(Logan Cup) Tuskers v Eagles & Rhinos v Mountaineers

[MidWest Rhinos]

My concern with these young guys is that they don't get too big headed. Some of our guys are falling into that and you can tell by their play.

Big headed from...? Consistently losing to Afghanistan?

I've always felt most of the senior guys just viewed cricket as a [fat] paycheck and didn't much care for results so long as they kept getting picked. There's an air of non-chalance everytime a Hamilton gets out or Chatara gets hit. The only guy who seems fired up is Raza and he's in and out of the squad.

Big headed from being able to say "Hey baby, yeah I play for Zimbabwe, you fine, come back to mine. It's cool you can Google me" knowing damn well that if their name was Googled, that 4 from 15 balls or 65 off their 10 is going to fly right over the Googler's head.

It's not arrogance borne of performance but from who they think they are and who they are told they are. Afghanistan is an irrelevance when it's the off-field that's leading to this attitude.

[Kriterion_BD]

My concern with these young guys is that they don't get too big headed. Some of our guys are falling into that and you can tell by their play.

Big headed from...? Consistently losing to Afghanistan?

I've always felt most of the senior guys just viewed cricket as a [fat] paycheck and didn't much care for results so long as they kept getting picked. There's an air of non-chalance everytime a Hamilton gets out or Chatara gets hit. The only guy who seems fired up is Raza and he's in and out of the squad.

Big headed from being able to say "Hey baby, yeah I play for Zimbabwe, you fine, come back to mine. It's cool you can Google me" knowing damn well that if their name was Googled, that 4 from 15 balls or 65 off their 10 is going to fly right over the Googler's head.

It's not arrogance borne of performance but from who they think they are and who they are told they are. Afghanistan is an irrelevance when it's the off-field that's leading to this attitude.

I don't get the arrogance vibe from a guy like Hamilton Masakadza. I get the "meh, whatever" vibe from him. Maybe dealing with ZC for 10+ years has taken its toll...maybe he had more fire in his belly at the start of his career.

I definitely get that vibe from Sean Williams...the better-than-he-is vibe. But guys like Sibanda, Chigumbura, just kinda seem like their low in confidence all the time.

A guy with real fire in tummy was Ray Price...ZIM need another guy or 5 like him.

BD players have long been widely perceived as having the "arrogance" from "who they think they are". Most notably, Shakib, but also Nasir and more recently Sabbir as well. I don't think its totally unfounded, but I do think people are overly critical and harsh at times.

[Googly]

I'd like to see the contracts these guys have signed. It should be written in that the national players have to play franchise and club. All pro players should be obliged to do gym and practice x amount of hours a day. Of course it's hard to enforce when they don't get paid.
This arrogance and seniority thing is very prevalent and it's pathetic, being on top of a shitpile shouldn't make you think you're somebody, but it happens all the time. Hard working, humble, friendly guys are thin on the ground. As Kriterion says it's not just a Zim thing, you see it quite a bit in cricket and most professional sport, I guess. You didn't see any poor behavior on the Brents' watch at Mountaineers, and they would have toned it down in case somebody played the dreaded card. I like that old school stuff and people who run a right ship and take no shit. It's almost impossible in this environment though.
For me this attitude permeates from the top down- when you see a Board member pushing a 3 hour week and making a guest appearance in his Armani suit with those long pointy shoes it doesn't set a good example.
Once again we lack numbers to compete for slots and it's obvious that it's often about who you know. The whole culture here is upside down. Maybe those guys going on this UK tour might come back with a fresh approach, but I doubt it. I'd like to have seen them doing some fund raising, nothing like a bit of begging to bring you down to earth. When it just gets laid on for you the propensity to be a shithead is big.

[Googly]

Midwest mentioning that spat about moving a bag makes my blood boil, what a bunch of tossers, epitomizes what's wrong here.

[CrimsonAvenger]

At the other end of the spectrum, I never get tired of reading this: http://www.wisdenindia.com/cricket-arti ... play/82284

This was Dravid, after he retired. A good weekend read.

[brmtaylor.com admin]

Steve Chimhamhiwa wants to be a Test opener if his strike rate is any indication. Credit to him for the not outs though with wickets falling around him.

[Googly]

Ya good article- you wouldn't want those two clubs to have a combined side- Bucc'n Fucc.

[eugene]

I am probably entering murky waters here, but in my experiences with black Africans (which is admittedly limited to Nigeria) I have found there to be a big societal emphasis on positions and titles, and little emphasis on actual abilities or achievements. I have frequently dealt with individuals with the title of Honourable, President, etc (generally head of some small organisation) and none of them seem to do anything and just have lackeys who follow them around doing all the work. Once they attained a prestigious title, they seemingly stopped working. Many of my experiences in Nigeria could be described as a "victory of style over substance".

It certainly seems many of our cricketers work hard in their early careers and then become lax once they achieve a bit of success. Is this a cultural thing? MidWest seems to be referencing a similar attitude.

[Kriterion_BD]

I am probably entering murky waters here, but in my experiences with black Africans (which is admittedly limited to Nigeria) I have found there to be a big societal emphasis on positions and titles, and little emphasis on actual abilities or achievements. I have frequently dealt with individuals with the title of Honourable, President, etc (generally head of some small organisation) and none of them seem to do anything and just have lackeys who follow them around doing all the work. Once they attained a prestigious title, they seemingly stopped working. Many of my experiences in Nigeria could be described as a "victory of style over substance".

It certainly seems many of our cricketers work hard in their early careers and then become lax once they achieve a bit of success. Is this a cultural thing? MidWest seems to be referencing a similar attitude.

Gulf Arabs are the same...I should say many Gulf Arabs. Exceedingly spoiled, lazy, and entitled. In contrast the Indians and Chinese tend to be very hardworking and humble. For the Gulf Arabs its oil wealth thats done that.

[Googly]