ZC finally get their way; Taylor axed.

[brmtaylor.com admin]

http://www.brmtaylor.com/news-80.html
http://www.thezimbabwestandard.com/spor ... ystem.html

Brendan Taylor axed from Zimbabwe squad

Zimbabwe Cricket have announced their contracted players, 44 in total, for the 2008-09 season, with Brendan Taylor the only absense. Despite regular run-ins with authority, Brendan Taylor was one of the few players who, for all intents and purposes, did stand by the board through the troubled times, particularly between 2003 and 2005.

It appears ZC have hardened their stance for players not toeing the party line, with Trevor Mutangadura, the general manager for cricket affairs, telling the Zimbabwe Standard that because "Taylor left for England without signing a contract with ZC, that is why he is not in the squad for the 2008/9 season."

But never fear, the likes of Alester Maregwede and Eric Chauluka have been drafted into the squad to replace him

Drop the best coach we've had in God knows how long, and follow that up with dropping your best player... gee, they know how to run a team don't they

Situation is looking pretty dire....

[Train Driver]

Hopefully it's simply because BRM has been here in England for the summer.

Surely even ZC can't be that stupid ......

[CrimsonAvenger]

Do we have a smiley here for expressing frustration, helplessness, anger, disbelief, and you name the emotions, all in one?

[brmtaylor.com admin]

Do we have a smiley here for expressing frustration, helplessness, anger, disbelief, and you name the emotions, all in one?

You summed it up. I'm pretty speechless at the moment... completely lost for words.

[udubslegend]

its Bull$*$% you need to get experience on your side played with all of the guys ther and B.T could play as we say here u cant buy experience at Mr Price or Pick and Pay instead of recruiting and maintaining good players we still letting go of them...even if Tubby went to the u.k brother got to eat n why we have double standards dont think we can afford to lose experience......

It Hurts i know we all breeding talent etc but what of the talent that they bred 4-5 years ago and letting go...get back my teammates.....Nico ,Choki, Jimbo Gomme i.e U19 2003 and those who went before...... and see if you dont go places...B.T Elty and pro were the last once of a golden hopeful youth breed now you let b.y go why??? if there was miscommunication or supposed insubordination they should sort it out on a personal level of fine him not let him go.....Zim cricket needs the players more than the players need zimCricket coz if you have talent you play elsewhere and B.T has it trust me am talking from experience...sometimes you wonder if these peeps have cricket at heart....disappointed for real..............

[CrimsonAvenger]

I'm pretty speechless at the moment... completely lost for words.

Yes, I think most of us are. But let us try to come to terms with it, and analyze how big a thing this is.

More than 4 years have passed since the departure of Streak's rebels, and if you want to write a sentence about Zimbabwean Cricket since then, with the words "Zimbabwe" and "success" in it, you would invariably have the word "rare" also appear in it, if it is a negative one, and if it is a positive one it would definitely have the word "Taylor" in it.

Thats how synonymous Zim's success and Brendan Taylor have been. Sure, Taibu in his two stints has played a few extremely good knocks, return of Brent earlier and Price later have provided the much needed experience to the bowling department, and Sean Williams has emerged as by far the best batsman of the side. And, there have been flashes of brilliance shown by a few others too. But Taylor's impact right from 2004 has been phenomenal. And it is <No words to express this feeling> that ZC is acting as if they are spoilt for choices, when it comes to handing out contracts...

Where the hell did they unearth Maregwede from? Where was he all these years after that initial meaningless stint? Why no place for Jr. Masakadza who performed so well? Who are these Bothwell Chapungu, Bernard Mlambo, etc.? Haven't seen these names even in brmtaylor.com player pool listings...

[maehara]

Not to minimize the effect Taylor's absence is going to have, but... Reading the Standard article and another in the Sunday News (which I'm not going to link to as their site has been hacked to shreds and is littered with malicious nasties), it sounds very much as though Taylor has opted not to sign, rather than having been axed. That sounds definitely plausible to me, if you remember the stories from a few months back about his latest run-in with the Board.

Fully agree with Crimson Avenger about the names on the list, too - there are plenty of players currently more deserving of a contract than some of the ones there. But ZC is ZC, and nothing surprises me...

[Train Driver]

An interesting point about BRM, perhaps it is indeed he himself who has chosen not to commit at this stage.

He has put himself in the shop window by gaining a contract with Lashings and may well be looking to see if any alternative offers come his way, and who could blame him if that is the case ?

A few missing names that come to mind with me, other than Shingi Masakadza, are Piet Rinke, Greg Strydom, Brighton Mugochi who had such a brilliant domestic season, Prince Masvaure, Hilary Matanga, Keegan Meth, Ryan Higgins and Innocent Chinyoka who seemed to be making a comeback.

Ah well, if this is the ZC list it's just got to be the best players in Zim

[brmtaylor.com admin]

Not to minimize the effect Taylor's absence is going to have, but... Reading the Standard article and another in the Sunday News (which I'm not going to link to as their site has been hacked to shreds and is littered with malicious nasties), it sounds very much as though Taylor has opted not to sign, rather than having been axed. That sounds definitely plausible to me, if you remember the stories from a few months back about his latest run-in with the Board.

Fully agree with Crimson Avenger about the names on the list, too - there are plenty of players currently more deserving of a contract than some of the ones there. But ZC is ZC, and nothing surprises me...

You are probably right, but I doubt ZC would have gone to a lot of - if any - effort to track him down and talk to him.

Typically, sports teams do whatever they can to hold on to their best players, they do their best to keep them and stop them going elsewhere. ZC have proved time and time again (Henry Olonga, Andy Flower, the rebels leaving, Tatenda Taibu, Tinashe Panyangara, etc) that they really don't care.

[CrimsonAvenger]

You are probably right, but I doubt ZC would have gone to a lot of - if any - effort to track him down and talk to him.

Typically, sports teams do whatever they can to hold on to their best players, they do their best to keep them and stop them going elsewhere. ZC have proved time and time again (Henry Olonga, Andy Flower, the rebels leaving, Tatenda Taibu, Tinashe Panyangara, etc) that they really don't care.

Exactly my sentiments too. Indeed it could be that Taylor has simply walked out, but who is to blame for the situation we have now? Tracking down one of your best prospects is one thing that they have not done anyway, but the hostile environment they have created over the years is the reason for the whole debacle and "the talent drain" that we have now.

Well, actually this statement has become such a cliche...