Afghanistan Tour of Zimbabwe | December 9 - January 6 |

Great for the fans but I would imagine plenty of the players will be fuming about having to spend Christmas Day in Bulawayo!!

andrea lanzoni wrote: ↑Tue Oct 29, 2024 3:02 pm

secretzimbo wrote: ↑Tue Oct 29, 2024 2:44 pm

Great for the fans but I would imagine plenty of the players will be fuming about having to spend Christmas Day in Bulawayo!!

A question from an outsider who has never been there: what's wrong with Bulawayo?

😂 😂 😂 😂 😂

Donald wrote: ↑Tue Oct 29, 2024 9:10 pm

Back in 2015 I remember Zimbabwe starting a one day series against Afghanistan on Christmas day 🤣

Good memory!

Going abroad is different I suppose.

But ZC really could have put this first Test in Harare so 95% of the players could spend Christmas Day with family. If I was a player I would be pretty annoyed.

Looking forward to this series. Used to love watching this derby every year albeit in ODIs only but now they play way too infrequently.

Lasagne was asking what's wrong with Bulawayo.

He needs to ask the players after they have to spend Xmas there 😂

To answer your question- it's a longstanding feud between Matabeleland and Mashonaland. Stems from the Ndebele and the Shona but extends to the white folk. Amongst the whites it's lessened considerably because so few are left, but it's still there. It's largely from the Bulawayo boys, they come here and nobody gives them s**t, but we go there and it can sometimes be a problem, they're not very welcoming....some of the time.

From the white perspective I think it was because Bulawayo was ignored by the Rhodesian government and they felt hard done by. And its very real as far as government funding goes now. It's one of those feuds that most people have probably forgotten the original reason. 😂

I know a few guys who've gone to live there and they actually prefer the life to Harare, but it takes many years to actually be "accepted". Harare life is expensive and there are some proper dickheads here 😂

Whites having turf wars with other whites in Zimbabwe.

Unbelievable.

I swear humans will tribalise everything.

Bulawayo Boy wrote: ↑Wed Oct 30, 2024 10:48 pm

andrea lanzoni wrote: ↑Wed Oct 30, 2024 12:35 pm

Googly wrote: ↑Wed Oct 30, 2024 6:25 am

Lasagne was asking what's wrong with Bulawayo.

He needs to ask the players after they have to spend Xmas there 😂

To answer your question- it's a longstanding feud between Matabeleland and Mashonaland. Stems from the Ndebele and the Shona but extends to the white folk. Amongst the whites it's lessened considerably because so few are left, but it's still there. It's largely from the Bulawayo boys, they come here and nobody gives them s**t, but we go there and it can sometimes be a problem, they're not very welcoming....some of the time.

From the white perspective I think it was because Bulawayo was ignored by the Rhodesian government and they felt hard done by. And its very real as far as government funding goes now. It's one of those feuds that most people have probably forgotten the original reason. 😂

I know a few guys who've gone to live there and they actually prefer the life to Harare, but it takes many years to actually be "accepted". Harare life is expensive and there are some proper dickheads here 😂

Thank you. I didn't know about this rivalry.

Yeah. On the white side, we have a very bad reputation for fighting, punch ups, etc. Not sure the Rhodie goverment were to blame really, we're just prone to fighting. I think it's a relic from the "rough railway town" era. Bloody hazardous on a Friday night, i tell you.

Post 1980, the gukhurahundi massacres have obviously been massively divisive, so there is extreme suspicion of anything to do with Harare, 'Shifty' Shonas, the ruling party, etc.

In purely cricket terms Queens as a ground is fine, albeit a little decrepit, as are most things in Bulawayo. Had a look at the pitch a couple of months back and it still looks pretty good. Groundsmen are still putting a shift in.

Pluses - Certainly no presidential helicoptors incoming during matches (tho I hear thats no longer a problem in H 😀), less rain delays (sadly), you'll definitely get a ticket - no queues.

Minuses - far fewer fans, less organised support, less interest internationally, worse transport links.

Does Billy Lemon's picture still have pride of place in Buster's?

For those of us who don't know, he's ex Rhodesia Rugby and one scary MF. Even in his 60's you wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of the man.