The world according to Prosper, by Tristan Holme

[Conant]

Prosper Utseya knows that people are talking about him, but he doesn't seem too bothered. Over the past year, but particularly since he returned to the Zimbabwe side with a new bowling action, Utseya has been tried in the court of public opinion and found guilty of a range of offences, including but not limited to: espionage, cronyism, skulduggery and racism.

http://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/922005

[bavuma_rabada]

"Like a sloth with bilharzia" - That one must surely belong to Brendan Taylor.

I wonder when the se journos will reveal who their sources in the team are or were, which won't be too hard - the golfing buddies - Jarvis, Taylor, Williams, Cremer, Price, Malcolm & Raza.

Utseya's view on Graeme Cremer's reselection after two years out of the game, an injustice he bemoans at length in both his letter and our conversation

That was a shameless act on the part of ZC and will haunt the organisation for many years to comeEspecially because Caig had similarly benefitted.

I've always thought that Utseya and Chigumbura are close, but it seems Sibanda too. perhaps it explains his

Zvimba, however, denies Utseya's claims that FICA was paying him without the players' knowledge. He says his relationship with the players became strained when Utseya and two other committee members, Elton Chigumbura and Vusi Sibanda, wanted him to employ their wives at the ZPCA and he refused. He further claims that in a meeting with ZC over player affairs, ZC consultant Ozias Bvute "categorically said to Prosper: 'Get rid of Zvimba and I will give you what you want.'"

That bastard Campbell!

Campbell's first stint with ZC, as chairman of the cricket committee and chairman of selectors, began in 2009. In 2010 the team travelled to the West Indies. "During that tour, already there was a plan in motion for me to be removed," Utseya claims. "One day I was late to board a team bus - I think by a minute - and the bus left. I got a lift with a liaison officer, who said, 'Do you know that the other day I gave a lift to Alistair [Campbell], Dave Houghton and a few others, and they were saying that they don't want you as captain?' He told me some inside info, but I sort of had an idea."

Father Butcher!

Alan Butcher was appointed coach around that time, and gradually got a feel for the situation. "It became obvious that Prosper was in a difficult position because he'd been appointed by a black board but was working for a predominantly white cricket committee," he says. "But nobody appeared to talk to him or find out what he was thinking, and I think he felt quite isolated. I found him initially to be quite a suspicious person, but if you've grown up in Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe cricket then it probably makes you that way."

In his letter Utseya wrote that he has the "second best win record for a Zimbabwean Captain [30% after 68 games] second only to Alistair Campbell [31% after 88 games] and better than previous captains in the likes of Duncan Fletcher, Dave Houghton, Andy Flower and Heath Streak."

Economic Freedom Fighter. Bikoist!

Utseya uses the exchange as evidence of why Campbell supposedly has it in for him: "I am the target as I am seen as the brains behind black cricketers and the one who stands for the black rights as evidenced by the email exchanges with FICA representatives."

Viva Prosper Utseya Viva!

[eugene]

Prosper is still fighting the war of apartheid but fails to realise that ended a long time ago. If he is the brains behind black cricketers in Zimbabwe I feel sorry for them. The fact that Prosper and his gang wanted their wives to get some made-up jobs speaks volumes on how he feels entitled to pretty much everything. His views that the team can only succeed if it is entirely segregated with 11 whites or 11 blacks just shows what a sick individual he is.

[Conant]

Tristan Holme professes to air out Prosper Utseya's side in this interview. But he's already judged and taken a side long before this article and his quote that "Prosper sulked around like a sloth with bilharzia" is hugely unnecessary, filled with malice and spite.

[eugene]

Prosper's stats on win percentages are wrong also, and of course bavuma_rabada failed to mention that. Stuart Carlisle has a 50% success rate as captain, Terry Duffin 41%, AC 36%, and then Prosper at 30%. Not to mention only two of Prosper's victories came against the top 8.

[americanzimfan]

"Like a sloth with bilharzia" - That one must surely belong to Brendan Taylor.

I wonder when the se journos will reveal who their sources in the team are or were, which won't be too hard - the golfing buddies - Jarvis, Taylor, Williams, Cremer, Price, Malcolm & Raza.

Utseya's view on Graeme Cremer's reselection after two years out of the game, an injustice he bemoans at length in both his letter and our conversation

That was a shameless act on the part of ZC and will haunt the organisation for many years to comeEspecially because Caig had similarly benefitted.

I've always thought that Utseya and Chigumbura are close, but it seems Sibanda too. perhaps it explains his

Zvimba, however, denies Utseya's claims that FICA was paying him without the players' knowledge. He says his relationship with the players became strained when Utseya and two other committee members, Elton Chigumbura and Vusi Sibanda, wanted him to employ their wives at the ZPCA and he refused. He further claims that in a meeting with ZC over player affairs, ZC consultant Ozias Bvute "categorically said to Prosper: 'Get rid of Zvimba and I will give you what you want.'"

That bastard Campbell!

