks, but to be fair he was in a difficult position as his side did not give him enough runs to play with. He had a fine tactical mind but lacked the inspirational presence and remarkable man-management skills of Fletcher, and there was not quite the same self-belief in the side. He was also at a disadvantage in that the team did not have a coach in those days; manager Don Arnott was forced to double up and act in an advisory capacity here.

Kevin Arnott is full of praise for Traicos' captaincy. He says how keen Traicos was to involve all the players in team discussions as much as possible and make them feel their opinions were of value. He claims always to have been a rather reticent person himself, but remembers how at the very first meeting Traicos encouraged him to contribute. Don Arnott remembers that morale was always good, even when the team was losing, and such characters as Grant Paterson and Iain Butchart could always be relied upon to liven them up.

Perhaps the Zimbabweans could have been more inventive, Robin Brown feels. The one-day game had evolved considerably since the 1983 World Cup, but Zimbabwe had not evolved with it -- and it was scarcely their fault, as they had not had the opportunity to play against any full in teams since then. They arrived in India to find the opposition using new tactics and found it hard to adjust. In retrospect, according to Robin Brown, they might have considered opening their bowling with a spinner, or sent in somebody like Butchart, Rawson or Curran to open the batting, with instructions to hit out, as Martin Snedden did for New Zealand. In the last match they promoted Andy Waller, who did the job well despite a blow on the head. Too often their batting got bogged down from the start, as Brown by his own admission was unable to keep the score moving, as was Ali Shah, and Grant Paterson did not find his best form. This left Dave Houghton in particular a more difficult job, coming in to bat under pressure from the need to improve the run rate. Their field placings did not change, whereas other teams were placing fielders in what had been unconventional positions, and it worked for them.

Those players to take part in both the first two World Cup competitions were amazed in the difference between the attitudes of the English and Indian cricket supporters. In 1983 in England they had drawn small crowds and aroused little interest. They were scarcely better known on the world stage by the time their second World Cup came around, but whatever the opposition or venue the Indian supporters turned out in their thousands.

Although Zimbabwe finished without a victory, they gained a reputation on this tour as the best fielding side in the world. Their efforts and utter commitment, in relentless heat and on dry and dusty outfields, deeply impressed the critics. There were no arrangements for the teams to stay on to the final, in which Australia beat England, in this tournament, so the team returned home shortly after their final match, although they were able to watch the semi-finals on television. Most of them felt most disappointed about the tour; they had expected to be more competitive against India and Australia, and felt that they should have beaten New Zealand twice. Many of the players, partly through injury and partly through their inability to come to terms with unfamiliar conditions, fell far short of their best form.

The crowds intruded on the cricket far more in India than they had in England, even when they were not throwing objects at the players. When this occurred, though, mainly in Ahmedabad, it was generally done more to attract the attention of the players rather than with malicious intent. There was a tremendous amount of noise, often with firecrackers exploding near the boundary. The players generally managed to shut themselves off from the noise, though, and concentrate on their game, although in certain areas this was impossible. When fielding they had to watch the captain all the time, as he could only indicate field placings by gesture. Batsmen found it very difficult to hear each other calling for runs, especially as they were also wearing helmets. Every time there was an appeal, the crowd erupted, whatever the decision.

Ali Shah remembers how, five minutes before the start of each match, the crowd would start to clap their hands, signalling to the umpires to take the field. When the batsmen walked on, they would give a particularly big round of applause and roar of excitement. Often when a stroke was played during the match there would be a big roar from a certain part of the crowd and money would be exchanged -- gambling even over the result of a particular delivery was rife. They would gamble on who won the toss, which umpire would stand at which end -- in fact, anything concerning the game whatever. It was clear, though, that the crowds were fully knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and generally sup-ported Zimbabwe against New Zealand and Australia, knowing that Zimbabwean success would strengthen India's hand in this first round.

