Will Zimbabwe qualify?

Participate in discussion with your fellow Zimbabwe cricket fans!

Will Zimbabwe qualify?

Yes
13
41%
No
19
59%
 
Total votes: 32

Kriterion_BD
Posts: 7035
Joined: Sat Nov 07, 2009 8:41 am

Re: Will Zimbabwe qualify?

Post by Kriterion_BD »

eugene wrote:
Thu Feb 22, 2018 7:57 pm
I actually like the no semifinal format. I just don't trust our guys in an elimination match. A longer tournament fill me with more confidence.
Exactly. You have 5 games where you have chance even with one bad game, plus you have NRR. Given how unpredictable even WI and AFG are, two bad games will still most likely keep a team in the hunt. This is going to be a VERY exciting tournament, and anyone with a history of coronary artery disease should avoid!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjtuZBykSzM (Noreaga - Blood Money Part 3)

Mueddie28
Posts: 1114
Joined: Tue Feb 09, 2016 7:59 pm

Re: Will Zimbabwe qualify?

Post by Mueddie28 »

Kriterion_BD wrote:
Thu Feb 22, 2018 9:51 pm
eugene wrote:
Thu Feb 22, 2018 7:57 pm
I actually like the no semifinal format. I just don't trust our guys in an elimination match. A longer tournament fill me with more confidence.
Exactly. You have 5 games where you have chance even with one bad game, plus you have NRR. Given how unpredictable even WI and AFG are, two bad games will still most likely keep a team in the hunt. This is going to be a VERY exciting tournament, and anyone with a history of coronary artery disease should avoid!
Afghanistan defeats Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe wins the rest of group matches..
Zhuwao applies for citizenship in Ireland or Scotland
Keefe never return to Zimbabwe

PGada
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2018 3:54 am
Location: England

Zimbabwe Cricket (Early 2000s to Present)

Post by PGada »

WHAT WAS IT LIKE PLAYING WITH THE TOP TEST PLAYERS OF THE TIME IN THE EARLY 2000'S? TOUGH COMPETITORS?

Hi Admin - Thanks for the question and remarks, I think I will be able to contribute on the forum when asked specific questions. Before I answer your question, can I please check something, I was trying to change my username from PGada to PatrickGada but was not able to do so. How come? Are you the only one allowed to change users personal information? I hope to be on the forum for now and will let you know when I need to leave thanks.

ANSWER - If I may start off by saying that with a well organised, competitive school system, I left Prince Edward High School (PEHS) in 1995 and joined Old Hararians CC (OHCC). At OHCC, I was fortunate to have Trevor Penney an ex PEHS boy, former fielding coach for India, Sri Lanka and currently helping the Netherlands (who at the time was English qualified and playing County cricket for Warwickshire CCC) as the OHCC captain. Trevor was a highly clever cricketer, batted at 4, good and electric between the wickets, not explosive but was adept at hitting singles and doubles. Trevor used to let me open the batting, taught me a great deal about batting and always offered me clear instructions before going out to bat. Trevor was an amazing fielder, who also taught me some great fielding skills. Come rain, thunder or storm, Trevor Penney would always be the first person to arrive for club training every Tuesday and Thursday evening from 4pm, waiting in the club pavilion to take everyone for training or a possible road run around the Milton Park suburb if need be.

At OHCC (1996 - 2000), there were other senior experienced cricketers including Paul & Bryan Strang, Eddo Brandes, Donald Campbell etc. junior players like myself, Gary Brent, Richard Simms, Ray Price, Amos Maungwa, Kenny Mercury, Greg Lamb, Dirk Viljoen who used to score bags of runs in club cricket all benefited a great deal from the OHCC set up in terms of professionalism, game preparation and game intelligence from the main driver in Trevor Penney, other senior players under the club management of Ian Tinker and Russell Tiffin (International Umpire). The great Dave Houghton used to help as well with coaching time to time. Training sessions at OH Sports club were a great lesson, I recall Eddo Brandes hitting amazingly high and long catches from one end of the boundary to the other, one only left or finished practise when five catches in a row were taken. It was great training with other very good young players including Gary Brent, Dirk Viljoen, Richard Simms, and Ray Price who I all played with from High school days in the 90s.

