Zim is currently a bit of a feeder system at schoolboy level because these boys have zero opportunities here. They really have to improve the standard of schoolboy cricket here very urgently as it's getting worse every year. I think ZC knows this, hence these crazy teams with such a variety of schools being represented, they are trying to create an illusion that there's a big base and it's nonsense. They are either trying to fool people or they are burying their heads in the sand. I sound like a parrot but the best way is to strengthen the small (tiny!!) base we have. There's a small handful of schools with decent facilities, these need to be grouped together and they need to play much more cricket than they do and they need to find better coaches. ZC talent scouts need to identify top development talent and get them into these schools or into a couple of junior clubs that play these strong schools. You need strength against strength, there is no other way!!!! I would like to say they are doing it all wrong, but they are not actually doing anything other than continuing to weaken the small base we have. It's a continuation of them dismantling the half decent structures we had way back. It's almost like they won't be happy until there is nothing but grass roots, they are destroying not creating. Cricket, by nature is a bit of an elite sport, even in places like England. They need to embrace it and use it, not destroy it. By all means develop grass roots alongside an existing system, don't dismantle that working system until it is on a par with the grass roots one and think you have succeeded, use the existing good one and develop that as well and play catch up with the other one. When they are almost on a par then that is success. Anyway they've f%*ed it up and it's probably too late.
Again they need reciprocity with England so players can play club there in our winter and some of their players can play club here in their winter, that would strengthen our pitiful club structure. I haven't thought it through in detail but something could be done. We need clubs to do this, not just Straggler teams that don't have a base. If ICC really knew how weak we were they would get a big fright. Just watch how well Byrom, Hopper, Evans, Lock, Curtis and Welch do in England and South Africa over the next couple of years and you will see how it should have worked here. These are a committed bunch of talented boys that want to play professional cricket and make a decent living from it. CSA already have Curtis in their sights (yes!!), Byrom, Evans and Hopper will shortly be identified by Somerset, and Surrey will not believe what is coming their way with Nick Welch, he's the main prize in my humble opinion. Zimbabwe will wait a very long time before they see a schoolboy batsman like this again, he's the real deal.
Firstly they are going there for the volume of cricket offered at school. The top schools play two games of cricket a week (weather permitting), that's close on 40 games, most of which will probably be very competitive. Many of the games are against County Seconds, Clubs, Universities and touring sides, the school cricket system over there is incredible. In addition they have talent scouts floating around looking to give the good players more opportunities. The coaches of these top schools are all either ex Internationals or ex County players with long standing relationships with their County set ups. The ECB have plenty of money and they are pushing their cricket very hard.
However there is a rising groundswell against non English players taking advantage of what English cricket has to offer. In particular they are reluctant to use resources on non English schoolboys who may not have any real desire to play cricket there permanently. That leaves some of these boys precariously placed. Whilst they will get the benefit of the school cricket and perhaps club cricket during the summer break, I'm not sure how it will work out for them at age group County level. It all depends on their individual status' regarding eligibility. I don't know their individual stories and if I did I would not be at liberty to divulge the information. Most white kids have some sort of dubious claims to English nationality that they may wish to try and exploit if they look like they might do well. As an aside, I get irritated when Zimbabweans use this as as supposed proof that whites are not truly indigenous- we all have to come from somewhere in a country that is only 100 years old and there's a surprising number of black folk that have their roots in neighbouring countries, but it's a secret!! As Zim stands now I would guess that 90% of the population would gladly trade their green Mamba passport for an SA, Aussie, American or English one.
As far as schooling goes these top schools (most of them are 200-500 years old!!) also have close ties with top Universities and a cricketing scholar only has to do moderately well academically to gain acceptance to a decent university, which is another huge incentive to be there.
Zim currently has absolutely nothing to offer school leavers, not only in terms of cricket, but in the way of careers and job opportunities. It's a disaster. Witness how many black folk have absconded from here and live all over the World. Guys like KFC OutKast and Hhm who grimly defend ZC from the comparative comfort of England, South Africa or Australia are kretins of the highest order.
The U19 WC is the big deciding factor as to which way these guys are likely to jump, if they have a choice. U19 games count as Internationals which potentially changes time frames for eligibility, plus these boys would be giving up the two years or so that they would have already accumulated. If I were to offer them any advice I would tell them that Zim and Zim cricket would really need to have turned the corner before they consider throwing away those two accumulated years. We all live in hope but I would have to say that the likelihood of this is absolutely zero, if anything the situation will probably be significantly worse as we are on a vicious downward spiral. If you dedicate years to becoming good at a sport that pays well in other countries you need your head inspected to come back to what we offer here. Let me sum that up- a sub standard domestic league with only 4 teams playing each other a few times per season with not enough of a salary to be able to afford a pet hamster. If you are a half decent player you do have a very realistic shot at playing international cricket, but in a losing team for a fraction of what you would earn playing regular professional cricket overseas. The other issue is that you are unlikely to do well personally on a regular basis because you are probably a very borderline international player. If you happen to be an offie you would have to wait for Prosper to die of old age before you can fill his shoes.
