RIP Zimbabwean International Cricket

[Swervy]

Well,I think we are about to see a bit of history...could this new Zimbabwe squad be the weakest ever put out on the international scene.Time will tell I guess...and maybe i will be proved wrong,but I think this up and coming series will be a shocker.

But in tribute to Zimbabwe,maybe its time to remember the good times like WC99,the good players like Andy Flower,Heath Steak,Johnson and a fair few others. There was a time a few years ago when Zimbabwe looked like they could develop into a really good team...now it looks as though they will resort to using their 20yr old captain/wicketkeeper as a bowler.

So Zimbabwe, hope you come back soon,but for now you can bugger off from test cricket

 

[Lions81]

Well,I think we are about to see a bit of history...could this new Zimbabwe squad be the weakest ever put out on the international scene.Time will tell I guess...and maybe i will be proved wrong,but I think this up and coming series will be a shocker.

But in tribute to Zimbabwe,maybe its time to remember the good times like WC99,the good players like Andy Flower,Heath Steak,Johnson and a fair few others. There was a time a few years ago when Zimbabwe looked like they could develop into a really good team...now it looks as though they will resort to using their 20yr old captain/wicketkeeper as a bowler.

So Zimbabwe, hope you come back soon,but for now you can bugger off from test cricket

It's sad really. But on the bright side, maybe Taibu will become the world's first genuine all-rounder. He bats, he keeps, he captains and he bowls!

 

[luckyeddie]

It's a joke - only I don't think that anyone is laughing.

 

[Langeveldt]

Yeah, theres been some pretty good memories, and some even better players

Oh well, maybe in 10 years time everything will be better, hopefully it will be... One has to be optimistic because the only way is up really...

 

[age_master]

One has to be optimistic because the only way is up really...

very true

 

[SpaceMonkey]

It's a joke - only I don't think that anyone is laughing.

Maybe Murli will be tbh he could get some serious figures in the upcomming tests even if Zim put out the best team they could. Basically he's gonna be facing a team that most County Second Xi's could wipe the floor with.

 

[hourn]

There surely must be a temptation to remove the two upcoming series (and any further series until sanity is restored) from the annals for statistical purposes, and treat them purely as first class matches.......???

Surely it would cheapen a players standing in the game for pounding around probably the weakest attack ever???



It's an absolute shame because Zimbabwe were starting to show some signs of potential a few years back........ what ever happened to Neil Johnson btw??

If they had their full strength team, it's definetaly a team that's improving:
A Flower
S Carlisle
M Goodwin
G Flower
A Campbell
N Johnson
H Streak
S Ervine
T Taibu
P Strang (whichever one the spinner is - always get them confused)
H Olonga

IMO that's a pretty strong side, but the only one available for selection now is Tatenda Taibu. And the second XI side would be pretty strong too.

The list of guys that have left the country, sacked or just been abandoned by the ZCU now reads:
Heath Streak, Stuart Carlisle, Grant Flower, Craig Wishart, Andy Blignaught, Raymond Price, Gary Brent , Sean Irvine, Travis Friend, Barney Rodgers, Trevor Gripper, Richard Simms, Niel Ferreria, Alistair Campbell, Andy Flower, Murray Goodwin, Adam Huckle, Neil Johnson, Doug Marillier, Everton Matambanadzo, Brian Murphy, Henry Olonga, Gavin Rennie, Bryan Strang, Paul Strang, Brighton Watambwa, Andy Whittall, Guy Whittall.

From Those 28 players, probably 25 of them would be in the best 33 players in the country.

what a sad state.

 

[masterblaster]

Shows the arrogant blindness of the ZCU, they're not interested in cricket.

Its just all about power to them.

Such a sad situation.

 

[Lions81]

Shows the arrogant blindness of the ZCU, they're not interested in cricket.

Its just all about power to them.

Such a sad situation.

Why is everyone taking the side of these cricket players? If they really loved cricket and Zimbabwe, why won't they shut up and just play cricket? They're cricketers, not politicians. Shut your mouth and play cricket.

 

[hourn]

Why is everyone taking the side of these cricket players? If they really loved cricket and Zimbabwe, why won't they shut up and just play cricket? They're cricketers, not politicians. Shut your mouth and play cricket.

agree with that, but the situation would never have occured if the ZCU didn't start acting like politicians.

It's hard to concentrate on your job when people are constantly conspiring against you.

 

[Swervy]

Why is everyone taking the side of these cricket players? If they really loved cricket and Zimbabwe, why won't they shut up and just play cricket? They're cricketers, not politicians. Shut your mouth and play cricket.

because sometimes you have to make a stand against what you think is wrong

 

[Lions81]

because sometimes you have to make a stand against what you think is wrong

But everyone's jumped to these cricketer's sides without asking any questions of them; we've given them our blind loyalty. We should be inquiring as to why they've undertaken the aggressive actions they have. Are they trying to get publicity or really effectuate change? Did they think publicly embarrassing the ZCU would make them change?

