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ZIMBABWE’S stunning victory over Pakistan, in a Twenty20 International match at Harare Sports Club yesterday made headlines across the world.
It’s one of the finest results, in the history of the shortest format of the game, and marks the first time the Chevrons have managed to beat the Asian giants.
While in sport it’s possible, once in a while, for such a result to emerge for David to defeat Goliath, this is one result that the world never saw coming.
Why?
Because, in terms of form, Pakistan are probably the most in-form cricket team in the world today and their sensational victory, in the limited overs series in South Africa recently, was testimony to that.
Very few countries come to South Africa, and dominate the Proteas, in the way Pakistan did and, when they crossed the Limpopo, for the Zimbabwean leg of their tour, many observers were convinced this was just a formality.
But, as they did in the first match of the series, when they had chances to beat Pakistan, before collapsing to a painful defeat, the Chevrons showed they can compete, against the world’s best.
And, yesterday, they somehow defended a very low total to blow away their opponents for just 99, and power themselves to a victory that has shaken the cricket world.
It’s even made very special when one considers that this is a Chevrons side which went into battle without their inspirational skipper, Sean Williams, who has been our best player in the past few months.
They were also without the experience of influential all-rounder, Sikandar Raza, who is recovering from surgery to remove a cancerous tumour, and top order batsman, Craig Ervine, who was injured, in the first match.
And, when you add the likes of pace spearhead, Kyle Jarvis and Tendai Chatara, one can see that this was a Chevrons side lightweight, in key personnel, but one which was pregnant with the will to represent their country, with distinction.
Despite their low score, when they batted, they didn’t lose hope and kept believing in themselves, forcing the Asian giants into mistakes, and capitalising on the pressure, to write a beautiful story, which has cheered their nation.
Every country wants to see its athletes doing well and, for those who play for the national teams, the pressure is even higher because they are representing everyone, who shares their identity and sings their anthem.
The Chevrons can beat Afghanistan, they can beat Bangladesh, it’s something the world expects, but when they find a way to beat a giant like Pakistan, it really sends the rights signals that something good is happening, in our cricket.
These are not Mickey Mouse opponents, this is the cream of the world and their skipper Babar Azam, who scored 210 runs in his side’s 3-1 series win over South Africa, is now ranked the second best Twenty20I batsman in the world.
The Chevrons win yesterday could not have come at a better time, with the country still reeling from the way Heath Streak fell from grace, when he was banned by the International Cricket Council, for violating the game’s anti-corruption code.
When it comes to Zimbabwean cricket, it’s very unlikely any player can claim to have been more popular than Streak.
He was our golden boy not only because he was a star, but he appeared someone dedicated to the cause of his country.
In a game with a troubled past, where racism was used to keep it as a sport which belonged to the white community of this country, Streak was an angel in the tough revolution, which saw it open itself to the black masses.
He was also a very good cricketer, so good that, at his peak, he was even ranked the fifth best Test bowler in the world.
For a small country like ours, which only came onto the Test arena in 1992, this was a huge achievement, for one of us, to climb that high, on the world rankings.
But, he fell from grace when he was banned by the ICC, after being found guilty of playing a part in activities which can corrupt the gentlemen’s game, his status, as an icon of the game, in this country and around the world, now lies in tatters.
Streak was found guilty, as per his admission, of going into bed with a blacklisted Indian bookmaker, when he was well aware that such associations are not allowed, in cricket, and have a potential of corrupting the game.
He knew that this was a dirty association, because the bookmaker wanted sensitive information which the ICC don’t allow to be shared with outsiders, so that the Indian conman would abuse it, for his gain, through betting in the underworld markets.
What is disappointing is that Streak was well aware of his obligations, to himself and his game, because he had been told, again and again, in seminars held by the ICC that such associations are not allowed in this game. As the Zimbabwe Cricket chairman, Tavengwa Mukuhlani, rightly said last week, this was one of the darkest days, in the history of the country’s second biggest sporting franchise
But, the game has to go on, because this was an individual who self-destructed and, yesterday, the Chevrons showed there could provide a ray of light, to illuminate the darkness, which Streak brought to the gentlemen’s game.
Now, we challenge them to go all the way, and fight to win the series, in what is now expected to be an explosive decider, at Harare Sports Club, tomorrow.
That will be something special and, as we showed yesterday, we can do it if we play without fear.
Online Reporter