In his second column for Wisden.com, Bob Woolmer gives the lowdown on the Queen's Sports Club, Bulawayo, where England play Zimbabwe on October 10 and 13 Monday, October 8, 2001

If there is such a place as a rural city, then Bulawayo is one. It is the second-largest city in Zimbabwe after Harare, and it's a major industrial centre. It is also a very pretty city. The major cricket ground is the Queen's Sports Club. Tests have also been played at the Bulawayo Athletic Club, but all the big games are played at Queen's now.

Bulawayo is also extremely hot, and has a very low annual rainfall average. My memories of the ground go back some time, to the mid-1970s when I first played for Natal against Zimbabwe, who were then called Rhodesia and played in the Currie Cup, the South African domestic competition.

My memory does not recall the game too distinctly (obviously I can't have done very well!), but I do recall going across the road from the hotel to a small restaurant to eat. Zimbabwe is famous for its meat, so I ordered a fillet steak, salad and chips. I waited patiently, and when the food arrived, I recall saying to the waitress that I think she had brought me the wrong order as I was on my own. The steak covered a huge plate, the bowl of chips came separately with enough for four people, and the salad was also massive. The waitress said that the portion was for one. It even defeated me!

The ground
Queen's is surrounded by the inevitable jacaranda trees. They are all out in bloom now and provide a wonderful display of colours. The ground is slightly less developed than Harare, but has just acquired some boxes, which are usually manned by tobacco farmers and the local rugby club. It's said that the fastest-flowing liquid in Bulawayo is of the amber-and-hop type. People have been known to sleep for long hours on the ground well after the game has finished ...

The pitch
In normal circumstances Bulawayo is a batting paradise. Recently Herschelle Gibbs and Gary Kirsten made merry when they put on 120 in the first 15 overs and South Africa went on to score 363 for 3, their highest one-day score. The pitch is renowned as one of the great batting surfaces – Dave Houghton, who's now the Zimbabwe academy director, made his highest Test score of 266 on it. But the captains have to be wary of one thing: Zimbabwe have been playing cricket during the winter months, which is normally their off season and, more importantly, the dry season. The pitches are therefore are a little tired from over-use. This would suggest that batting second might be a touch harder, with the ball staying low and not coming on to the bat so much. And there will be more turn. Another good toss to win.

The atmosphere
One thing England's players will find in Bulawayo is a very proud bunch of farmers, and the locals like people to know that they may be a smaller city than Harare but they are not inferior. They are not shy either, and will let England's players know that they are the enemy. They dish out a lot of verbal abuse; good-natured I'm sure, but rude by implication. A journalist once described the one-liners as "Well-researched and of the type of humour not normally associated with cricket crowds". I suspect "hostile" probably covers it just as well.

The key players
Interestingly the sort of bowlers who have been more successful at Bulawayo have been what you might call little seamers. Guy Whittall, who is not very tall, is often difficult to get away. I was particularly impressed with Gary Brent in the last game against South Africa. He showed plenty of variation and bowled his ten overs for just 20-odd runs. The spinners are tougher, too, as the ball does turn. However any side worth their salt in one-day cricket will find ways in which to manipulate spinners for more than four an over. England's battery of seamers tend to hit the deck quite hard – especially Andy Flintoff and Ben Hollioake – so they will need to take the pace off the ball and bowl very straight. Paul Collingwood might find that the pitch suits him more.

The conclusion
Bat first in Bulawayo is the preferred option. But England will have to learn to win either way. As Steve Waugh said, "The toss is only there to start the game."

Bob Woolmer is director of coaching at Warwickshire CCC and former coach of South Africa. He is a member of the editorial board of Wisden Cricket Monthly, and has just been appointed ICC's first High Performance Manager. More Bob Woolmer
Harare: a quick guide

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