ZC set for busy year

The more cricket the better don't care what format, although loosing test status may be the final nail in the coffin as bigs teams will be less likely to want to tour or play us if we have no test status ......

zimfan1 wrote:Doesn't sound like we will be playing many tests in the future or that we want to!

ZC board chairman Tawengwa Mukuhlani said despite the threat of being involved in a relegation scrap, Zimbabwe will continue playing limited Tests, but focus on the limited overs.

“While it is important for us to continue playing Tests we have also looked at ourselves and questioned the value we get out of playing that (Test) version,” said Mukuhlani.

“It costs a lot to play Test cricket but the returns are limited. It pays well when you play in Australia and England.

“We want to continue playing Test cricket but for now our involvement will be limited. What is important for us is to be at the ICC World Cup and the World T-20, so we will invest a lot to be there. The World Cup is the most important tournament for any sportsman.”

He said Zimbabwe has Tests lined up for next year against Bangladesh, India, New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

“We want to participate at all ICC events; we are already missing out on the Champions Trophy. For us to survive we must play at the ICC World Cup. That is why we are aiming to be a winning T-20 side and a competitive One Day International side. If we achieve that we can then hope to be a competitive Test side.”

This is insanity. Aiming for the top 8 in ODIs is akin to saying Zimbabwe won't be taken seriously on the world stage until they have a space program. Both have no chance of happening, so don't waste time trying to pretend otherwise.

But we genuinely do have a chance of getting off the bottom of the Test rankings. This is where we should be focusing our efforts. If we continue to be rubbish at ODIs - who cares. If we end up losing Test status or being relegated to Intercontinental Cup or something then we'll end up being the also-rans of world cricket.

ZC are too concerned about chasing (and squandering) the next dollar. They don't seem to understand that if cricket doesn't exist then there'll be no more money to squander. Don't they realise that if we lose Test cricket then that's it?

The whole thing is such a miserable strategy. Why should we continue to support the team really? When the individuals walk away or they are dropped for no reason, we still stick with the team as the team is what we want to see succeed. When the team's strategies and what games they play is screwed up by the admin, we stand by the players, the individuals who suffer due to those decisions. What exactly is the advantage of being a fan of Zimbabwean Cricket?

August 31, 2014

brmtaylor.com admin wrote:August 31, 2014

:D Getting too few and far between...