Guardian.co.uk
3rd August 2011
By Andy Bull
While the world’s attention is focused on what is happening at the top of the Test rankings, there are about to be some intriguing developments at the bottom. Zimbabwe start their first Test in six years on Thursday, against Bangladesh in Harare. At any other time their return from self-imposed exile would be unlikely to pass with so little comment from the cricket community, but the series between India and England leaves little room for anything else.
Zimbabwe may prefer it that way. On the eve of the match their most experienced player, the wicketkeeper Tatenda Taibu, launched a stinging attack on the country’s governing body, Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC), undermining the perception that it has done much to reorganise and rehabilitate the sport in recent years.
“I don’t think much has changed really, the administration is still struggling to run cricket in the country well,” Taibu said. “For example, the guys haven’t been paid their match fees from August last year up to now. At the moment I am sitting here without a contract, no one has got a contract. Those are all things that the administration is struggling to deal with.”
The chairman of selectors, Alistair Campbell, who has been at the centre of Zimbabwean Cricket since he was appointed in 2009, said he would not drop Taibu, but described the comments as a “slap in the face” and promised that he would “have it out” with the player. According to a report by Tristan Holme on Cricket365, Campbell and Taibu did exactly that, on the outfield at the Harare Sports Club and in front of players and public.
Taibu’s criticisms of the administrators got stronger still.
“When you walk around and you see a house that’s painted well you will think that house is really standing strong but if it does not have a strong foundation, it will fall down one day or another,” he said. “Zimbabwe Cricket has just painted a house that’s about to fall.”
He was quick to point out that the blame did not lie with those involved with the team on a day-to-day basis.
“I can’t fault the coaching staff, they’ve worked really hard and I can’t fault the guys. They come in day in and day out but they are not getting much support from the administration, unfortunately.”
Taibu’s words seemed to be aimed at the managing director, Ozias Bvute, and the chairman, Peter Chingoka, who have been in place since before Zimbabwe withdrew from Tests, on the grounds that they were not competitive enough.
Zimbabwe Cricket has been praised for introducing a franchise system at domestic level, a move which has rejuvenated the sport. The improvements made in the last two years under the guidance of the minister for education, culture and sport, David Coltart (an MDC Minister) have been significant. But as Coltart said this year, the real challenge for ZC is to find the resources to “maintain the franchises and develop a rigorous player development programme”.
Eyebrows were raised when ZC reportedly paid Brian Lara US$30,000 (£18, 260) to make guest appearances in the domestic Twenty20 competition a few months ago. And Coltart added that while high-profile coaches – Allan Donald, Duncan Fletcher and Jason Gillespie have done stints in the country – were helping the players, such recruitment should not come at the cost of the basics.
And when, as Taibu says, the national team do not have contracts two days before the start of their first Test in six years and have not been paid their match fees for the past 12 months, it would seem that some of the essentials have been mishandled. The money which was so forthcoming when the likes of Lara were brought over seems to have dried up. The Zimbabwean players are still waiting to be paid their match fees from the World Cup.
“It’s no secret that the guys haven’t been paid their money,” Campbell told Cricket365. He said the reason the players were not on permanent retainers was because the new contracts would not start until September. “Maybe Zimbabwe Cricket should have organised contracts a bit better, but it is nothing to make a big deal out of. It’s not ideal that the players haven’t been paid their match fees but there’s a cashflow in this global economic crisis which has left a lot of other boards in debt. They will be paid, but it will be easier once we get more international cricket here.”
Pakistan are due to play a one-off Test and some limited-overs fixtures in Zimbabwe this season, and New Zealand are scheduled to tour, having been persuaded out of their initial doubts by Coltart. Zimbabwe prepared for this match by playing two four-day games against Australia A – they lost both, which will do little to assuage the worries of those who say their return will only lead to more unequal Test matches.
Bangladesh, however, have not played a Test in 14 months, and they lost their warm-up against a Zimbabwean XI on a grassy pitch that was similar to the one expected to be used in the Test.
For the next five days, as Campbell said, “everyone will be watching how we are going to perform”. Zimbabwe’s players should be fine in that regard. There is some genuine talent in the team. But the same goes for the administrators, and they have fouled up before the match has even started.