mbulelo smpofu
Brandon Moyo, Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE much anticipated one-off four-day Test between England and Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge in May has got the British Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Pete Vowles, rather excited. Marking a resumption of bilateral cricket after 22 years, the May 22-25 match sees the diplomat confident the Chevrons can give England a proper contest, especially after their recent win against Bangladesh.
“It’s the first time in 22 years that Zimbabwe has had a Test match against England. It’s a huge moment. It’s historic for Zimbabwe and I had the opportunity to go and meet the players before they went to Bangladesh and they were really excited about going.
“I went to London and I visited the England and Wales Cricket Board, so it’s a great opportunity for England and Zimbabwe to play cricket again and I know the England team are very excited.
“It’s a showcase that we are friends and we do friendly things together, including playing sports. So I’m glad that they’re going, it’s a great opportunity. I think Zimbabwe will give England a run for their money, looking at how they played against Bangladesh so I am looking forward to it,” said Vowles.
However, Vowles finds himself in a bit of a quandary over which side to support. Torn between the two cracking teams, his main hope is simply seeing Zimbabwe and England playing cricket against each other again.
“It is just another better way of remembering that we have such strong bonds between the UK and Zimbabwe and our people are connected in artistic, sporting, and economic terms and this is just a nice way to signify it. So I’m going to go next month, I’ll be there at Trent Bridge.
“I’m not sure who I’m supporting, I’m not sure whether I need a shirt that has half-Zimbabwe and half-England, but I’m going to be supporting the fact that our two countries are playing cricket again and our sport. I know there are other sports too, that we’re doing together, but this is a nice one,” he said.
Despite no recent internationals, Zimbabwe and England maintain good cricket links with county pre-season tours, like Durham’s visit in March for both men’s and women’s sides. Vowles also mentioned the Gems’ UK netball tour in December and his discussions with Zifa president Nqobile Magwizi about fostering ties with the FA.
“Last week I met the new president of Zifa, and we talked about how we might be able to foster a relationship between the UK Football Association and Zifa, to think about what we can do in football.
“I hope that there’s more, that this is a way to signify that we are connected and we can play sports against each other and I hope there’ll be more to come following this,” said Vowles.
@brandon_malvin
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter