adminthe game’s fans at some point.
And this became reality at the conclusion of the ODI series against Bangladesh in Bulawayo.
Throughout the ODI series, as well as the Test match, it was pleasantly noticeable that the intensities in all departments of the Zimbabwe team were very high.
That is, until the series was decided, in the nail-biting cliff hanger at Harare Sports Club when Zimbabwe won the third ODI tie.
The arrival of the teams in Bulawayo, promptly saw the return of the Zimbabwe side that had so many followers had become accustomed to.
And we all started again to rip out our hair in frustration with familiar disappointment with catches being dropped and, in particular, shots being played that could only be described as appalling.
One got the feeling that Brian Vitori’s injury got to the rest of the bowlers and the perception was that they had come to expect him to carry the load and take wickets.
Vitori became the inspiration where the entire team found their rallying cry.
It’s an observation, which certainly will be disputed by the rest of the team, but the lack of urgency was clear for all to see in Bulawayo and told a big story.
We certainly have a problem, as a cricket nation, if all that we can do is to be powered by a rookie bowler because putting all the load on him will have disastrous consequences.
But when a series is won, there surely are more positives than negatives, regardless of the final two matches.
We have already spoken at length about Vitori’s single-handed demolition job and his attitude and desire to learn.
It’s worrying, though, given that he is a fast bowler, that after a handful of matches, he finds himself struggling with shin splints.
The man who really impressed and disappointed at the same time was Vusi Sibanda.
It was so refreshing to see his aggressive approach at the top of the order. His muscular pulls in front of square and his effortlessly timed cover drives off both back and front foot, as well as a sound technique in defence, comfortably makes him Zimbabwe’s most attractive batsman.
With the starts he got, he would be the first to admit that three of his five knocks should have been converted into hundreds.
Even though the pull shot got him out on a few occasions, it would be good for batting coach Grant Flower to help Sibanda find a balance and help in the shot and not stop him from playing it altogether.
But Flower is an experienced hand and will know how to deal with the problem.
And so Zimbabwe now await the arrival of Pakistan, who will certainly be a step above Bangladesh, and senior players such as Elton Chigumbura and, to a lesser extent Tatenda Taibu, will have to stand up and be counted alongside the rest of the team if we are to compete and put smiles on the faces of the cricket fans.
- Dean du Plessis, a leading Zimbabwe cricket commentator and writer, writes exclusively for The Saturday Herald, the newspaper with the biggest sports coverage in the country. He can be contacted at – [email protected]
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