This season was very much the start of a new era for cricket in the country, now recognised internationally and known as Zimbabwe. While there was a great deal of uncertainty in the country, especially from the point of view of the white population, many of whom emigrated rather than waiting to see what would happen under Robert Mugabe's government, at least the war had stopped. The cricketers were able to play again without the constant pressure of army call-ups.

On the debit side, no sporting contact with South Africa would be possible at all for political reasons. The Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, Cricket Union anticipated this inevitability by voluntarily cutting its ties with South Africa before the government forced them to do so. Despite isolation from the rest of the world during the UDI years, Rhodesia had suffered no worse than South Africa as far as cricketing contacts were concerned and had enjoyed regular high-quality Currie Cup cricket. Now that would be gone, but the country was open to the rest of the world. Zimbabwe, however, was a great distance from the rest of the first-class cricketing world, and contacts would inevitably be less frequent and more expensive. Nevertheless the ZCU worked positively to make the best of the situation. Test cricket was the aim for the long-term future, but the country clearly was not ready for that yet. In the shorter term, they were looking towards the ICC competition in 1982, victory in which would open the way to participation in the World Cup of 1983. Zimbabwe's performance there would help to determine future plans.

One major danger, which did take place to some extent, was that of promising Zimbabwean cricketers emigrating in frustration at the limited amount of top-class cricket available in the country. This did happen to some extent, a number of young players especially going to South Africa, and the more experienced to England for professional cricket and, in the case of Graeme Hick, Test cricket. Much more money was also available in those countries, and the ZCU could afford little in the way of professional cricket. In the event, they did well to keep the majority of top cricketers in the country, although for years the national team was going to be very short in depth.

The ZCU soon decided on a regular programme to aim for, to keep first-class cricket going in the country. The main rains in Zimbabwe come between November and February, right in the middle of the cricket season, as had often been evident during the Currie Cup years. The aim was to have at least two touring teams from overseas every season, preferably in the months of October and March or thereabouts, to avoid disruption by the weather as far as possible. In this the first post-independence season, when arrangements necessarily could only be made hastily and the ZCU were only beginning to establish links with the Test-playing countries, they were obliged to the English counties Middlesex and Leicestershire for stepping in and sending almost full-strength county teams to the country. Both teams played three first-class matches and some one-day matches, the latter against local teams of varying strength, usually not far off full national strength. The local crowds still came to watch first-class cricket in considerable numbers and had not yet got hooked on the one-day drug, so the latter were not taken seriously. The first-class matches were played hard, but not with the same fierce competitive spirit of the Currie Cup, and the comparatively inexperienced Zimbabwe team was able to thrive. This did not save them from a couple of dismal batting collapses, though. Middlesex were captained by the recent England captain Mike Brearley, and they were most willing to share their knowledge and experience with the local players. In the three-match series, both teams won a game each with the other being a well-balanced draw. Leicestershire were more strictly a Leicestershire XI, as they contained as guest players two former England batsmen, John Hampshire and David Steele, who had no qualification for the county. They were captained by Roger Tolchard, and again a well-balanced series ended as a draw; all three matches were drawn, the last with scores level in a thrilling climax.

In the middle of the season, Kenya arrived for a short tour; they were not eligible to play first-class cricket and were no match for the Zimbabwean team.

The national side had lost a number of experienced players over the last couple of seasons, most notably Brian Davison, Stuart Robertson, Paddy Clift and Jackie du Preez, but they still had a good core of experience, notably in the captain, Duncan Fletcher. The batting, however, was headed by a relative newcomer. Andy Pycroft, after a dismal first season, now came through to his true form and was to prove the mainstay of the country's batting throughout the eighties. His tragedy was to play Test cricket only at the end of his career when the fires of ambition were burning lower; he would have been a major inter-national batsman, as was his colleague Dave Houghton, had he been given a real chance. This season he scored 468 first-class runs, at an average of 58.50, a hitherto almost unheard-of average for a local batsman except in the Currie Cup B section. Robin Brown enjoyed what was to be his best season for the country, with 383 runs at 38.30, batting always in the first three in the order as well as keeping wicket. Fletcher continued his fine batting form of the previous season, in the top order where he belonged for a change, and scored 377 runs at 34.27. Jack Heron also scored over 300 runs, 330 at 30.00. Sadly for the country, Rob Bentley, who appeared against Middlesex, then continued his studies at Natal University and chose to play for the province in the Currie Cup, thereby committing suicide as far as his future in Zimbabwean cricket was concerned. Richie Kaschula was the mainstay of the bowling attack, getting through an enormous amount of work to take 33 wickets at 26.33. John Traicos, often unable to find a place during the seventies, was to appear much more regularly throughout the eighties, and his 21 wickets cost 25.71. The pace bowling attack was not much above medium-pace, considered innocuous by international standards, but Vince Hogg (11 wickets at 23.36) and Fletcher (13 wickets at 18.53) did a useful job. There was hope in the emergence of a brash young all-rounder, Kevin Curran, son of the former Rhodesian batsman of the late forties, who played against Leicestershire and took some good wickets, as well as scoring a valuable fifty. Due to problems with the Police Ground authorities regarding the selling of advertising for big matches, the Mashonaland authorities reverted to Salisbury Sports Club as the venue for major matches this season.