As I previously stated, the ECB are becoming very circumspect about offering non English players further opportunities outside of school, I believe to the extent that they will shortly be conducting interviews with potentially good non English schoolboys to assess first hand what their true intentions are. Kevin Peterson's attitude has not done any non English born players any favors, to the extent that even someone like Strauss, who moved there when he was 6, is viewed as a South African. England is becoming embarrassed at the lack of born and bred Englishmen that are in their National sides and it will become ever more difficult to get opportunities if you are not. The law is the law but often rising sentiment is the precursor to changes. Many of our boys and young men that go over there get a big fright as well, here they may be head and shoulders above their contemporaries, but over there they are in the big pond with some big fish. There's a good living to be earned and good cricketers have minor celebrity status and talented individuals really put in the hard yards to get to that level. This has happened to most of our guys over the years and they come back very humbled and most prefer the comfort of knowing that they are a medium sized fish in a puddle. Hard work and commitment is not something our youngsters are always renowned for.
So which of the boys I have mentioned in previous posts (that are outside of Zim) do I think will avail themselves for the U19 WC? I definitely do not have the inside track here and I would hate some twit from ZC to read anything into this but I feel Matigimu and Snater would definitely be available. I really doubt Curtis, who actually has a chance of making the SA U19 WC side. CSA would take a very dim view of him jumping ship after he's been the Natal captain and he would burn a bridge that he has taken 3 years to build. If at some point he feels that CSA have overlooked him he may well put his name in the hat though. CSA have their own quota issues. That racist Majola has been in talks with the ECB to curb the outflow of SA cricketers to England as Kolpak players. He is making it difficult for white cricketers to play in SA but he doesn't want them playing in England either?? He's a disgrace and it's a joke that they even give him the time of day. It's high time that the ICC addressed the issue of race in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Quota = Racism. Full stop!!
Regarding Hopper, Evans, Byrom, Lock and Welch- I think a lot depends on how well they do in England this coming season and what opportunities they are presented with there, and of course their eligibility for these opportunities. The reality is that ZC would probably only consider a couple of them anyway because of quotas and because I don't believe they have any real idea of what constitutes a good player or a balanced team. They would probably look more closely at the top batters as they feel that they have enough bowlers, which would make Hopper and Evans less likely to be considered. The fact is that both these boys can bat well and are great fielders and highly competitive though. Out of Byrom, Lock (both lefties and we need them) and Welch I think they would choose two at best, it's just my instinct for how they operate. If Lock has already made the age group County set up then I would suggest they are all good enough to as they were all of a similar calibre. Anyhow there's a while to go before the U19 WC and a lot can happen between now and then, however I just know that ZC will blunder in the selection of this team and it will be very disappointing letting all this talent escape. That's the wrong word, they have thankfully escaped, they hopefully now have the freedom of choice, which is denied to most of the guys stuck here. It's up to ZC to make worthwhile changes so these guys want to come back (ain't going to happen), or they will just continue to select from a shrinking talent pool and pray that ICC continue to support them. I'm really sick of this and I'm taking a break for a while. Happy Christmas to you all, except KFC and Hhm, I hope they discover you are there illegally and you have to return home to the system you support so vociferously and that you end up having to work in Gokwe.
Googly, if I understand correctly you've basically stated that the only way for the likes of Welch, etc to come back is if ZC actually becomes a half decent functioning unit and that is extremely unlikey. So it all depends on how far Welch, et al can go in the English system. I guess for the sake of ZIM cricket (irrespecitive of the ZC) one would hope all those kids fail in the UK and come back to ZIM and serve ZIM cricket.
Interestingly guys like Ervine, Burl, and Mire have come back. Do you reckon they've only come back for the WC? Also what exactly is the motivation for coming back just for a WC? Is it the money? Or the prospect of impressing on a global stage? If its the latter, it doesn't really make sense, because after being away from internationals do those guys really expect to put in a decent enough show to get a county or CPL contract when senior guys like Taylor and Hammy haven't been able to? Forget about the IPL who only takes players from the top 8 sides.
Bangladesh cricket fanatic, observer of all others.
Yes, Zimbabwe do seem to be able to churn out more international quality players per 1000 players than most countries, HOWEVER because the pool is so small, a 'star' kid looks like a genuine superstar as he is a big fish in a small pond.
I think alot of them get a rude shock if they go to oz, or england. Speaking for Australia there are literally hundreds of Nick Welchs in their mid to late teens pressing for a Sheffield Shield birth, playing grade cricket and doing well.
We even have a 16 yr old in village cricket that averages 80 in a grade, i think he would be close to a first class zimbabwean contract but wouldnt crack the top 2 grades in sydney grade cricket.
Im not saying these top zimbabwe kids arent the goods - just saying that the landscape changes dramatically.
This can make them better players facing better opponents OR they get lost in the sea of talent.
At least in Zimbabwe if you are half decent you are pretty much assured to play first class cricket.
You get that platform and exposure.
And if you're black you just have to prove that you can see the ball!