Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema, Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE Zimbabwe Under-19 cricket team was yesterday uncharacteristically cheerful as they went about conducting their business at Old Hararians.
It was the first training session since making the great trek back to the capital on Wednesday.
Zimbabwe were busy putting the final touches during their penultimate net session ahead of their match against Bangladesh at Harare Sports Club tomorrow.
The team is however out of contention of a semi-final berth at the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup as it is at the bottom of Group B in the Super Sixes stage.
Defeats to Pakistan and England during the group phase meant that they entered the Super Sixes stage of the competition without any points.
The 204-run defeat to India on Tuesday then confirmed their elimination out of the competition.
There is, however, still plenty to play for in the group as India, England (6) and Pakistan(4) will most likely go into the final round of games tussling for the top two slots that go through.
India and England are tied on six points with the Asians on top due to a superior net run rate.
Pakistan are third with four points and still have a mathematical chance of sneaking through.
Pakistan and India meet on Sunday at Queens Sports Club, with that derby a repeat of the Asia Under-19 Cup final last month.
Pakistan won that match by 191 runs and nothing short of a repeat will give them a short at making the semi-finals.
England, on the other hand, can confirm their place with a win today against New Zealand, another team that has been already knocked out.
Sandwiched between those two games is the Zimbabwe and Bangladesh tie and the two nations have nothing but pride left to play for.
At least, that is the gospel according to the Zimbabwe Under-19 coach, Elton Chigumbura.
“Even though qualification is no longer in our hands, there is still a lot to play for,” said Chigumbura.
“Pride, performance, and growth are powerful motivators.
“And, our target areas will be to play disciplined cricket, give opportunities to players to take responsibility, and finish the tournament on a high note.
“Every game at this level is part of their development and should be treated as such,” he said.
Zimbabwe have had a rather underwhelming World Cup with their tournament opener against Scotland washed.
This was then followed by rather one-sided defeats to England, Pakistan and, most recently, India.
Given that, at it’s core, development is the main objective, Chigumbura has opted for a positive spin to the tournament, both from a holistic and Zimbabwe point of view.
“It’s been a fantastic tournament — competitive, high-quality cricket, and a great experience for young players” he said.
“It shows how strong youth cricket is globally.
“For our players, it has been an invaluable learning environment
“The biggest lesson is understanding the consistency required to compete with top nations.
“We have seen that talent is not enough — execution, discipline, and mental toughness are also key elements and areas.
“These experiences will help our players as they progress toward senior cricket.
Chigumbura’s sentiments were echoed by his deputy, Norbert Manyande, who believes that the team owes the nation and fans a great game on Saturday.
He also believes that the tournament has not been a total failure as there are important lesson and a few positives to take away from Zimbabwe’s performance.
“I think in last game against Bangladesh, we obviously want to try and finish strong. “That’s the main thing,” he said.
“Everyone knows that we are going out, but it’s also how you go out.
“You want to go out in a good way.
“We want to finish the tournament with a flourish and give the fans and the country something to cheer for.
“They (supporters) have been absolutely splendid during the whole tournament, from our warm-up game in Masvingo right up to Takashinga in Harare and Bulawayo.
“They came in their numbers and cheered us on at every step,” he said.
Like his coach, Manyande also believes that the tournament has not been a total waste.
There are some positives to take away from their games, he said.
“This is the highest and biggest tournament at Under-19, so from here we will see a lot of international cricketers going on to make their mark at the world stage at senior level coming from this tournament.
“The boys (Zimbabwe) did put up some good performance here and there
“The problem is that those performances were in patches.
“We need to build some sort of consistency and gel as a team,” said Manyande.
