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Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
THE year 2015 was indeed a forgettable year for Zimbabwe cricket.
Despite an unusually high turnover of international matches in 2015, these could not translate into positive results in the field of play for a stuttering Zimbabwe national team.
Zimbabwe played Pakistan, India, New Zealand, Ireland, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Ireland in what was one of the most hectic years for the southern African side.
It all started with a not so impressive show at the 2015 International Cricket Council Cricket World Cup sub hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
Zimbabwe, led by Eton Chigumbura finished sixth in pool B with just two points secured from their sole victory at the tournament, a four wicket success over minnows United Arab Emirates. Zimbabwe were involved in a high scoring exciting duel with Ireland in Hobart, a match, which was however, won by five runs in the last over by the Irish.
It was at the World Cup that former captain Brendan Taylor announced he would be putting his international cricket career on hold to pursue his future with English country cricket side Nottinghamshire on a three-year Kolpak contract which prohibits him from representing Zimbabwe. This came after he had scored 433 runs at the World Cup and also surpassing Alistair Campbell with eight ODI hundreds to his name.
Zimbabwe became the first ICC Full Member to tour Pakistan since 2009 when they went to the civil war torn Asian country for three ODIs and two T20Is in May with all the matches played at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Pakistan won the three-match ODI series 2-0 with the third producing no result due to rain.
The Pakistanis also swept the T20Is by the same margin.
Zimbabwe finished off the tour despite a suicide bomber setting off a bomb near Gaddafi Stadium. The explosion left two people dead outside the stadium while a match was underway.
The tour to Pakistan caused a lot of unease in and outside Zimbabwe with the Sports and Recreation Commission which is responsible for clearing incoming as well as outgoing sports tours refusing to give the green light. The Federation of International Cricketers Association had also warned against international teams touring Pakistan after security experts had said the risk of touring was “unmanageable”.
India visited Zimbabwe in July for three ODIs and two T20Is, the Indians clinched the ODIs 3-0 with the T20Is shared 1-1.
New Zealand were next to make a trip to Zimbabwe on their way to South Africa. Zimbabwe won the first of the three ODIs by seven wickets but went on to lose the next two for a 2-1 series victory for New Zealand. The Kiwis also took the only T20I by 80 runs.
Pakistan returned the favour by visiting Zimbabwe at the beginning of October, the tourists winning the three-match ODI contest 2-1. The Asians also prevailed 2-0 in the T20Is.
A few days later, Ireland made the trip to Africa for just three ODIs. Zimbabwe won the first two and lost the last one, albeit winning the series 2-1.
Afghanistan also arrived in October for five ODIs and two T20Is with the action finally heading to Zimbabwe’s second largest city of Bulawayo at Queens Sports Club. Prior to that Bulawayo had been starved of international cricket.
The Afghans who drew a four match ODI series with Zimbabwe in 2014 showed competitiveness in their warm up matches against the Zimbabwe Chairman’s XI with the visitors winning the two practices played at Bulawayo Athletic Club.
In what turned out to be a seesaw battle, Zimbabwe recorded a comprehensive eight wicket victory in the first ODI only for Afghanistan to win the second by 58 runs. Zimbabwe were victorious by six wickets in the third ODI but went down in the fourth by three wickets. With series poised at 2-2, Afghanistan triumphed by 73 runs in the fifth to become the first Associate to beat an ICC Full Member in a multi series.
With the momentum they had picked in the ODIs, Afghanistan went on to further humiliate their hosts 2-0 in the T20Is.
Zimbabwe visited Bangladesh for a limited overs series where they were again put to the sword, losing the ODI series 3-0.
They won just one fixture, a three wicket triumph with one ball to spare to draw the T20Is 1-1.
More worrying is the performance of the national Under-19 team who are gearing up for next year’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Bangladesh. Coached by Stephen Mangongo, the juniors lost all the three 50 over matches they played against Afghanistan in India something that should be a cause for concern. At the Under-19 World Cup, Zimbabwe have been drawn to play against England, Fiji and West Indies with all the group fixtures to be staged in port city of Chittagong.
A lot of hard work has to be done by Mangongo and his technical team if the country’s up and coming talent are to make an impact at the tournament which runs from 27 January to 14 February.
On the administrative front, Wilson Manase, interim Zimbabwe Cricket chairman following the resignation of long serving leader Peter Chingoka in 2014 lost his post in an election to former vice chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani.
More troubles followed for Manase when he got banned from holding any position in any national association for four years by the SRC over the contentious tour to Pakistan.
In coming up with the ban, the SRC ruled that Manase had unilaterally given permission for the tour to proceed despite lack of authorisation from the Commission.
Manase has since challenged the ban at the Administrative Court on the grounds that it was unfair that he had been singled out when the decision to go to Pakistan was made by the whole ZC board.
Coach Dav Whatmore extended his stay after the World Cup which saw him sign a four year contract which is up for review every two years. The Sri Lanka born Australian was caught in the eye of the storm when the Mukuhlani led board claimed that the Manase leadership had paid him a two year’s salary which made it difficult to fire him when Zimbabwe suffered the embarrassing losses to Afghanistan.
Online Reporter