Campbell's first stint with ZC, as chairman of the cricket committee and chairman of selectors, began in 2009. In 2010 the team travelled to the West Indies. "During that tour, already there was a plan in motion for me to be removed," Utseya claims. "One day I was late to board a team bus - I think by a minute - and the bus left. I got a lift with a liaison officer, who said, 'Do you know that the other day I gave a lift to Alistair [Campbell], Dave Houghton and a few others, and they were saying that they don't want you as captain?' He told me some inside info, but I sort of had an idea."

Father Butcher!

Alan Butcher was appointed coach around that time, and gradually got a feel for the situation. "It became obvious that Prosper was in a difficult position because he'd been appointed by a black board but was working for a predominantly white cricket committee," he says. "But nobody appeared to talk to him or find out what he was thinking, and I think he felt quite isolated. I found him initially to be quite a suspicious person, but if you've grown up in Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe cricket then it probably makes you that way."

In his letter Utseya wrote that he has the "second best win record for a Zimbabwean Captain [30% after 68 games] second only to Alistair Campbell [31% after 88 games] and better than previous captains in the likes of Duncan Fletcher, Dave Houghton, Andy Flower and Heath Streak."

Economic Freedom Fighter. Bikoist!

Utseya uses the exchange as evidence of why Campbell supposedly has it in for him: "I am the target as I am seen as the brains behind black cricketers and the one who stands for the black rights as evidenced by the email exchanges with FICA representatives."

Viva Prosper Utseya Viva!

You should really read the article again because Tristan only used one unnamed source comment (the sloth one) - everyone else put their names on the record.

[CrimsonAvenger]

Tristan Holme professes to air out Prosper Utseya's side in this interview. But he's already judged and taken a side long before this article

Can't agree with that. I thought even before the article came up that Tristan would have written the article without getting Utseya's viewpoint and it would not have much to expect, but he has put these questions to him and we now know Prosper's mind on some of these "accusations" he gets. I don't think he has been judgmental anywhere, and has put up the case of both sides clearly (if anything, Utseya's side more clearly).

Quoting Utseya:

"But because the game kept on evolving, you start doing things and start developing bad habits. It was very difficult in the sense that, after ten years of playing, you get banned. Now I'm a family man, I have to put food on the table for my family."

"People might say that you've been playing for ten years and you should have invested and have something on the side that can keep you going, but the truth of the matter is that we don't get as well paid as we are supposed to. Also coming from humble beginnings, first you have to look after your parents. You have to make sure that you buy a house for them and cater for them first. That took about six years, and then you have to start looking after yourself and your family. You're starting a new life for your family, and then you get banned."

I understand all of that and respect how people overcome the difficulties in troubled economies, putting the interests of the family before your own. Having said that, while representing your country in anything, you must put country first. Your personal troubles should not matter at the level of the country (in a competition). Let someone else who appear to be better at the instant take over and participate in the country's progress. If you are not good enough to represent your country, just move on to another source of income. Put in the hard yards. Life is unfair sometimes, but your integrity is what matters in the end.

Quoting the Cremer example is sick and very convenient for your narration. Even if it was not for Cremer (who was not in picture for the world cup anyway), there were Nyumbu, Wellington, Mufudza, etc. who could have gone to the world cup rightfully, given the right chances. Given the performances till then, There was no way Nyumbu was any inferior to the new unknown bowler Utseya. He has no case here.

"My selection was criticised, but when I look at it, none of the spinners performed in Bangladesh [in late 2014], and I did better than the other spinners against Canada. No one can tell me that I didn't deserve to go to the World Cup, because it was based on statistics."

That, again, is just looking at things from your own individual point of view, and how you lose respect. Spinners not performing in BD (in a single series) is not the reason to throw them away never to return. They are known entities at least, and in case of Nyumbu, his home leg last season was filled with sparkling performances (for a rookie at international stage) and Wellington, having done well in BD in the A series, never got a chance to prove his worth with the main team.

(P.S.: This article is about Utseya, and hence focusing my comments on his statements. I have expressed my displeasure at AC's methods in the past. So, pointing out flaws in Utseya's approach and arguments do not necessarily mean that I support the other camp, if any such thing exists.)

[Jemisi]

Yeah, there is some sympathy for the fact that it is hard to make ends meet for Utseya. But that is true for everyone who is competing for his spot. He has no right to it and the methods he has used to retain it are where the problem lies. He has a sense of entitlement that is somehow manifesting against the whites, yet it is other black players that his behaviour has most harmed.

He seems to be saying that when he didn't chuck, he couldn't turn the ball. Then he did chuck and he could turn it, and he got into these habits to save his wages from the game for the sake of his family. And anyway all of the spinners are crap and he can judge himself with stats that say he isn't too bad really so he should stay because of his long tenure. That pretty much sums up most of the problems with him.

[jaybro]

Utseya is a cancer to Zimbabwean cricket the sooner he is gone the better .....

[eugene]

Interesting that Prosper has no problem claiming all of his cricketing achievements despite being a chucking cheat. Bavuma and Rabada are right, he needs to be dropped.