Cricket needs a strong Zimbabwe back

When I got to know that Zimbabwe were going to play a four-day Test against England in May it evoked an “oh nice” remark from me. Afterall, we do not see them play Test cricket against top teams and so this would be a nice opportunity for them to be in the limelight, never mind for a few days only. But, it soon struck me that this Test outing could go horribly wrong for them given England’s ‘bazball’ style of play and quality bowling attack in home conditions.

The apprehension turned out to be true when England began scoring easily and quickly on the first morning after being put into bat. The innings panned out the way I had anticipated – England batters making merry on a friendly batting surface and against an inexperienced Zimbabwe bowling attack. The fact that England scored 565/6d at 5.85 runs per over was no surprise to me or to anyone else I believe.

But what was surprising was the confidence and resolve shown by the Zimbabwe batters. Although they folded for 265 only in the first innings and 255 in the second - thereby losing the match by an innings and 45 runs in little over two and a half days – they displayed fight and courage as a unit at certain points.

Take for example the centurion Brian Bennett. All of 21 and just six Tests old, the right hander played a scintillating knock of 139 off just 143 deliveries, in the process scoring the fastest Test hundred for Zimbabwe in 97 balls.

This match witnessed different players from the team standing up on different occasions, from the veterans to the emerging. Though the result of the match was never a question the margin of victory for England definitely was. Zimbabwe, in my opinion, performed very well as at one stage in the second innings it looked like England would have to bat again.

Zimbabwe of the past

After coming to know that Zimbabwe were going to play a Test match against England after 22 years it made me curious to know what had transpired in their previous encounter. While going through the scorecard of the 2003 Chester-le-Street Test I went down memory lane. Though I hazily remember them playing there I do not have any memory of the game.

But, what it all reminded me of was how strong Zimbabwe were in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Grant Flower, Heath Streak, Stuart Carlisle, Sean Ervine, Ray Price – who all played the Chester-le-Street Test – were prominent players for the team. It was an era when Zimbabwe challenged every opposition and even won against major teams on a number of occasions. Much stronger in the ODIs than in Tests, Zimbabwe could not be taken lightly in any series or tournament.

As an Indian cricket fan, Zimbabwe beating India in the 1999 World Cup, Dougie Marillier’s 56*(24) at Faridabad in 2002 when his lap shots stunned the Indian team, and dismantling of India’s famous batting order in the 2002 Champions Trophy are some of the unpleasant memories that still bring an air of gloom when recalled.

A strong and competitive Zimbabwe is what the cricket world needs

While we often talk about the great West Indies, Sri Lanka and Pakistan teams of the past and how the cricket world needs them to be strong and consistent again, we miss thinking of Zimbabwe. Having witnessed the best of them, it disappointed me first to see them fade away and subsequently play sporadically against the top sides in limited-overs bilateral cricket and in ICC tournaments.

Zimbabwe’s fall was dramatic and affected the balance of international cricket in terms of competition. In a sport which is dominated by a handful of nations competitively, losing a strong team like Zimbabwe was what it did not need at all. In fact, cricket needs a lot more strong teams to improve the overall level of competition, attract new fans, and open new avenues for commercial gains.

All in all, I wish Zimbabwe cricket does not drop below the current level. In fact, I hope it sees a revival in fortunes for good. Not just for themselves or for the health of world cricket but equally for their fans as well who bring colour and energy to the stadiums as we recently saw at Trent Bridge.