streak and the zcu

[butchering lee]

cricket is not only about skill and talent. access to facilities, decent coaches, trainers etc. will certainly help. Thus player ratios have a legitimate place in zim cricket IMO - or where is the incentive to expand the game to the 12+/- million blacks (i mean in a real way).

there are 20 odd thousand whites and they´re expected to produce a test team able to seriously compete internationally - never happen. Also, there are certainly mediocre whites in the national team who would have to seriously improve to find a place in a test team chosen from a pool talent of 4 million (conservative estimate) as opposed to the 1/4 million (very generous estimate) now - which has to be favourable.

The situation in zim now IS farcical and i think streak was the best thing in zim cricket, just great - but unless the players accept the quota system - unfair as it may seem and it will be for those who lose out (but IMO a necessary drawback) - they are just protecting there own "gifted" places.

Streak´s demands were basically reasonable as far as i can see (except the above mentioned system). A team with streak, flower, goodwin, johnson, price, ervine/vermeulan(?) along with taibu, nkala, mbangwa/olonga, hondo, matsikenyeri/masakadza would be preferable to the current one.

If both sides showed any sense...

It would also have given the majority of zimbos a greater incentive to watch and participate in cricket - remember the previous WI series in zim when masakadza scored a century?, buses were streaming into the ground bringing excited black schoolkids, who had heard he may score a ton, from thier classes on their request. Despite zim cricket being used for political gain a lot, this was a spontaneous (and obvious) reaction.

Getting into the deep end of politics is a far more complicated problem than i have time for but i love zim and zim cricket. we should not be losing quality players like flower, goodwin, olonga, johnson, murphy, the strangs, campbell, whittal, huckle,viljoen..(all early retirements) BUT neither should we fail to "exploit" the massive pool of potential talent in zim by not spreading resources to all sectors of society nor providing like rolemodels.

That last statement has elements of racism in it, i mean why should a white guy not be a rolemodel to a black guy and viceversa. After all, it is a reasonably common thing - sobers, bradman, akram...would all have fans from outside of their cultural or racial backgrounds and why not, but in zim there is some recent history (and a certain amount of reality) to consider.

[CJ D]

BL I would not see your final statement as being racist, people will always respond better to role models from similar backgrounds - how can you expect a black kid from the streets to look up to somebody , who to them, was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and say "he made it , why can't I". Which is why people such as David Beckham are so popular with most kids in britain, because they can all say that.

I see your point about the a quota system being goodfor the long term prospects of the game, but you have to feel sorry for the talented cricketers who lose their place because of it.

[butchering lee]

Originally Posted by CJ D

I see your point about the a quota system being goodfor the long term prospects of the game, but you have to feel sorry for the talented cricketers who lose their place because of it.

absolutely - especially in the next few years - no arguement whatsoever.

i suppose though, that the really talented ones would remain and the less talented ones would (hopefully quickly) be replaced by superior (this is both necessary, and bound to happen - statistically) black talent. Thus, a few years down the line (all being well) the team would be the best team on offer as well as integrated.

we can always hope

[cantplaycantalk]

Looks like the ZCU has backed down over Heath Streak and the player boycott.

That has to be good for Zimbabwe cricket in the long run. I just hope it lasts and isn't just a tactical thing.
Probably makes it much more likely that the England team to tour this winter will be the actual full 1st team as well.

[butchering lee]

no such luck!

if they´re holding out for streak´s reinstatement they may as well start securing contracts abroad (or looking for a "real" job).

they achieved somethin, i thought. mbangwa would have been a good choice as a selector but turned it down.

can´t say i´m altogether surprised - he wasn´t treated very well - i do wonder if his "conflict" were actually a reference to his duties as a commentator.

[Richard Jenkins]

I am very worried about this now, will England (if they DO tour) face a "backyard "11?
Will the 400 run world record be eclipsed?
Will England send a full strength squad?
I think the players chosen for either team should be the best on offer, but unfortunatley i don't think that'll ever happen!

[butchering lee]

RJ - one of the problems with zim was that the best on offer was never even close to the best (ind, oz, eng, SA...), largely due to the fact that the talent pool is simply too small - yet we have a larger pop. than, at least, NZ.

etiquette ( and the possibility of serious criticism) will force england to send a strong 11.

[Richard Jenkins]

I hope so!
Do you live in ZIM?
Can cricket survive now, or is it a middle class white game only?
What is the future for the twelve rebels? Is it really as grim as 'get a real job'
It must break cricket fans hearts. i'd like to see a strong game in Zim.
Even with a small pool of talent i thought zim did ok. better than Bangladesh. Didn't they beat (or nearly beat) australia in a world cup match.
World class players(Flower, Streak, Ulonga, Price) in a difficult situation.

[butchering lee]

Originally Posted by Richard Jenkins

I hope so!
Do you live in ZIM?
Can cricket survive now, or is it a middle class white game only?
What is the future for the twelve rebels? Is it really as grim as 'get a real job'
It must break cricket fans hearts. i'd like to see a strong game in Zim.
Even with a small pool of talent i thought zim did ok. better than Bangladesh. Didn't they beat (or nearly beat) australia in a world cup match.
World class players(Flower, Streak, Ulonga, Price) in a difficult situation.

i don´t live in zim anymore unfortunately but it´s marriage commitments more than anything else that keep me away..- i´m not sure cricket can survive, the economy needs to be working before funding can be given to state schools for the real development of cricket because cricket is more of a private school thing than a middle class thing (all whites attend private schools - in a class society decided by wealth even the poorest white would be middle class - i am of the "white trash" variety;- big family, tents in caravan parks some periods of our lives... but we still had a car and went to private school: the cheapest - but still private).

most cricketers had jobs anyway and certainly, again, being white in zim pretty much guarantees you a job. their future may not be in zim (which , from experience, is tragic - many 3rd, 4th or 5th genration zimbos are completely lost in europe. in fact i know more than a few who simply returned despite all) and may not be cricket - if they´re not good enough to play abroad but i´m sure they´ll be ok.

it really does break my heart, it was our advert to the outside world, i still go along with quotas but i´d love to watch zim performing well. they did ok - reached super six in the last two WC have beaten all teams in the one-day game (as far as i know) but even if we had kept ALL our players we would not have been out of the bottom three places in the table IMO.

some class players - ervine was headed that way, no class black players yet (olonga was decent - but "pommie" has a better test record and he´s not exactly class - i rate him tho. bar streak he´s my fav. bowler)

[Richard Jenkins]

Thanks! an excellent analysis.Didn't know you'd beaten everyone in ODI's!!
Zim cricket just seams to lurch from bad to worse.
Perhaps if things change in the country the situation will improve for cricket.
What do I know? i'm just a English bod living in France.