1998 was a historic and great year for Zimbabwe. On 27th June 1998, the great architect David Houghton (King of Zimbabwe Cricket, former National Team Captain and Coach), completed his fund-raising walk from Bulawayo to Harare and raised (about US$40,000) towards the establishment of a new national cricket academy in Zimbabwe. With Trevor Penney’s recommendation to join the Zimbabwe CFX Cricket Academy, I was accepted for the 1999 season intake.

In March, 1999 aged 21years old, I made my first class cricket debut for the Zimbabwe CFX Cricket Academy against the Australian Commonwealth Bank cricket academy at Alexandra Sports Club (ASC), a side including Brett Lee, Corey Richards, Simon Katich, Graham Manou, Marcus North, Michael Klinger, Ashley Noffke, Tamma Canning, Brandon Hodge (Captain), to name a few, at Alexandra Sports Club, in Harare, Zimbabwe. In the same year, I played a practice match for the Zimbabwe cricket academy against the Zimbabwe national team including Andy Flower, Murray Goodwin, and Alistair Campbell at Harare South Country club.

It must also be remembered that just before the early 2000s, the Zimbabwe 1999 ICC World Cup squad at the 1999 England World Cup was a great side, beating India in the second group match, to make it two wins out of two, and made it to the Super Six stage. The team included Neil Johnson, Paul Strang, Murray Goodwin, Alistair Campbell (Captain), Guy and Andy Whittall, Pommie Mbangwa, Dirk Viljoen, Stuart Carlisle, Heath Streak, Eddo Brandes, Adam Huckle, Henry Olonga, Andy and Grant Flower.

I remember seeing Murray Goodwin for the first time in 1998/99 training in the then very fast paced nets at Harare Sports club behind the main Test venue (HSC Ground B as we called it). I was impressed, I had not seen many in Zimbabwe players pull and cut the ball as well as he did at the time but having learnt part of his cricketing skills in Australia on fast bouncy tracks, I was not surprised at how adept he was when playing the short ball, he smashed anything short with great timing, power and precision.

I also played some club matches against Murray Goodwin and he was always tough to get out, I remember always wanting to do everything well when I came up against the Zimbabwe national team players and always making sure that if any chance came my way in the field, I could not afford to drop it as a lot of these guys were tough highly intelligent and smart competitors who gave you one chance. As I saw them on TV, when I did play against some of the national team players, I always felt I had something to prove or at least show them that I could compete well against them although I did not always win.

Alistair Campbell was talented, had good very cricket intelligence I felt which is why he captained Zimbabwe for a long time in the 90s, but did under achieve time to time for a player of his calibre, he is still one of the most talented left hand batters I have come across, more talented than Andy Flower in my view but Andy was more hard working, more organised, thought more and focused more on the game. Alistair could time the ball well and was great off his legs.

In the early 2000s whilst in my early 20s, I have a vivid memory of playing a first class Logan Cup cricket match for Mashonaland in the same team with the great Zimbabwe batter and former World number 1 batsman Andy Flower in 2001/2 in what I recall was or was one of his last first class matches in Zimbabwe before moving to England to play with Essex CCC. He batted at 3 and scored a chance-less and flawless hundred, I remember seeing everyone sat in their seats at the then new Harare Sports Club pavilion (balcony) glued on silently from their seats as Andy crafted what was a great educating ton, he did not give a chance or go aerial. This was not a surprise because Andy and Grant Flower used to work like donkeys and I am yet to see other hard working cricketers. I used to see them at Harare Sports Club (between 1999-early 2000s) time to time running on the square or up and down the spectator stands in the extremely hot Zimbabwe sun with all their batting gear on including helmets to strengthen leg muscles and build physical endurance capacity.