The players on the whole had less communication with the opposition than in England because Indian facilities did not usually allow them to shower or have a drink with the opposition at the ground, although they were sometimes able to do so on their return to the hotel. Teams were invariably housed in the same hotel to avoid charges of favouritism. The Indians tended to depart for home immediately after the match was over, but the Zimbabweans got on well with the New Zealanders; Dave Houghton mentions in particular John Wright, who became a long-standing personal friend. The Australians under Bob Simpson were now a very focused unit, intent on winning the World Cup and with little time for socialising.

Don Arnott remembers as a logistical nightmare that the Indian authorities insisted on paying all the players' allowances and all other moneys due the team in cash at the start of the tour for the managers to take care of. He remembers that the New Zealand manager carried it around with the team's baggage throughout the tour, while he himself went to great trouble to open a bank account and draw on it from place to place as they moved around the country. This required him to make regular time-consuming trips into town in slow traffic to withdraw money from bank tellers who often took some time to comprehend the situation. In Bombay there was a power failure at the time, a frequent occurrence in India, and he had to wait in the bank for three hours until it came on again. Banks in India have army troops guarding them with their rifles and bayonets, which did not ease his peace of mind.

Unlike most visitors to India, the Zimbabweans did not manage to visit the Taj Mahal. They were given the opportunity, but the offer was made to the whole team and only about half were keen, so it was cancelled. This probably took place after the first match against India in Bombay, when the team was in transit in Delhi on their way to Calcutta. Some of them were able to visit a well-known fort outside Delhi.

MATCH SUMMARY

10 Oct    Hyderabad           Lost to New Zealand by 3 runs
13 Oct    Madras              Lost to Australia by 96 runs
17 Oct    Bombay              Lost to India by eight wickets
23 Oct    Calcutta            Lost to New Zealand by four wickets
26 Oct    Ahmedabad           Lost to India by seven wickets
30 Oct    Cuttack             Lost by 70 runs

BATTING AND FIELDING STATISTICS

                    M   I  NO  Runs   HS     Av.   100  50   Ct/St
D L Houghton        6   6   0   226  142    37.66    1   1    3/2
K J Arnott          4   3   0   112   60    37.33    -   2    1
A J Pycroft         6   6   1   174   61    34.80    -   2    -
P W E Rawson        4   4   2    56   24*   28.00    -   -    2
A C Waller          6   6   1   125   39    25.00    -   -    1
E A Brandes         4   3   2    21   18*   21.00    -   -    2
I P Butchart        6   5   0    98   54    19.60    -   1    2
M A Meman           1   1   0    19   19    19.00    -   -    -
K M Curran          5   5   0    75   30    15.00    -   -    1
A H Omarshah        6   6   0    80   41    13.33    -   -    1
G A Paterson        4   4   0    24   16     6.00    -   -    2
R D Brown           3   3   0    17   13     5.66    -   -    3
A J Traicos         6   3   1    10    6     5.00    -   -    -
M P Jarvis          5   2   2     9    8*     --     -   -    1

BOWLING STATISTICS

                   Overs Mdns Runs Wkts   Av.     Best    4wI
K M Curran          26     0   124   4   31.00    2/29    -
A H Omarshah        40     0   179   5   35.80    2/34    -
A J Traicos         58     2   218   6   36.33    2/27    -
P W E Rawson        33     0   188   4   47.00    2/46    -
I P Butchart        35     1   222   3   74.00    2/59    -
E A Brandes         33     4   154   2   77.00    2/44    -
M P Jarvis          35.4   1   155   2   77.50    1/21    -
M A Meman            6.5   0    34   0     --      --     -

PEN-PICTURES OF PLAYERS

ARNOTT, Kevin John. Born Harare, 8 March 1961. RHB. First-class career 1979/80-1994/95, 35 matches; 13 one-day internationals, 4 Tests. First-class record: 1719 runs, highest score 121, 3 centuries, average 30.69. One-day internationals: 238 runs, highest score 60, average 23.80. Tests: 302 runs, highest score 101*, 1 century, average 43.14. An opening batsman who never really fulfilled the outstanding potential he showed before several years at university in South Africa where he played no first-class cricket. A brilliant fielder at cover or midwicket. Suffered a great deal from injured fingers which eventually persuaded him to retire. He was not really considered a one-day player, but scored two fifties, although rather slowly, when brought into the team later in this tournament. Played for Mashonaland Country Districts. He is today a lawyer in Harare.