 

[Swervy]

But everyone's jumped to these cricketer's sides without asking any questions of them; we've given them our blind loyalty. We should be inquiring as to why they've undertaken the aggressive actions they have. Are they trying to get publicity or really effectuate change? Did they think publicly embarrassing the ZCU would make them change?

As John Lennon once said...'Power to the people....right on'

Lions,I take it you are playing Devils Advocate again!!!!!

 

[Lions81]

agree with that, but the situation would never have occured if the ZCU didn't start acting like politicians.

It's hard to concentrate on your job when people are constantly conspiring against you.

Fair enough.

 

[Lions81]

As John Lennon once said...'Power to the people....right on'

Lions,I take it you are playing Devils Advocate again!!!!!

Haha, actually I'm legitimately perplexed! Let's say you were trying to get someone to do something you want. Would you threaten or publicly humiliate that person in the hopes that that would make them give in, or would you go about it in a little more discreet and smarter manner? I can't help but wonder if someone who knows about winning arguments, e.g. a lawyer or a sports agent, were involved from the beginning, if this whole crisis could have been averted. But of course if Mugabe is as insane as everyone here thinks he is, then even Pamela Anderson's not getting any concessions out of those particular men!

 

[bhooth nath]

zimbabwe,are being forced to play a third-string team now due to ZCU and this will make zimbabwe a complete 1-man team (or maybe 2 with hondo) in the international cricket. seeing the fact that a zimbabwe a team were beaten by teams like bangladesh a and namibia, this zimbabwe team could be a team worser than even bangladesh.

zim should be thrown out of cricket unless they call back these 12 players and flower and olonga back.

 

[Loony BoB]

Why is everyone taking the side of these cricket players? If they really loved cricket and Zimbabwe, why won't they shut up and just play cricket? They're cricketers, not politicians. Shut your mouth and play cricket.

Play cricket? How? They aren't being selected. They work for people who are degrading the lifestyles of their friends and fellow employees. Working for them reminds me of Germans working for Hitler in the fact that they don't believe in the people that they work for but they'll be abused on some level if they refuse to do so. Look at Andy Flower and Olonga. The moment they stepped up they were forced to flee the country. Keep in mind that Olonga was the first ever black cricketer to play for Zimbabwe, so it's not like it's only white people who have decided enough is enough.

 

[luckyeddie]

Why is everyone taking the side of these cricket players? If they really loved cricket and Zimbabwe, why won't they shut up and just play cricket? They're cricketers, not politicians. Shut your mouth and play cricket.

Don't hide behind conjecture and innuendo. Come out and say what you mean.

You have claimed to be playing the 'Devil's Advocate' card a couple times in this thread, but it is a very narrow line behind taking a juxtaposed position in order to stimulate debate and quite deliberate trolling. Which is it?

The third alternative, of course, is that you genuinely believe what you are saying - and there could be a couple of reasons for that too.

a) It's about time poor whitey got his just desserts.
b) You are really Robert Mugabe and a) above still applies.

I'm just playing Devil's Advocate here.

 

[Langeveldt]

Haha, actually I'm legitimately perplexed! Let's say you were trying to get someone to do something you want. Would you threaten or publicly humiliate that person in the hopes that that would make them give in, or would you go about it in a little more discreet and smarter manner? I can't help but wonder if someone who knows about winning arguments, e.g. a lawyer or a sports agent, were involved from the beginning, if this whole crisis could have been averted. But of course if Mugabe is as insane as everyone here thinks he is, then even Pamela Anderson's not getting any concessions out of those particular men!

The problem is you cannot reason with Mugabe's Zimbabwe... Its not the board they are fighting, its a regime..

 

[anzac]

my question is what is the ICC going to do about it?????

from what I have seen it would appear they are going to play at sticking their head in the sand and hope it goes away.................

these issues in their various guises concerning the ZCU have been going on since the WC - at each turn the ICC appears to do nothing except threaten to fine any nation that does not fulfill their touring commitments (either going or hosting) regarding the Zimbabwean cricket team........

this being the case then we can hardly point the finger at any team that chooses to fulfill their obligations, particularly when their own politicians lack the necessarys to put a stop to it..............

last I heard ZIM was still suspended from the Commonwealth, IMO if the Commonwealth has decided to suspend Zimbabwe then all bets are off so far as any member nation being forced to honour these commitments to the ICC & the ICC should have recognised the decision made by the Commonwealth at the time & in turn suspended ZIM from world cricket.............as the past excuses from both sides have been that no one has been prepared to initiate any sort of action..........

excuse my ignorance etc if I'm a bit behind the times, but to me this is the same sort of scenario we saw with RSA, only in reverse (and I know we've debated this point b4) - if the principle applied then it should still apply now.............