I write as Zimbabwe have just started the First Test against India, at Nagpur, inexplicably the same venue where they played just over a year ago. I have not noticed anybody else mentioning the fact that their task is much harder this year than it was at the end of 2000, because last time they did not have Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh in the opposition.

Kumble missed that last series with a shoulder injury, while Harbhajan had not yet come into the team to work his wonders against Australia. India's leading spinner then was Sunil Joshi, who was felt to be disappointing by most critics. Zimbabwe did not have the greatest of tests against the Indian spinners then, but they will this time. Again it is realism rather than pessimism to suggest that they will do extremely well to avoid two overwhelming Test defeats.

But it is how they lose, in such circumstances, which is important. This rolling over against the opposition from time to time was not a regular phenomenon of Zimbabwe's Test cricket until recent years; in fact, I would say the first evidence of it came in New Zealand in 1997/98, when the team were mentally shattered after being robbed in their previous Test in Sri Lanka. Until then, even in Sri Lanka, there had always been something good to bring out of a Test – even if the batting had failed, at least our bowlers had been able to keep the opposition fighting for runs.

Yet the slaughters we suffer at times nowadays bring us little or nothing to be proud of, and suggest a lack of the same spirit that we had in our earliest Test days, when we had little talent or experience but great hearts. When we first toured Pakistan in 1993/94, for example, with Wasim and Waqar at their peak and only four previous Tests behind us, we feared annihilation. Yet our gallant little team came out of the three Tests with great honour, leading on first innings in two of them, and our limited attack, spearheaded by Eddo Brandes and David Brain, and with Heath Streak in his first series, never allowed the potentially brilliant Pakistani batting line-up dominate them.

We hope to see the same sort of spirit in India. The going will be tough, especially with two great spinners bowling in tandem. We hope to see the tough get going, and at the very least make India fight to the very end for victory.

*****

More sad news for Zimbabwe cricket this week is that Paul Strang has been released from his contract, at his own request, and is now in India to commentate on the current series. It is not clear whether he is in effect retiring from all cricket in Zimbabwe, as his brother Bryan has done. The truth is that he has not been bowling well recently, with his recurring arm injury, and has been overlooked by the selectors for the tours to Sri Lanka and India.

It would be very sad if this was to be a total retirement, as he still has much to offer. Even were he never to bowl a ball again, he is still a good enough batsman to be worth his place in a Logan Cup team, where he would make an excellent player-coach, and he has played one-day internationals as a batsman only.

Besides both Strangs, Zimbabwe cricket has also this season lost Everton Matambanadzo (married and emigrated to the United States) and Ian Engelbrecht, while it seems Greg Lamb and Andrew Stone have chosen to remain overseas. Some may have reasons other than cricket for leaving the country, but perhaps the administrators here need to look carefully into reasons why players who should still be in their prime, and some with their best yet to come, should choose to walk out of Zimbabwe cricket.

*****

Defeat to Border B last weekend, in both the three-day and one-day matches. Without Alistair Campbell to hold them together, our Board XI has lost its chance of winning the one-day Bowl competition, as Border B now have an unassailable lead after playing all their six matches. They could still win the three-day competition, with everything hinging on this weekend's match against KwaZulu-Natal in Durban.

The pressure is on – but our players are not renowned for handling pressure well. This is their chance to break the mould. Considering the talent and experience of our team, though, it is difficult to call them anything but perennial under-achievers against the B sides of South Africa provinces that are already weakened by the absence of their Test players.

Dave Houghton, who in this issue also talks about the Academy's Logan Cup victory over Manicaland, presents his argument for withdrawing from South African competitions altogether, so as to strengthen our own cricket at first-class level. Guy Whittall, in a recent interview, believed that Zimbabwean players are simply not competitive enough when compared to South African cricketers.

Last weekend saw quite a few records and remarkable events in the two Logan Cup matches, where CFX Academy beat Manicaland and Mashonaland beat Matabeleland. In both matches a young player, Glen Barrett of the Academy and Gavin Ewing of Matabeleland, scored a century on his first-class debut; Greg Strydom of Matabeleland became the second-youngest scorer of a first-class century in Zimbabwean history. In Bulawayo also, Gus Mackay of Mashonaland hit the fastest first-class century recorded in Zimbabwean history off just 45 balls, and we include an interview with him about that innings and the match in general.

In our occasional guest column, we have a preview of the India-Zimbabwe Tests by Trishna Bose, of Trans World International.

In one way it is good to see Tatenda Taibu playing in the Test in India, as he is a superb keeper and a batsman of great promise. On the other hand, Andy Flower was keeping wicket without any ill effects on his batting and without any desire to relinquish the gloves.

To include Taibu means that we either have to play with a batsman or a bowler short; we chose to play only four bowlers. If one of them breaks down, we are going to be in serious trouble. Perhaps a better plan would have been to keep Taibu at home for the Logan Cup and concentrate on improving his batting in first-class cricket so that he can be worth his place in the Test team for his batting as well as his keeping.

UCB Bowl Tables 2001/02
as at 21 February 2002

Zimbabwe Board XI are in Pool B

Pool A

Three-day               P    W    L    D   Bat  Bowl    Pts
Eastern Province B      6    2    1    3 22.02    21  63.02
Free State B            6    2    0    4 22.28    20  62.28
Namibia                 6    2    3    1 19.10    21  60.10
Western Province B      5    2    1    2 18.80    18  56.80
Boland B                6    2    0    4 16.60    18  54.60
Griqualand West B       5    1    2    2 17.04    18  45.04
KZN Inland              6    0    4    2 13.22    13  26.22

Points deducted for slow over-rates:
None

                                               Bonus
One-day                 P    W    L Tied    NR   Pts   Pts    NRR
Free State B            6    4    1    0     1     3    21   1.52
Western Province B      5    4    0    0     1     0    18   0.33
Boland B                6    4    2    0     0     0    16   0.19
Namibia                 6    3    3    0     0     1    13   0.44
Eastern Province B      6    3    3    0     0     1    13  -0.40
Griqualand West B       5    1    4    0     0     0     4  -0.44
KZN Inland              6    0    6    0     0     0     0  -1.26

Pool B

Three-day               P    W    L    D   Bat  Bowl    Pts
KwaZulu-Natal B         5    2    0    3 16.36    17  53.36
Zimbabwe Board XI       5    2    1    2 16.82    12  48.82
Northerns B             5    2    0    3 17.70    11  48.70
Border B                6    1    2    3 11.56    19  40.56
Easterns B              5    1    1    3 13.08    13  36.08
North West B            5    0    1    4 15.28    12  27.28
Gauteng B               5    0    3    2 13.68    13  26.68

Points deducted for slow over-rates:
None
                                               Bonus
One-day                 P    W    L Tied    NR   Pts   Pts    NRR
Border B                6    4    1    0     1     2    20   0.25
Zimbabwe Board XI       5    3    1    0     1     0    14   0.13
Northerns B             5    2    1    0     2     1    13   0.77
North West B            5    2    2    0     1     0    10  -0.07
Easterns B              5    2    3    0     0     1     9   0.08
Gauteng B               5    2    3    0     0     1     9  -0.13
KwaZulu-Natal B         5    0    4    0     1     0     2  -0.92

Supplied by Andrew Samson
Official Statistician of the United Cricket Board of South Africa

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