BRANDES, Eddo Andre. Born Port Shepstone (Natal), 5 March 1963. RHB, RFM. First-class career 1985 to date (records to end of 1998/99 Zimbabwe season), 54 matches; 56 one-day internationals, 9 Tests. First-class record: 1058 runs, highest score 165*, 1 century, average 16.53; 153 wickets, best bowling 7/38, average 31.18. One-day internationals: 383 runs, highest score 55, average 12.76; 69 wickets, best bowling 5/28, average 31.28. Tests: 111 runs, highest score 39, average 10.09; 22 wickets, best bowling 3/45, average 40.27. A fast-medium bowler, very destructive on his day but tends to be inconsistent and injury-prone. Can be a powerful hitter in the lower order. Taker of Zimbabwe's only hat-trick in one-day internationals, against England at Harare Sports Club in 1996/97. He was not always fully fit in this World Cup. Played for Mashonaland Country Districts and Mashonaland. He is a chicken farmer at Ruwa, just outside Harare.

BROWN, Robin David. Born Kadoma, 11 March 1951. RHB, WK. First-class career 1976/77-1995/96, 66 matches; 7 one-day internationals. First-class record: 2721 runs, highest score 200*, 4 centuries, average 23.45. One-day internationals: 110 runs, highest score 38, average 15.71. A right-hand batsman who often opened the innings and whose career average does not do him justice, as he frequently laid a solid foundation for the later batsmen but failed to cash in himself. He often kept wicket capably in first-class cricket, but spent much of his career as understudy to Houghton. He had a disappointing World Cup and only played in three matches. Played for Mashonaland Country Districts. Today he is a farmer in Karoi, in the north of Zimbabwe, and still a significant batsman in Districts cricket.

BUTCHART, Iain Peter. Born Bulawayo, 9 May 1960. RHB, RMF. First-class career 1980/81-1994/95, 53 matches; 1 Test; 20 one-day internationals. First-class record: 1686 runs, highest score 117, 2 centuries, average 23.41; 67 wickets, best bowling 5/65, average 34.04. One-day internationals: 252 runs, highest score 54, average 18.00; 12 wickets, best bowling 3/57, average 53.33. A fine all-rounder, at his best in tight situations; could be a devastating hitter and a good pace bowler at the death, and a superb fielder anywhere. Young Australian players once described him as perhaps the best one-day player in the world; he is still the only player to be a part of two current record World Cup partnerships. In this World Cup competition he almost won the first match for Zimbabwe, but after that showed little form. Played for Mashonaland Country Districts. Now a national selector.

CURRAN, Kevin Malcolm. Born Rusape, 7 September 1959. RHB, RFM. First-class career 1980/81 to date (records to end of 1998 English season), 323 matches; 11 one-day internationals. First-class record: 15739 runs, highest score 159, 25 centuries, average 37.03. One-day internationals: 287 runs, highest score 73, average 26.09. A genuine all-rounder of great talent; aggressive batsman anywhere in the middle order and a hostile pace bowler before a back injury in 1986. The Zimbabwean government only allowed him to be selected for this tour after prolonged representations from the Zimbabwe Cricket Union due to his Irish passport. Unfortunately hew was a disappointment, both in form and in attitude, and shortly afterwards he left Zimbabwe for more lucrative pastures. A Mashonaland Country Districts player. Played county cricket for Gloucestershire and now Northamptonshire; the only member of the party still active in first-class cricket.