In the late 90s to early 2000s I was fortunate to play with and other Zimbabwe cricketers such as the great all-rounder Mark Burmeister in and for Mutare Sport Club and Manicaland, Trevor Madondo, the late Tafadzwa Madondo (the late great Trevor Madondo`s young brother), Craig Wishart, Gus Mckay, Ebrahim Ali Essop-Adam, Craig Evans, Gavin Rennie, Trevor Gripper, Stuart Carlisle, Andy Bignaut, Dion Ebrahim, Douglas Marrilier, David Mutendera, Douglas Hondo, Mark Vermeulen, Jason Young, Dion Ebrahim, Neil Ferreira, Mark Wagh (Warwickshire CCC and Nottinghamshire CCC), Tatenda Taibu, Guy Whittal, Heath Streak, Darlington and Everton Matambanadzo, Moses Chitare, Shepherd Makunura, Walter Chawaguta, Bernard Pswarayi (good swing bowler, represented Zimbabwe U19s alongside Henry Olonga and George Tandi in the early to mid-90s), Pommie Mbangwa (slow medium pacer but accurate), Brighton Watambwa (one the best and fastest bowlers to ever come out of Zimbabwe), as well as some upcoming talented younger players at the time such as Elton Chigumbura, Hamilton Masakadza, Tinashe Panyangara, Vusi Sibanda, Prosper Utseya, to name a few.

Despite some racial challenges, the 1990s and early 2000s still did show signs of some comradely amongst cricketers of all races. Personally, I remember kindly asking the great Dave Houghton for a playing kit bag, and he promised to bring me one from an Indian tour he was embarking on. He brought me a nice blue kit bag, which I used for many years. Grant or Andy Flower once gave me a used, but very good and light Hunts County bat. With sponsorship deals for equipment not available or costly, one had to make use of whatever kit available and look after it with great care which I always did, I remember sleeping with my bat next to me in bed as it was a most priceless and highly treasured possession.

AS STATED BEFORE in various articles and documents - The political turmoil, tension and chaos that has occurred in Zimbabwe since 2000 has mirrored what has gone on within Zimbabwe cricket to date in 2018. Peter Chingoka, Ozias Bvute, unwitting associates and puppets at the helm of ZC purporting to be sports administrators, have taken advantage of this situation to enrich themselves and cronies. Rather than create professional conditions for all, they have created an ANOMALOUS CONDITION, one which they know they can best and could only thrive in, and a way for many administrators with no cricketing expertise to come into cricket, thus leaving the game being mismanaged by politically motivated administrators for personal gain.

In 2018 - The club and first class structures in Zimbabwe in recent years have not been well organised, been marred by multiple cancellations and postponement of fixtures, many grounds are dilapidated or now out of use, others have just about been maintained but as we all know – maintenance is not development, grassroots cricket development has not been given top priority, the welfare of development coaches has been ignored and thrown in the bin, the welfare of players has been ignored with many struggling to survive including first class players not able to afford bus fare to matches or buy some of the necessary tools of the trade such as batting gloves whilst many in the ZC administration have been getting 6 figure annual US dollar contracts as well driving and changing several expensive luxurious cars. For a Test nation, THIS IS NOT NORMAL, not normal at all and by letting things go to ground and not being professional administrators, ZC are trying to milk a cow they are not feeding. ZC ADMINISTRATION HAVE NOW NORMALISED THE ABNORMAL AND HOW LONG CAN ZIMBABWEANS KEEP ACCEPTING SUCH NONSENSICAL MOVES AND AGENDAS.

LOOKING AT THE TURN OF EVENTS FROM THE EARLY 2000s - Peter Chingoka, Ozias Bvute and associates used the “2001 ZC racial integration exercise and policy introduction” as a weapon to dispose many who were running a once thriving sport to achieve personal goals and agendas, thus, enrich themselves and associates. The question that lingers on is why many non-cricketing people were brought into cricket administration over the years? How come those that came in to spearhead a hastily organised racial integration policy, were suddenly elevated to positions of authority, then created a system of patronage to stay in power, and in 2018, are still tasked with making cricketing decisions in ZC? Along the way, they have bulldozed to the ground and destroyed many cricketing careers, they continue to do so - CAN THEY BE TRUSTED? I MAY BE A MARKED MAN AMONGST SOME IN ZC AND THEY MAY DO ANYTHING TO SILENCE OR DESTROY ME AS I HAVE BEEN WARNED. I CANNOT CONTROL THAT BUT MY WISH IS TO SEE A PROSPEROUS ZIMBABWE CRICKET WITH CRICKET AS A THRIVING SPORT LIKE IT ONCE WAS.

