By John Ward

Zimbabwe's busiest domestic cricket season is entering its last week. Simultaneously we have the ICC Emerging Nations tournament in Harare, and the Logan Cup final between Mashonaland and Manicaland, with many players in both. Our next issue will report on both.

The league stage of the Logan Cup finished with Manicaland just ahead of Mashonaland, but the CFX Academy would have overhauled Mashonaland had they been able to bowl out Matabeleland a second time to win their match. Instead, the young Matabeleland side managed to play out their first draw of the tournament. Overall the Logan Cup has been a great success......
[More | Logan Cup]

INTERVIEWS

Bryan Strang on the West Indian experience

Bryan Strang has returned to Zimbabwe from the West Indies, once again not required for a one-day series. He talked to John Ward about that historic tour.

"The crowd at Sabina Park was the biggest Test crowd I've ever played before, and the noisiest. Having seven Jamaicans in the side they all came out to support their team. The total crowd after the third day was about 30 000; the West Indians like to make a lot of noise, and at times you couldn't hear yourself think. It's nice to play in front of crowds like that, the noise ringing in your ears, things going against you, and your concentration is so important. It's easy to let things go, but I think we managed to keep things in hand. It was an experience, it really was. They have such a passion for their cricket it's scary."
[More | The West Indies tour]

THE PLAYER'S VIEW

Doug Marillier on the Midlands - Mashonaland Logan Cup match

Doug Marillier, a Zimbabwe A player and a member of the Zimbabwe Cricket Academy last year, is currently based in Kwekwe where he coaches and plays. Here he talks to John Ward about the recent match between Midlands and Mashonaland, which he missed with a broken finger, and Midlands cricket in general.

"Raymond Price, David Mutendera and myself are all down in Kwekwe to try and broaden the base of cricket. Obviously we want to get cricket restarted in places where it used to be played, like Chaplin and Guinea Fowl High Schools, because obviously later on that's where our young cricketers are going to come from. We want to try and get cricket 'amongst the millions', as they say."
[More | Scorecard]

Dion Ebrahim on Zimbabwe A's opening match in Emerging Nations tourney

Zimbabwe A may have messed up on their first match of the Emerging Nations tournament, against Denmark in Harare, but they would have been quite humiliated without a fighting innings of 64 by their number four batsman Dion Ebrahim. Here he talks to John Ward about that match.

"The pitch was fairly bouncy; it gave a lot of steep bounce, and the Danish bowlers used that very well, with a good high action. They moved the ball around well and I think that's what got our batsmen into a bit of trouble."
[More | Scorecard]

Everton Matambanadzo on Zimbabwe A's match against Kenya

Everton Matambanadzo returned to bowling form in Zimbabwe A's second match of the Emerging Nations tournament, against Kenya, when he took four good wickets in a match left drawn after rain in mid-afternoon. He talks to John Ward about the match.

"The first one was bowled, Francis Otieno, with an off-cutter that he misread and it knocked him over. I was bowling away-swingers to the other guy, and I'm sure he was told it was going to be away-swingers and he was looking to leave it, but it jagged back. My second wicket was Odumbe. He chased a wide one and was caught at third man. Then I yorked the left-hander, Modi, a reverse-swinger from around the wicket, and then Thomas Odoyo. I did him with a slower ball. He had missed a couple of them earlier on, so I started off bowling him yorkers and slower balls, and he was caught at deep square leg."
[More | Scorecard]

LETTERS

Hope this e-mail finds you well. If it's any consolation I think Zim do pretty well considering their limited resources.
Brian Barbour (former national player, now in South Africa)

I must say that I am getting pretty disappointed with Zimbabwe's performance and also the way some of the players are still been persisted with despite the fact that they are clearly out of form. Grant Flower, Alister Campbell and Craig Wishart should be dropped and send back home from their tour of West Indies and replaced with fresh younger players like Mark Vermullen, Gavin Rennie and Trevor Madondo. Even if they still lose it will be a good learning process for these new players. Grant Flower and Campbell are taking their place in the side for granted and it's time for them to be given a wake-up call. I hope the selectors read this and take some much needed action and select a different side for the tour of England.
Khalid Vayani (England)
Reply: I don't think it would be correct to say that Grant Flower and Alistair Campbell take their places in the side for granted. Grant I think is incapable of such an attitude, and in this issue Bryan Strang testifies as to how hard Alistair has been working to try to regain his form.

Why don't someone tell Henry Olonga to keep his left arm inside or in line with his body as he is about deliver the ball. He is not looking over his left shoulder when he is about to deliver the ball, and even if he is, his left arm is too far outside the line of his body which means he will lose control of the ball. He has great speed but he is lacking in control. He needs to develop a more side-on approach and look over his left shoulder upon delivery of the ball and pitch the ball up a little more often. Please take this in good faith. Thanks and good luck.
Harold Narrie
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