Herald
29 May 2010
By Robson Sharuko
THE historic tour of world football powerhouse Brazil to Zimbabwe next week and the visit by the Indian and Sri Lanka cricket teams for the Micromax Tri-Series are more than just landmark sporting events and provide the country with a massive opportunity to push forward its battle to convince the globe that it is gradually taking firm steps in a trying journey back into the big time.
The Samba Boys, record five-time World Cup winners, are scheduled to arrive in Harare on Tuesday for a blockbuster one-off friendly international football tie against the Zimbabwe Warriors at the National Sports Stadium on Wednesday.
World cricket powerhouse India and Sri Lanka have sent their national teams — even without some of their star players like Sachin Tendulkar — for the Micromax Tri-Series One-Day International cricket tournament with the Indians also playing their hosts in a Twenty20 contest.
The Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, David Coltart, who is a keen cricket and football fan — who took time off his heavy schedule to cheer the Zimbabwe team in their opening ODI match against India at Queens yesterday — said the visit of the Asian cricket giants and the Brazil national football team were bigger events than just their sporting value.
The Zimbabwean cricketers successfully chased down a score of 285-5 by the Indians to win.
Brendan Taylor top-scoring for the hosts with his 81 in a man-of-the-match performance while Craig Ervine, on his debut, struck a brilliant half century to guide the home team to victory by six wickets.
The victory by the cricketers torched wild celebrations among their fans in this city and set the stage for what should be a carnival sporting fiesta for Zimbabwe that will culminate with the Brazilians — five-time World Champions –— taking on the Warriors in Harare next week.
Warriors captain Benjani Mwaruwari, back home here in Bulawayo from his base in England, also described the proposed visit by the Brazilians as a massive event that has the potential of changing the face of both the national team and domestic football forever.
“It’s a massive game for our country and it’s a privilege that we can not only be hosting a team like Brazil but also playing it and I believe that this will have a big impact on the game in our nation forever,’ said Benjani.
“I wouldn’t like to say a lot right now because I am yet to speak with the Warriors’ management and Zifa and everyone who has been involved in bring Brazilians and you know that a lot has changed in the team and the old coach has moved elsewhere.
“So once I talk to all of them and I am in a good picture to know what is on the ground then I can issue a full official comment but, as a Zimbabwean, I’m thrilled that we have this grand opportunity to host Brazil and we should make the best out of it because it won’t come again in our lives.” Benjani said.
Coltart also hailed the proposed visit by the Brazilians and the tour of the Asian heavyweights.
“I congratulate Walter Mzembi (the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry) and all his officials in his ministry who have made it all possible for the Brazilian football team to come here and play a friendly match ahead of the World Cup,” said Coltart.
“It’s not just a sporting event. It’s more than that and it just falls in the same bracket as the initiative that I have been talking about of using sport as a medium to show the world the efforts we are taking to stabilise the country.
“When Brazil come to Harare on Wednesday, the whole world would be watching us and they can see the revamped National Sports Stadium and it will see that we also have the capacity to host a team like Brazil successfully.
“We don’t have the millions of dollars, as a country right now, needed to run advertising campaigns and buy column centimeters in the international media to show the world that we are moving in the right direction.
“But the beauty of it all is that through sport, we can do it and that is why the visit by the Brazilians and the tour of India and Sri Lanka are important in the wider national context of our nation.”
Coltart said while hosting Brazil was a big achievement for Zimbabwe, beating them would even be sweeter.
“I also hope that our national football team plays well against one of the best football sides in the world,” said Coltart.
“But as I said before what is important, given where we are coming from the challenges that made our country a bad brand around the world, what is important is just being able to show the world that we have the capacity to host such big events in a peaceful and efficient manner.
“The event today (the cricket match between Zimbabwe and India) is also being beamed across the entire world and they are seeing the Indian team playing at a very peaceful venue in a game that has been well organised.
“This paints a very good picture of Zimbabwe and that is why I have always said that sport plays a very critical role in the rebranding of Zimbabwe.
“Having top-rated nations like India and Sri Lanka here is also important and although they left some of their best players they still brought competitive teams.”
Coltart disclosed that he was disappointed that his spirited efforts to convince the Black Caps of New Zealand to tour the country failed but was optimistic that domestic cricket, just like many other facets of the nation, was taking a turn for the better.
“It was disappointing that New Zealand didn’t tour but we have established contacts  with other cricketing  nations and I have had fruitful discussions with both the ambassadors of Australia and Britain with a view to getting their countries to start the re-engagement process in as far as our national cricket teams are concerned.
“I will also shortly be traveling to Australia and New Zealand to continue  those discussions so that in the end we get our national team playing all the big teams again.
“Our national cricket team is being rebuilt and, while we have not yet reached the standards we set around 1999, we are moving on well and the players, who had turned their back on the game, are back. There is hope now.”