Zimbabwe cricket twelve years on

George Goodwin, a former Zimbabwe Cricket Union coach, physical education teacher and Herald sports editor, recently returned from Australia to watch his son Murray play in the Test series against Pakistan. Still heavily involved in sport with the South Western Times in Western Australia, George jots down his impressions of cricket in Zimbabwe after a twelve-year absence.

One of the most arduous tours by a Zimbabwe sporting team has just been completed.

The Zimbabwe cricket team left the country on 30 December last year, and two months later returned almost empty-handed. Just one limited-overs victory was all the success they had to show after four Tests and eight one-dayers against Sri Lanka and New Zealand -- hardly a confidence-booster for the next task.

After just two days' rest from their first 'long' tour, the fledgling African nation took on the mighty Pakistanis, spearheaded by one of the most fearsome attacks in contemporary cricket. There were Waqar and Wasim, the express of Akhtar, the superb spin of Mushtaq and the tantalising medium-pacers of Mahmood, sharpened and honed from a series on the South African veld.

Zimbabwe drew the First Test and faltered in the Second before losing both one-dayers and copping criticism from all quarters. That achievement of just two bad days in ten of Test cricket against Pakistan was lost in the disappointment of defeat.

To put it bluntly, a band of some 20 brave Zimbabweans, most of them part-time cricketers, took on the world's best at the highest level and competed. Now these cricketers are off again a week later, locked in limited-overs combat with India and Australia in India.

Newspaper articles were negative, tantamount almost to support for the visitors, reminding one of the horrible apartheid days of South Africa when the non-white fraternity to a man vociferously supported the opposition.

Zimbabwe cricket is on the map. The time has come for the ZCU to lift its act -- maybe take a cue from Australia or England or any other major cricket nation -- on marketing. It must, for the sake of survival.

Finance is reportedly thin, but there is a kick-start in the millions of dollars generated by World Cup participation, international visits, television and solid local sponsorship.

Some 6000-plus fans paid on each day of the two limited-overs matches against Pakistan, together with the gate receipts of the two Tests. Their reward for paying $150 a seat to support Zimbabwe sport was a 'slap in the face' at the presentations.

Hundreds of fans, friends and family stayed behind for the presentations, and all they got was a 'silent movie'. Those who couldn't lip-read (the vast majority, one presumes) were none the wiser, with only radio and TV personnel with microphones in close proximity knowing the results.

Why was the crowd not informed? Did they not count? After all, they are the ones helping to keep the game afloat. Zimbabwe cricket is currently travelling the world, showing the county's flag far and wide, far more so, I am led to believe, than any other sport in the land.

Cricket is the country's flagship and deserves to be treated as such. Zimbabwe is not a rich country, but is still fighting its way out of a colonial role. So what better than a 'free advertisement' around the world of the progress in this country? And progress there has been.

There is the Test status. There is the fact that more and more black players are surfacing in the national squad, and there is the junior development programme. I was most impressed with the numbers and standard of the 'little leaguers' during the lunch sessions of the Test -- nearly all of them black. It almost smacked a little of a West Indian scheme.

Reports are, however, that these promising youngsters disappear off the scene soon after puberty, so something has to be done about keeping them interested and at the same time keeping them in contention. Other countries do it, and they don't just use money.

Coaching, videos, use of national players in the off-season, incentives, a winter league, games and a great deal of hard work is required.