Lara to grace Zim Cricket Awards

[CrimsonAvenger]

http://www1.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=1209&cat=5

LEGENDARY West Indies cricketer Brian Lara — who rose from Santa Cruz in Trinidad and Tobago to become one of the greatest batsmen in the history of the game — will visit Harare next week in yet another massive boost for Zimbabwe Cricket.

The 41-year-old former West Indies captain has accepted an invitation to be the guest of honour at the 2010 CBZ Bank Cricket Awards in Harare on September 3 in a big vote of confidence in the developments taking place in the domestic game.

Lara’s presence at the ZC annual awards might just be ceremonial, but there is no doubt that it will send big signals around the world that the domestic game has since moved from isolation and is taking big steps in its journey to return to the big time.

It’s a massive public relations coup for the ZC leadership which appears to be finally winning its battle to convince the world that the game that it leads in this country has buried its troubled past and is now ready to embrace a new era.

For when such leading global cricket personalities like Lara dance in your playground, it sends big signals around the globe that it’s not all doom and gloom in your backyard and you have a brand that now has appeal.

Only two years ago, the gospel that was being spread around the world was that Zimbabwe had turned into a security risk that teams were keeping away from touring this country.

The game was certainly facing challenges, triggered by that unfortunate split between some of the players and the management which took a racial tone in the international media, and life was being slowly squeezed out of ZC.

But things have changed.

Slowly a competitive Zimbabwean national team is being assembled, major cricket playing nations like India and Sri Lanka have led the way in touring here, relations with other countries are being restored and, crucially, there is life in the structures of the domestic game.

A competitive franchise system has changed the quality of the domestic game, breathed interest among the fans, given players reason to compete, brought in an array of international stars to work here and spread the gospel — around the world — that the game is emerging from its crisis.

Only last week, ZC unveiled former South African fast bowler Allan Donald and former Aussie pace man Jason Gillespie as the latest big name cricket personalities to agree to work in the domestic game.

Donald and Gillespie will coach two domestic franchises and such is the enthusiasm in the project that the South African legend even wants to stay here longer than the initial one-season period of his contract.

Gillespie’s decision to come and work here, and bring along his wife and young family, was also a big boost for ZC given the concerns that had been coming from Australia about the security situation in this country.

For Gillespie was not just an ordinary Aussie fast bowler, but he is ranked as the sixth best, among the battery of pace men to have played for Australia in Test cricket.

Now, Lara has just confirmed that he will grace the ZC annual awards next week and this has delighted the game’s leadership.

"We are honoured that a cricket personality like Brian Lara has agreed to come and be with us on the day that we will honour the stars of Zimbabwe Cricket," said ZC managing director Ozias Bvute.

"If you have to put it in football context, it’s like Pele agreeing to come and be the guest of honour at our Soccer Stars of the Year.

"We are humbled by Lara’s decision to come here because to us it means a lot more than him gracing the occasion but also shows that he is happy to be a partner of Zimbabwe Cricket.

"For us that is very important in our quest to get back to where we believe we belong among the Test playing nations of this world and you can’t get a better player, as a model Test cricketer for your players, than Brian Lara."

Lara is not an ordinary cricketer.

Born in Santa Cruz in Trinidad and Tobago, the 10th child in a big family of 11 kids, Lara worked his way to become probably the most dominant batsman of his generation and gave the game a celebrity face that won it millions of new fans.

He holds the highest individual score in first class cricket, an unbeaten 501, for English county side Warwickshire against Durham at Edgbaston in 1994, and it remains the only quintuple century in the history of first class cricket.

He also holds the record for the highest individual score in a Test, an unbeaten 400 for the West Indies against England in Antigua in 2004, which helped him reclaim a record that had been smashed by Matthew Hayden in his majestic 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003.

Lara is the only batsman to ever score a hundred, double century, triple century, quadruple century and quintuple century in first class cricket.

He also holds the Test record of scoring most of the runs, in a single over of a Test match, when he smashed South Africa’s Robin Peterson for 28 runs in 2003. Lara, who retired from international cricket in April 2007, left the world with super memories and his match-winning knock of 153 against Australia in Bridgetown, Barbados, in 1999 has been rated by Wisden as the second best batting performance by an individual in the history of Test cricket. Only Donald Bradman’s 270 runs for Australia in their Ashes showdown against England in 1937, is rated as a better knock.

Now Lara will grace the ZC annual awards next week which are being bankrolled by CBZ Bank and the local game’s leadership could not have found a better model, in terms of players, for those who will converge at the gala. CBZ Bank increased its support of cricket in Zimbabwe when it signed as the title sponsor of this year’s annual cricket awards. "Our relationship with CBZ Bank was solidified this April when they took on the sponsorship of the men’s one day international (ODI) team (and) it is both fitting and commendable that they have decided to complement this important role by assisting us in acknowledging all the outstanding performers of the 2009/2010 season," said Bvute. "We are honoured to have them on board." CBZ Bank Limited chief executive John Mangudya said it was key that outstanding performance was honoured. "These are professional sportsmen and women and like every profession, it is critical that outstanding performance is recognized and celebrated. We wish all the nominated candidates the best of luck".

The CBZ Bank Cricket Awards were introduced to pay special tribute to the leading cricketers of the day and honor those who have played a significant role in administering and developing the sport in Zimbabwe. Former Zimbabwe captain Prosper Utseya won the Cricketer of the Year last year while Raymond Price was voted the best bowler and Hamilton Masakadza the best batsman.

2010 CBZ Bank Cricket Awards Categories

Best Schools Cricketer
School Administrator of the Year
Umpire of the Year
Scorer of the Year
Groundsman of the Year
Franchise Team of the Year
Best Administered Franchise
Provincial Association of the Year
Interfin Bank Rookie of the Year
Zimnat Most Promising Cricketer
Coach of the Year
Female Cricketer of the Year
Most Valuable Employee
Manager of the Year
CBZ Bank Batsman of the Year
CBZ Bank Bowler of the Year
CBZ Bank Cricketer of the Year
Media Award

[Conant]

Sounds like a Robson Sharuko piece. Or Lawrence Moyo. A news piece becomes an opinion piece/editorial/commentary piece. Nice bit of information Crimson, but not good journalism this. It just meanders to nothing afterwards

[CrimsonAvenger]

but not good journalism this. It just meanders to nothing afterwards

Agree, too much content, and can't make out what the writer wanted as the point of focus here. Trying to fill everything in one article.

But anyway, Lara's visit is what we must focus on, and let us see what he says about Zim Cricket during his visit. A few encouraging words from him would do a world of good to the budding talents in the country.

[bayhaus]

A few encouraging words from him would do a world of good to the budding talents in the country.

Whaaat! Just being in the same room with the dude will do em a whole lot of good! Nice one Lara good on you man!! had the honour to see Lara get yorked by streak at HSC although I would have been just as happy to see him score a double,triple or quad!

[andybligz]

great news things only keep getting better, lets hope it keeps going this way! good on brian lara was a amazing batsman and obviously a great bloke as well.

[shumbat]

Zim cricket attracting a lot high profile ex players, won't surprise me in the near future, Lara being quoted for a coaching job in Zim

[jamthala]

good thing,