HOUGHTON, David Laud. Born Bulawayo, 23 June 1957. RHB, occasional OB, wicket-keeper. First-class career 1978/79-1997/98, 120 matches (all for Zimbabwean teams, a national record); 22 Tests; 63 one-day internationals. Captain 1985/86-1986/87 and 1989/90-1992/93. First-class record: 7445 runs (Zimbabwean record), highest score 266, 17 centuries (Zimbabwean record), average 39.39. Tests: 1465 runs, highest score 266 (Zimbabwean record), 4 centuries, average 43.08. One-day internationals: 1530 runs, highest score 142, 1 century, average 26.37. Statistically, Zimbabwe's most successful batsman of all time, a fine all-round attacking batsman, especially against the spinners and famed for his ability with the reverse sweep. Zimbabwe's first Test captain, scoring 121 against India on his debut in 1992/93. Wicket-keeper until 1989/90. He will always be remembered for his wonderful innings of 142 in the first match of this tournament against New Zealand, but did not succeed against other countries. Played for Mashonaland Country Districts. Now Zimbabwe's national coach.

JARVIS, Malcolm Peter. Born Masvingo, 6 December 1955. RHB, LFM. First-class career 1979/80-1994/95, 53 matches; 5 Tests; 12 one-day internationals. First-class record: 510 runs, highest score 33, average 10.20; 163 wickets, best bowling 7/36, average 29.12. Tests: 4 runs, highest score 2*, average 2.00; 11 wickets, best bowling 3/30, average 35.72. One-day internationals: 37 runs, highest score 17, average 18.50; 9 wickets, best bowling 2/37, average 50.11. A left-arm swing bowler who developed late, turning in some of his best performances in his late thirties. A genuine tail-ender who could hit powerfully on occasions. He had little success in this World Cup, the conditions not suiting his type of bowling. Played for Mashonaland. Today runs a gymnasium in Harare and sometimes manages overseas tours.

MEMAN, Mohamed Ahmed ('Babu'). Born Lundazi (Zambia), 26 June 1952. RHB, OB. First-class career: 1985/86-1987/88, 5 matches; 1 one-day international. First-class record: 68 runs, highest score 33, average 11.33; 4 wickets, best bowling 3/21, average 48.85. One-day internationals: 19 runs and no wickets. A useful all-round player whose off-spin bowling won him a place as an extra spinner in the Indian subcontinent. He played a valuable innings in his first match but did not succeed with the ball. A Mashonaland player. He is now a Harare businessman who frequently manages Zimbabwe's overseas tours.

OMARSHAH, Ali Hassimshah (known as Ali Shah). Born Harare, 7 August 1959. LHB, RM. First-class career 1979/80-1995/96, 44 matches; 3 Tests; 28 one-day internationals. First-class record: 1703 runs, highest score 200*, 3 centuries, average 25.41; 35 wickets, best bowling 4/113, average 48.85. Tests: 122 runs, highest score 62, average 24.40; 1 wickets for 125 runs. One-day internationals: 437 runs, highest score 60*, average 16.80; 18 wickets, best bowling 3/33, average 45.11. The first Zimbabwean player of Asian origin, he is the only member of the team still playing first-league cricket in Zimbabwe. A great-hearted batsman who made his name with some fighting innings against the Young Australian tourists of 1982/83. He did not show great form in this World Cup, although he took some useful wickets. He often opened, but later in his career he usually dropped down the order. Nippy medium-pace bowling helped to make him an ideal one-day player, but his career was badly handicapped by his business interests. Played for Mashonaland. Still a regular player for Universals Sports Club in Harare.

