Editorial

By John Ward

The ninth issue of this magazine comes out as the Zimbabwe team begin their programme in the triangular tournament in South Africa, which also involves England. Zimbabwe's prospects were previewed in our last issue.

"Last time they visited South Africa, Zimbabwe more than once gave the hosts 'a hell of a fright', but were beaten in the end each time after a hard tussle. There was enough confidence to do well, but not enough to win. Realistically, after recent experiences, that is perhaps the best we can hope for, maybe even against England, this time. Doing consistently well, fighting consistently hard, can eventually be a platform for more tangible success."
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INTERVIEW

Andy Flower on playing South Africa

Andy Flower has played in all of Zimbabwe's matches against South Africa, three Tests and nine one-day internationals, since the teams first met in 1991/92. As Zimbabwe travel down south for the triangular tournament, he talks about what it is like to play the South Africans.

"In the matches we've played against South Africa, we've never had a lot of social contact with them. I don't think we've created many strong friendships, which I think is unfortunate. I wish we had spent more time together, and I would like our team to spend a little more time with them, because it's important to become friends and talk about cricket. So I will certainly encourage that, and we'll see what happens."
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BIOGRAPHY

Dan Rowett

Dan Rowett, who first represented the national team as far back as 1993, is one of the players who suffer from the problem of balancing a promising career with a sport demanding an ever-increasing degree of professionalism. Training to be a chartered accountant, he is at present limited in the amount of time he can spend on cricket, and when he has qualified it may well be too late for him to fulfil the potential that was first officially recognised seven years ago.

"I don't think we play enough first-class cricket in this country. We play a lot of one-day cricket, because we don't have a big professional base. We need to try to play more three-day matches, perhaps having a weaker national league and a stronger Logan Cup. I think that would benefit particularly the younger players who have been brought up playing one-day cricket. However, the other side of the coin is that some players may not be able to get time off work. That's where we need to find sponsors prepared to pay for work days missed. "
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Picture of the Week

Neil Johnson in full flow, World Cup 1999
Photograph by Paul MacGregor