Online Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S cricket team, the Chevrons, have faced significant setbacks in recent Test matches against England and South Africa.
The Chevrons have suffered humiliating defeats, including an innings and 45-run defeat to England and losses by 328 runs and an innings and 236 runs to South Africa.
And these results highlight the growing gap between Zimbabwe and the world’s top Test-playing nations, which raises serious concerns about the trajectory the national game is taking.
The results also sharply contrast the gains which Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) have been making administratively, even winning over the International Cricket Council (ICC) to grant them some hosting rights of World Cup qualifiers and more significantly permission to co-host the World Cup itself.
Among the key concerns, as we have reported in this publication over the last few months, are that the Chevrons have struggled to compete against stronger opponents, with only two wins in their last 20 Test matches since 2018.
The team’s batting has been particularly weak, with players failing to capitalise on opportunities.
We also believe that there is a need for serious introspection by the domestic cricket family. There also appears to be questionable player selection. The process has been criticised for prioritising other factors other than form and statistics, leading to inconsistent performances.
We suggest that there be a thorough examination of the ZC and Chevrons systems to identify areas for improvement, a shift towards a fairer selection process in which selectors should prioritise statistics and performance when choosing players, rather than personal connections or biases.
ZC should also focus on developing more domestic competitions and identifying young talent to strengthen the team, which will resultantly grow the player base. The team’s senior players must also step up and match the ambitions of the association to improve the team’s performance.
After the team had captured the imagination the nation with colourful and vociferous crowds following them wherever they played, be it in England, Bulawayo or Harare, they cannot afford to drop the ball.
It was even more embarrassing for the Chevrons to lose to South Africa by such a huge margin, considering that the Southern African neighbours had rested the bulk of their players who had just won the World Test Championship and dispatched a largely youthful and inexperienced side to Zimbabwe.
The Proteas were missing as many as seven first-choice players, yet they still handed Zimbabwe one of their biggest losses in Test history. The Chevrons went down by 328 runs in the first Test and then suffered an innings and 236 run defeat in the second.
The scorecards in both matches were lop-sided in favour of the Proteas, apart from one or two sparks from the Zimbabwean players like Sean Williams and Tanaka Chivanga.
The Chevrons’ batting woes were laid bare on a batting-friendly pitch. The failures had nothing to do with external factors such as pitch conditions. After all, they were the home team.
Ironically, South Africa conducted their business with ease on the Queens Sports Club crease, declaring twice during the series after piling up huge totals.
The Proteas also set a few records. Lhuan-dre Pretorious became the youngest South African to hit a Test century on debut while Wiaan Mulder was unbeaten on 367 runs, to set a new individual record at Queens Sports Club.
He was also close to breaching Brian Lara’s world record of 400 not out scored against England in Antigua in 2004, but the South Africans declared just 33 runs short of the milestone.
With the ball, the Proteas took 40 wickets in two matches. This was in sharp contrast to the troubles that stalked the Zimbabwean bowlers.
One would then wonder what complexion this series was going to take if South Africa had decided to send their best squad that had just won the World Test Championship.
The Chevrons suffered an innings defeat inside three days at Trent Bridge. Apart from Brian Bennett’s ton and the cameo by usual suspect Sean Williams, there was nothing much to write home about on this tour.
Considering it was the first time they were playing England in 20 years; this was supposed to be an opportunity for the Chevrons to show the world that they belong up there with the big boys of the game.
After all, ZC had spent years of lobbying for contests against the cricket bigwigs.
For long, ZC have been crying for inclusion, the chance to play big nations like South Africa, England, Australia, India, New Zealand or Pakistan.
But there is a need for justification for their claim to Test cricket status and that need for more big games through performance and results.
This year presents more opportunities for redemption. This is an auspicious year for Test cricket as the Chevrons have no less than 11 Test matches scheduled from January to December.
But the Zimbabwean players did not come to the party when they needed to step up against England and South Africa. Test cricket is traditionally regarded as the ultimate form of cricket due to its demanding nature, requiring exceptional skill, endurance, and mental fortitude over five days.
Zimbabwe’s call for more Test action is not misplaced.
The more you play, the more you improve. But lately what we have seen from the team are signs of regression.
There is a serious need for candid reflections and a dissection into the heart of the ZC systems to find out the real reasons behind the continued malfunction.
The national team badge is sacred and must always be worn with pride. There should be no room for underperformers in the team.
As they turn attention to the T20I series coming up next week against South Africa and New Zealand, the Chevrons must bear in mind that local cricket fans deserve more.
The nation deserves better from their sporting ambassadors.