PATERSON, Grant Andrew. Born Harare, 9 June 1960. RHB. First-class career 1981/82-1993/94, 39 matches; 10 one-day internationals. First-class record: 1404 runs, highest score 93, average 21.93. One-day internationals: 123 runs, highest score 27, average 12.30. A powerful hitter of the ball, he was perhaps better suited to the middle order but team needs required him to open for much of his career. He enjoyed little success on this your and was dropped for the last two matches. Played for Mashonaland Country Districts. He is currently farming in the Mashonaland Districts.

PYCROFT, Andrew John. Born Harare, 6 June 1956. RHB, occasional OB. First-class career 1975/76-1992/93, 72 matches; 3 Tests; 20 one-day internationals. Captain 1984/85-1985. First-class record: 4374 runs, highest score 133, 5 centuries, average 38.03. Tests: 152 runs, highest score 60, average 30.40. One-day internationals: 295 runs, highest score 61, average 17.35. Determined and consistent middle-order batsman, usually at number four, with an outstanding record against touring teams to Zimbabwe in the 1980s. Good fielder in any position. He did quite well on this tour, scoring two fifties, but was twice run out and did not quite reproduce his best form. A lawyer, he retired soon after Zimbabwe achieved Test status due to pressure of work. A Mashonaland player. Now chairman of selectors and involved in coaching.

RAWSON, Peter Walter Edward. Born Harare, 25 May 1957. RHB, RFM. First-class career 1982-1993/94, 72 matches; 10 one-day internationals. Captain 1988/89. First-class record: 1976 runs, highest score 95, average 20.80; 257 wickets, best bowling 7/30, average 23.90. One-day internationals: 80 runs, highest score 24*, average 16.00; 12 wickets, best bowling 3/47, average 35.58. A pace bowler of genuine international class and an aggressive batsman in the lower middle order who never quite did justice to his ability. Troubled by injury in this tournament, he was never at his best and Zimbabwe sorely missed his incisive role as spearhead of the attack. A Mashonaland player. After a successful year of captaincy in 1988/89, he accepted a lucrative deal to play for Natal, where he still lives.

WALLER, Andrew Christopher. Born Harare, 25 September 1959. RHB, RM or OB. First-class career 1984/85-1996/97, 39 matches; 39 one-day internationals, 2 Tests. Captain 1989/90 before a back injury sidelined him for several months. First-class record: 1653 runs, highest score 104, 1 century, average 27.09. One-day internationals 818 runs, highest score 83*, average 23.37. An aggressive middle-order batsman who at international level was considered mainly a one-day player, where he opened the innings later in his career. A brilliant fielder at cover or midwicket. Batting at number six in this tournament until the final match, he scored quickly but rarely had much chance to build an innings. Farming commitments prevented him from playing regularly once Zimbabwe had been granted Test status and cricket became more time-consuming. Played for Mashonaland Country Districts. He farms at Centenary, in the north of Mashonaland.

COMPLETE ONE-DAY INTERNATIONAL CAREER RECORDS

                    M  I  NO  Runs  HS    Av.   Ct   Runs Wkts  Av.
K J Arnott         13  12  2  238   60   23.80   3
R D Brown           7   7  0  110   38   15.71   5
E A Brandes        56  39  9  383   55   12.76  10   2195  69  31.28
I P Butchart       20  16  2  252   54   18.00   4    640  12  53.33   
K M Curran         11  11  0  287   73   26.09   1    398   9  44.22
D L Houghton       63  60  2 1530  142   26.37  29/2   19   1  19.00
M P Jarvis         12   5  3   37   17   18.50   1    451   9  50.11
M A Meman           1   1  0   19   19   19.00   -     34   0    --
A H Omarshah       28  28  2  437   60*  16.80   6    812  18  45.11
G A Paterson       10  10  0  123   27   12.30   2
A J Pycroft        20  19  2  295   61   17.35   6
P W E Rawson       10   8  3   80   24*  16.00   4    427  12  35.58
A J Traicos        27  17  9   88   19   11.00   3    987  19  51.94
A C Waller         39  38  3  818   83*  23.37  10