Don’t let Zimbabwe slip down further, act now

Zimbabwe Cricket have gone backwards since 2003 World Cup. (Source: AP)

The cricket community seems so concerned about the teams outside the Test playing world, that the members of the elite club are forgotten conveniently. (Full Coverage| Venues | Fixtures)

In all the campaign to get more associates to play the 2019 World Cup, everyone has forgotten the existing Full Members. Some of the Full Members are in a very bad shape and may well not be around in ten years’ time if not much attention is paid now.

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The sudden retirement of Brendan Taylor from Zimbabwe cricket is a case in point to where one weak Full Member is headed. Since 2004-05 when an entire generation of players exited the scene, Zimbabwe has been in the doldrums. They barely compete when up against the bigger sides and even struggle at times against the Associate nations.

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With Taylor pulling out, the fight in the Zimbabwe camp will go down again. The side seemed to have settled with Taylor as captain in all formats, before he was ‘demoted’ to Test captain. Taylor’s decision to become a Kolpak Player, much like former teammate Kyle Jarvis, is a pointer towards where Zimbabwe cricket is headed. Players are not being paid on time, the domestic cricket is non-existent and an even smaller pool of players exists than before.

While the rest of the world battles for the Associates, what about some outrage for Zimbabwe? A Test playing nation since 1992, Zimbabwe enjoyed some of the best moments in their cricket in the 1990s, including beating India in an one-off Test in 1998. But sadly, collectively the world has looked away while Zimbabwe slipped towards disaster.

Taylor is the newest in the list of Zimbabwe players who are being forced to look elsewhere for greener pastures. Jarvis, a seam bowler, would have made a big impact in the Zimbabwe attack, but he too had to pull out. Another former captain Tatenda Taibu had quit the game, albeit for personal reasons.

So Zimbabwe’s attempts to build a decent side has gone to bits, yet again.

Zimbabwe’s problems started with the 2003 World Cup when their best-ever batsman Andy Flower and fast bowler Henry Olonga staged a very public protest against the political situation of the country. Then willingly an entire generation of cricketers were allowed to leave, as the cricketing world so concerned about Associates looked the other way.

While Associates like Ireland and Afghanistan showed some spark, the international cricketing community must look to put the Full Member world in order, before trying to bat for the minnows. What is the point of having 14 sides at a World Cup when the Full Members themselves are in shambles?

You also have the situation in West Indies, where the very identity of the Island grouping will surely come into question shortly. West Indies players have rebelled time and again, as they battled the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) over payment issues. Senior players Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard are not there Down Under with the squad as a punishment for rebelling. Similarly with Pakistan the fact that the side does not get to play at home and also has limited opportunities in lucrative leagues, has meant that the development of the sport there is slowing down.

Can cricket still afford to be concerned about the associates, when their actual strength the Test playing world is struggling? It is all very well to battle for the rights of an Ireland and Afghanistan, but what about Pakistan, West Indies and Zimbabwe? Cricket surely cannot be a 10-team sport, but growth of the game at the cost of the core members is not a good sign.

The best example of world cricket’s apathy is the state of Kenyan cricket. Once the darling of the same outrage fraternity is now nowhere on the scene. Kenya has lost their ODI status and have an even bigger battle to qualify for the 2019 World Cup. A 2003 World Cup semi-finalist, Kenya was a victim of poor administration. Again the world cricket community looked the other way as the gains of the 2003 effort was not built on.

Let’s not make the same mistake again or else cricket will reduce to being a mere one country sport like most American sports.

Source:: Indian Express