Blame Game
Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2016 11:43 pm
It’s really sad to see so many young talented cricketer leaving Zim to secure their futures overseas.I recently found out one promising young Zim fast bowler, Shane Snater has made a debut for Netherlands. Seriously? We are a test playing nation, and don’t we have better opportunities in Zim? If you are a good player( better than average) you can surely represent Zim regardless of your color. Look at Raza( failed for years and still plays), and all the remaining white guys who have all got the chance to play. Guys like Ervine, Cremer are still playing for Zim since they both know the importance of playing international games/ test matches against quality oppositions.
We blame administration, political turmoil, bad economy, not getting enough games, not getting paid etc. and all the other negative things. But, look at other countries that are less fortunate than us. Afghanistan is a war torn country that doesn’t even have good cricket infrastructure like us, but they still play for the love of game and fans. Nepal is another good example where there is not even a single stadium, and has worse administration than ours. Most of their cricketers don’t have a cricket kit and for years they have play for free. These associates are fighting everyday to uplift their games, and here in Zim we have no fan followers and lazy cricketers who have no zest for the game. Bangladesh and Pakistan have terrorist problems, and many countries have denied playing there. Kriterion has said that Zim players are paid more than their players. We have good schools like Peterhouse, Falcon etc. which groom young kids from an early age( sports isn’t given a priority in many South Asian schools/homes). Where else do you get coaches like Ewing, Lamb and Blignaut in schools? We produce technically very good cricketers: Taylor, Ballance, Williams to name the few. We have continued to produce good young players, but unfortunately we are losing them. Only very few young guys understand the importance of representing their country. We all know county cricket package is lucrative, but a smart move for a young kid would be to take their scholarship, finish school, play for few years there and return back to play at the highest level just what PJ and Burl did. Most of those young kids won’t be able to even make into an average county team. Ervine and PJ couldn’t qualify in Ireland, but after their return were immediately given the national call. Our players get a modest pay , get to represent in BPL, and not to forget you get other opportunities like coaching, administration and returning to county games after their retirement( like Streak and Flower). This trend of taking advantage of Zim at an early age and fleeing overseas has to stop now. For a true sportsman there is nothing bigger than playing for your country.
We blame administration, political turmoil, bad economy, not getting enough games, not getting paid etc. and all the other negative things. But, look at other countries that are less fortunate than us. Afghanistan is a war torn country that doesn’t even have good cricket infrastructure like us, but they still play for the love of game and fans. Nepal is another good example where there is not even a single stadium, and has worse administration than ours. Most of their cricketers don’t have a cricket kit and for years they have play for free. These associates are fighting everyday to uplift their games, and here in Zim we have no fan followers and lazy cricketers who have no zest for the game. Bangladesh and Pakistan have terrorist problems, and many countries have denied playing there. Kriterion has said that Zim players are paid more than their players. We have good schools like Peterhouse, Falcon etc. which groom young kids from an early age( sports isn’t given a priority in many South Asian schools/homes). Where else do you get coaches like Ewing, Lamb and Blignaut in schools? We produce technically very good cricketers: Taylor, Ballance, Williams to name the few. We have continued to produce good young players, but unfortunately we are losing them. Only very few young guys understand the importance of representing their country. We all know county cricket package is lucrative, but a smart move for a young kid would be to take their scholarship, finish school, play for few years there and return back to play at the highest level just what PJ and Burl did. Most of those young kids won’t be able to even make into an average county team. Ervine and PJ couldn’t qualify in Ireland, but after their return were immediately given the national call. Our players get a modest pay , get to represent in BPL, and not to forget you get other opportunities like coaching, administration and returning to county games after their retirement( like Streak and Flower). This trend of taking advantage of Zim at an early age and fleeing overseas has to stop now. For a true sportsman there is nothing bigger than playing for your country.