Zimbabwe to tour Pakistan for ODI series

[SpitfiresKent]

Some grainy footage of the team arriving.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK-iopjZD2c

[jimmylesaint]

Yeah, it's pretty disappointing when the (players) overwhelming feeling before a tour is apprehension.

Once this tour is over, guaranteed PCB will never do any favours for ZC. I'm not holding my breath for PCB to ever invite us for a series in UAE. This is not the start of any sort of deep relationship between the two boards. PCB used ZC and exploited Zimbabwe's lack of fixtures.

I believe ZC's biggest ally over the last couple of years has been the New Zealand board. They were the first western country to resume proper relations with ZC, they selected strong teams and then backed all that up with a series in NZ as well.

I think it is a win win situation for both. PCB did tour Zim in the early 2000s when it was deemed unsafe.
Who's exploiting who? ZC is exploiting PCB as we get 50% of revenue and don't pay a cent to the players as that is covered by PCB. PCB are exploiting us as we need the game time and the money. Seems to me it is a mutual benefit for both parties.
If anything happens which i very much doubt, it'll be the Pakistani players that will be the easier target and they are in just as much jeopardy as the Zim players. I certainly don't see a repeat of the 2009 problems, worst case a bomb being discovered on a person at the first or second (out of 6) security checkpoints- which means spectators will get the brunt and all other games behind closed doors.
Overall a good decision by ZC for cricket in Zim and Pakistan.
God willing all will be well inshAllah.

[brmtaylor.com admin]

I think there's a big difference between the two cases though. Was there ever a point where Zim was actually unsafe - where the risk to one's personal safety was truly unacceptably high?
I can't imagine a time where I would have ever felt uncomfortable walking through Bulawayo to Queens. Good luck convincing me that walking through Lahore to Gaddafi Stadium is a good idea though

At risk of sounding like a reporter from the Herald - I always felt that Zim being unsafe (short of literally wandering on to disputed farms) was a perception stirred up by the major media outlets.

Whereas Pakistan... while I wouldn't put it in the Iraq/Afghanistan/Yemen echelon of failed states I also wouldn't it have it far behind.

[SpitfiresKent]

Ozias Bvute and Elton Chigumbura

https://vimeo.com/128251753

[auszim]

At risk of sounding like a reporter from the Herald - I always felt that Zim being unsafe (short of literally wandering on to disputed farms) was a perception stirred up by the major media outlets.

eish big call my friend...am not going to get drawn into conversation about that in this thread, but I would disagree

Re the tour, I pray nothing bad happens, I honestly don't believe the risk is worth the reward and from conversations I've had with family and contacts back home, those close to the tour were not all for the idea.

[jimmylesaint]

Ozias Bvute and Elton Chigumbura

https://vimeo.com/128251753

Oh dear, looks like the Overlord Bvute is making a come back.

What really annoys me in this clip is Bvute effectively saying our team is crap but will try their best against a much stronger Pakistan team. Has this man ever played cricket let alone a sport, because he has no idea about mental preparation.

[Conant]

You all hate Ozias Bvute for no reason. He's competent, he's a good administrator and is doing excellent public relations for Zimbabwe on that tour. As long as it isn't proven that he actually stole funds from ZC (and lets not forget two KMPG audits absolved them)then I don't know what the problem would be.

He can be a bit overbearing but who's perfect on this world? Is he competent? Yes he is - excellent in fact - what more do you want?

Bvute says we are weaker than Pakistan and we also have a problem with that? Who doesn't know that Pakistan are stronger than us! Much ado about nothing.

[Flakeman]

Calm down there Ozia....er...Conant.

[sloandog]

THAT TRAINING KIT THOUGH!!!

[jimmylesaint]

You all hate Ozias Bvute for no reason.

Really- do you think squandering ZC money into the Met Bank to the tune of $18m dollars is a good enough reason. Funnily enough now that Met Bank is a dying poor bust donkey, Bvute and his side kick Nesta are back in ZC. Do you know how much money he wasted in ZC buying lunch for the entire office day after day- no not mealie pap and relish. Nandos, Pizza etc. How much he squandered on new suits and clothes. Do you know????. of course you do Conant- you were there
Public relations,-- he is a beginner and needs to up his repertoire of big English words(as all us africans must avoid, to be fair) or stay away from the big words.

My final pet hate, how can he come out in front of the whole world with that pathetic moral sapping village mentality that Zimbabwe is weaker. For goodness sakes, how can Zimbabwe ever snap out of the mind numbing, mind crushing, defeatist attitude and mental weakness that they are just gibbering village idiots and don't deserve to win, unless they get lucky. Especially if their takingafreebieBvute is crushing them before they have even begun- who needs opposition when your own staff are destroying you mentally- after all cricket is 90% mental.
Public relations my arssse if he spent a quarter of the time thinking than he did learning his spiel parrot fashion then maybe he could get lessons and improve to live debate in about 10years. Further the reality is "Pakistan need us here, we need the money" non of this BS about brotherhood, the relationship is like a Prostitute and her John.
No my mind is the same about this man- a big ado about nothing trying his hardest to be something that he'll never be.
Although to be fair he was right about the players...thick as shit they are.