IN 2018 - ZIMBABWE IS NOT TALENTED ENOUGH AS A SPORTING NATION TO HAVE AND ACCOMMODATE ABYSMAL AND CORRUPT SPORT ADMINISTRATORS. A CHANGE IN THINKING AND OPERATION IS REQUIRED NOW BEFORE ZIMBABWE CRICKET SUFFERS FURTHER HARM AT THE HANDS OF CORRUPT INCOMPETENT ADMINISTRATORS WITH VERY FEW PLAYERS AND COACHES BENEFITING.

Thank you,

Political Commentator interested Social issues and Positive Intercultural Communication, Zimbabwe Cricket fan and a former Player/Coach,
Patrick Gada

WhatsApp - 00447712339722
Twitter - PatrickGada1
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LinkedIn – Patrick Gada

Googly
Posts: 14197
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2013 5:48 pm

Re: Will Zimbabwe qualify?

Post by Googly »

Nice article, thanks. Look at those players in that side.
That era of cricket was our opportunity to go from being competitive to being really good and when cricket had it’s biggest following. I have great recollections of the Currie Cup days as well. The games in Harare were usually played at Police Grounds, in those days you could sit on the boundary. Any drinks break or at lunch saw perhaps 30 informal mini cricket games going on with literally hundreds of kids enjoying themselves. We all hero worshipped Proctor, and watching him steaming in from the side screen with the whole country behind him is indelibly burned on my brain. Robin Jackman was heavily involved in youth development and he often used to come to the schools and hand out folders with pull out sheets of fielding positions and coaching tips. He’d then hand out free Bengal juice (chocolate milk) at the end of the session. We lived for those free Bengal Juice!
Cricket in those days was amateur and semi professional. A lot of companies used to employ good sportsmen in soft positions so they could have time to practice and play. There’s a generation since those days (showing my age), and perhaps I remember them too fondly. I recall listening to entire games on the radio when we played away. Glen Byrom was the sports reporter and used to accompany the team, he has some fantastic stories and a great memory.

Googly
Posts: 14197
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2013 5:48 pm

Re: Will Zimbabwe qualify?

Post by Googly »

So much time has passed under the current administration that there’s a generation that knows no different. Any people with firm ideas on how things should be run have long since gone or been removed or simply tow the line.
I’ve always maintained that the players should organize themselves better and their reluctance and inability to do so is vexing. They could bring pressure to bear in many areas, the most obvious being salaries. How do ZC manage to not pay the guys for extended periods without people getting together and demanding the pittance they’re due?
I know key guys usually get their money and the majority resign themselves to being messed around. Any thoughts why this happens, Patrick?

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CrimsonAvenger
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Re: Will Zimbabwe qualify?

Post by CrimsonAvenger »

Wow! that was a great read Patrick, thanks for sharing those details.

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zimbos_05
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Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2012 6:00 am

Re: Will Zimbabwe qualify?

Post by zimbos_05 »

Heart said yes. Head is laughing at me.

Terryalderman
Posts: 136
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2009 9:51 am

Re: Will Zimbabwe qualify?

Post by Terryalderman »

Happy days!
Unfortunately looking back isn’t going to help the current lot, it would be nice wipe the admin slate clean though!

tawac
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Re: Will Zimbabwe qualify?

Post by tawac »

Great read Mr Gada. Just sad to see our cricket in the wrong hands.
CHRISTOPHER MPOFU: 'The problem was fear of failure. I used to think that when I played, if I didn't do well in one game, I would lose my place for the next one but now I've let go of that'

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grant
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Re: Will Zimbabwe qualify?

Post by grant »

Wow, that was an amazing read! Thanks for sharing your views.

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