Poor Dutch expose Zim

Lawrence Moyo H-Metro Editor
THE national cricket team literary sneaked back home on Sunday evening after a disappointing exit from the ICC World Twenty20.
Very few people cared as the cricket world was followed defending champions West Indies clash with in-form India in a Group 2 match. Zimbabwe are the only Test team missing from the Super 10 after failing to win the qualifiers against Associate members.

Failing to progress to the tournament proper was humiliating and the good thing is that both the captain, Brendan Taylor, and convenor of selectors Givemore Makoni publicly admitted that the performance in the play-offs was unacceptable.

Yesterday’s match between Sri Lanka and the Netherlands posed another question to Taylor and Makoni on their first full day back home as they prepare for 2014-15 contract discussions.

The Netherlands that took Zimbabwe to the last ball of their match and chased down Ireland’s 189 in 13,5 overs was bundled out for 39.
Sri Lanka secured a nine-wicket win in exactly five overs, thus with 90 of the 120 balls remaining, and that is exactly how a Full Member like Zimbabwe has to treat these minnows.

The difference, of course, is that Sri Lanka are the best T20 at present while Zimbabwe have not been that active in this format.
But that it took just 15,3 overs to decide the match yesterday while Zimbabwe needed 40 overs against the Netherlands shows that Taylor and his boys are closer to the Associate members than they are to fellow Full Members like Sri Lanka.

The Netherlands will improve after yesterday’s lesson and their captain, Peter Borren said it after the humiliation.

“Let a few people down. It was just us representing the Associates and we’ve got to do a lot better. The guys up in the dressing room are very embarrassed and hopefully we can show you guys in the next few games of what we can really do.

“We’re constantly striving for more fixtures and more funding and this sort of performance doesn’t help. It’s gonna have to improve, I don’t really know what else to say,” he said.

The good thing for Zimbabwe is that the key people in our game like Makoni and Taylor are aware of what the country needs after the embarrassment in Bangladesh.

Neither Taylor nor Makoni have used the bonus row with Zimbabwe Cricket as an excuse for the dismal show against the cricket minnows.

Because it is common cause that once they took off to Bangladesh it was about playing the game and silencing the Associate Members like Ireland and the Netherlands who have been arguing that they are at the same level with Zimbabwe.

And this can only be judged in ODIs and T20 matches where everyone plays while Test matches are just for 10 countries, including Zimbabwe.

Makoni even told H-Metro that most senior players who were in Bangladesh have overstayed in the team and will be replaced as soon as a pool of deserving youngsters is identified.

“We need to seriously look at this issue of A side (Zimbabwe A). We need to recommend and put forward to see if we can have more A side tours so that at least we expose the next crop of players.

“Not only expose them but give them a chance to put their hands up so that they can displace some of the members that are in the national team.

“You find there are guys that have been to four World Cups and they have done nothing. Despite the so-called preparations I think we need to take stock and see where we are. So it’s now time to look at the next crop . . . ”

Players, who were in Bangladesh, were not given time off as they were asked to report to their respective franchises to take part in the ongoing domestic matches.

This also suggests that the selectors, technical team and the captain are agreed that Bangladesh was a disaster and action is needed to try and take the team where it should have been after the remarkable series against Pakistan.

There is no denying that the only way for the game to improve in Zimbabwe there is need for lucrative home tours and funding from the corporate world.

And this is not helped by the stringent requirements by ICC for future funding. Zimbabwe Cricket are currently in the red and ICC need a workable plan for the ZC to be back again.

The only way for ZC will be to streamline operations between now and next year. Apart from the obvious reduction of the workforce, it also means tightening of funds for the game itself. Given that the Franchise system has failed to attract sponsors at provincial level and the burden has remained with ZC, the obvious route will be to reduce the number of franchises.

Player contracts will also be influenced by the requirement to cut operational costs and the selectors might as well start looking at players with a long future for the country.

There cannot be more room for passengers and the Bangladesh debacle should spark the revolution Zimbabwe cricket needs.