adminFirdose Moonda in BULAWAYO
IT was difficult to tell whether Vusi Sibanda was more uncomfortable behind the microphone when Zimbabwe crashed to 164 all out against New Zealand than if he had been batting out in the middle. His team-mates were being shot out by the short ball, a delivery that has been Sibanda’s nemesis for as long as he has been playing.“It’s easy for me sitting up here to criticise, but I always try and be a bit more careful on what I say. New Zealand have one of the best bowling attacks around.
It’s just that our batters didn’t give themselves a fair chance to be able to score big. The surface itself is a good batting wicket — there are no demons. Had we given ourselves a chance, I’m sure we would have put up a decent total.
“It’s easy to nail people and if that was me and I had done the same thing, people would be saying the same thing as well. I know the feeling and it’s not great. I have been hurting to see that and I feel for them as well.”
The conflict of interest of being a current player as part of the commentary team aside, Sibanda, who has been part of the system for 12 years, is as well placed as anyone to assess where the problems lie.
According to him, it is not as if there is a skills shortage, because Zimbabwe’s schools continue to produce technically correct cricketers, even if many of them cannot go on to pursue the game professionally.
It is more a case of being overawed by the occasion, on the few chances Zimbabwe get to play international cricket.
“We’ve all got the basics, we know how we need to go about things technically. It’s more the mindset and also getting used to batting long. Guys have to ask themselves, how long can you keep doing the basics? The mind has to then take over.”
And Sibanda is a classic example of when that doesn’t happen.
He has been chronically unable to translate his talent into international tons. In 14 Tests, he has two fifties but no hundreds. In 127 ODIs, he has only two hundreds, one of which was against a Full Member. He averages under 25 in all three formats internationally.
With a record that has not improved enough over a 12-year international career, the second half of which was full of selectorial snubs — Sibanda was left out in series against South Africa and Bangladesh in 2010, the New Zealand tour in 2012, dropped during ODI series against Bangladesh (2013) and Afghanistan (2014), left out of the 2015 World Cup squad and the tour of Pakistan later that year — the sun could be setting on him.
He was convinced he had done enough to be part of the squad for the ongoing series against New Zealand and does not know why he was sidelined.
“I thought I was going to be part of the squad, I’d done all the preparations. I didn’t get to speak to Makhaya [Ntini] or [Tatenda] Taibu, but I am pretty sure they will speak to me at some point. It’s obviously sad, but there’s not a lot I can do about it.”
That communication breakdown is symptomatic of Zimbabwe cricket’s self-termed transition under new chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani.
The starting XI for the first Test was only announced close to midnight on the night before the match, although the squad had been told they would find out after their morning practice session. Many of them spent an anxious afternoon trying to ascertain whether they had made the cut.
Perhaps even Sibanda was among them because when he arrived at Queens on Tuesday afternoon, he discovered the full extent of Tino Mawoyo’s injury. A short exchange between the two men went like this:
“I heard you got hit again,” Sibanda said to Mawoyo.
“No, not again,” Mawoyo replied. “I was only hit once and you were there.”
Sibanda was part of the Zimbabwe A side that played against the touring New Zealanders in Harare and had to stand in as an opener when Mawoyo was injured.
“But you’ll be fine to play tomorrow?” Sibanda asked Mawoyo. “No, I’m not going to play.”
In the end, Zimbabwe chose to pick the openers from the selected squad and used Chamu Chibhabha and Brian Chari in the roles.
While Chibhabha showed some promise, Chari struggled, although he had the added responsibility of keeping wicket for two days.
Now, with Mawoyo yet to have a full net, Sibanda may be in line and despite not being in action for a week, he believes he will be ready.
“You don’t lose a lot from not doing much for five or six days. I played a three-day game against the New Zealanders in Harare and even though my score wasn’t great I felt good. I will still be prepared to play but it depends on what the thinking is,” he says.
“I’m feeling in good nick. From the World Cup up until the last series we had against India, I thought everything was good.
“I’m feeling good and my confidence is up there.”
If he does not get the call-up, then he is eyeing the proposed triangular between Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and West Indies, which could be played in early November. “Hopefully I do get a gig then so I can try and fight for my spot.”
But if he is not picked, does Sibanda think his international career may be reaching its end? — Cricinfo
Online Reporter