All is not well with the game in Zimbabwe

By Vijay Lokapally

BULAWAYO, JUNE 25. Heath Streak and Tatenda Taibu. They symbolise Zimbabwean cricket, which is going through a turmoil. The recent Test triumph against India lies buried in an internecine war which threatens to shake the very foundation of the game in this African nation.

The issues are many. Team selection, wages for the cricketers and basic facilities for those who want to play but can not afford to.

It is the most testing period for Zimbabwe. Closed door meetings to resolve some petty and some important issues with the players and the administrators, who are on a path of confrontation, have become the order of the day.

The solution cannot be found overnight, for the system is bound to resist. Streak went on record saying that Taibu's elevation as wicket-keeper was not the reason for his stepping down as captain. The canvas of discontent was vast and it was just that the situation came in handy.

There has been a debate on whether Streak was right in his act, coming as it did on the morning of the match. The Zimbabwean skipper's view was known to the National selectors and it was strange they allowed things drift to such a damaging effect.

The problem is not over yet. Word filtered through on Sunday that the Zimbabwean team was in a mood to rebel. Talk of the team going on a strike was rife. There were whispers of two selectors having put in their papers. All this after Streak and coach Carl Rackemann had been drafted as selectors on the morning of the match against India.

The players are not convinced the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) is concerned about the welfare of those who sweat it out on the field. The ZCU has its own reasons for adapting such a rigid posture. The administration, keen on blooding youngsters - black or white, has a programme for the future and has been working on it for the past two years. Again, the fight is over selection and omission of certain players. In some cases, the senior players are justified and in some not.

``A case of poor communications,'' said Streak on the growing distrust between him and the selectors. But the problem remains, despite him spending hours with people he considers detractors.

It has clearly affected the morale of the team even if the players disagree. The team gave one of its worst performances on a day when the captain, and the coach, had complete say in picking the side. The selectors and the senior players in the team are also reportedly divided over the retention of Alistair Campbell.

It is not that the ZCU is not willing to thrash out the problems but it will not like to be pushed against the wall by players striking at the very root of their programmes for the future. It is learnt that the ZCU has been working on a plan which could raise the possibility of five or more black players in the side in the next three years, provided, of course, they deserve to be picked.

At the centre of the storm, and unaware of it, sits Taibu, the chirpy wicket-keeper, still in school but a star overnight, signing hundreds of autographs every day. If there was a gain from the row between the players and the ZCU, it the 18- year-old compact wicketkeeper-batsman.

``He's a lovely kid,'' remarked Andy Flower at the Harare Sports Club. Even Streak praised the diminutive dynamite when he said that Taibu's selection was not the issue at all since every one was aware that the young black cricketer, a product of the development programme, was being groomed as the replacement for Andy Flower.

Taibu's presence in the team is the right signal for the black population to look forward to more from among them making it to the national side.

Zimbabwe cricket is moving ahead with the emphasis being broadening the base and improving and providing the infrastructure to the underprivileged. Victories on the field may have been rare but whenever they have happened they have worked as a binding factor for the cricketers and the ZCU. Only this time the atmosphere has been sullied due to serious complications resulting from mere lack of communication.

The clouds of an impending clash are building up. The most contentious subject remains team selection and is likely to take its toll in the near future. Cricket, as they say, will be the unfortunate loser, and Zimbabwe cricket just cannot afford such a setback at this critical juncture.

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