MIDDLESEX TOUR

(One-day, 38 overs) At Salisbury Sports Club; 25 September. MIDDLESEX 237/4 (W N Slack 84, M W Gatting 51). ZIMBABWE XI 237/4 20 (D A G Fletcher 108, R D Brown 38, J G Heron 58). Match tied. At Salisbury Sports Club; 27, 28, 29 September. MIDDLESEX 316/7 dec (W N Slack 60, J M Brearley 76, C T Radley 33, M W Gatting 63, R O Butcher 47; R H Kaschula 5/97) and 310/8 dec (J M Brearley 34, M W Gatting 79, R O Butcher 52, J E Emburey 79*; R H Kaschula 4/132). ZIMBABWE 345/4 dec (T W Dunk 106, D A G Fletcher 46, R D Brown 108, J G Heron 38*) and 181/6 (D A G Fletcher 40, A J Pycroft 61*; J E Emburey 4/52). Match drawn.  

(One-day, 50 overs) At Umtali Sports Club, 30 September. ZIMBABWE XI 129 (45.4 overs) (C B Jonker 37). MIDDLESEX 133/0 (29.1 overs) (J M Brearley 77*, P R Downton 53*). Middlesex won by ten wickets.  

At Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo; 4, 5, 6 October. MIDDLESEX 231 (M W Gatting 71, M W W Selvey 67; R H Kaschula 6/68) and 211 (C T Radley 30, M W Gatting 54, J E Emburey 31*; A J Traicos 3/59, R H Kaschula 4/98). ZIMBABWE 231 (R D Brown 39, D A G Fletcher 38, R M Bentley 39; J E Emburey 5/76) and 213/6 (D A G Fletcher 40, R M Bentley 34, J G Heron 66; J E Emburey 5/70). Zimbabwe won by four wickets.

(One-day, 50 overs) At Gwelo Sports Club; 8 October. MIDDLESEX 255/6 (P R Downton 100, C T Radley 71). ZIMBABWE XI 167/7 (D A G Fletcher 32, G Liddiard 34*). Middlesex won by 88 runs. At Salisbury Sports Club; 11, 12, 13 October. MIDDLESEX 289 (R O Butcher 50, M W Gatting 99, C T Radley 40, J E Emburey 32; D A G Fletcher 5/48) and 244 (W N Slack 94, I J Gould 57; V R Hogg 3/63, A J Traicos 4/62). ZIMBABWE 118 (R M Bentley 65; M W W Selvey 7/45) and 333 (R D Brown 78, D A G Fletcher 40, J G Heron 53, A J Pycroft 76; S P Hughes 6/78). Middlesex won by 82 runs.   KENYA TOUR (not first-class) At Salisbury Sports Club; 26, 27, 28 December. ZIMBABWE 359/8 dec (D A G Fletcher 42, A J Pycroft 115, G C Wallace 36, J A Meyer 40, K M Curran 56*; H Mehta 4/102) and 23/0. KENYA 160 (V R Hogg 4/23, `R H Kaschula 4/65) and 221 (H Mehta 56, R Patel 55; K M Curran 3/42, R H Kaschula 4/67). Zimbabwe won by ten wickets. At Gwelo Sports Club; 31 December, 1 January. KENYA 204 (H Mehta 53; M P Jarvis 5/60) and 71/0. ZIMBABWE B 297 (D L Houghton 81, C M Robertson 46, G M Scott 57, R M Ervine 43). Match drawn. At Queens Sports Club; 3, 4, 5 January. KENYA 147 (A Patel 36, H Mehta 41; A J Traicos 5/33) and 148 (B Patel 31; A J Traicos 6/50). ZIMBABWE 398/7 dec (T W Dunk 41, D A G Fletcher 41, R D Brown 108, A J Pycroft 102, G C Wallace 31; A Purohit 4/87). Zimbabwe won by an innings and 103 runs. At Salisbury South Country Club; 7, 8 January. KENYA 224 (H Patel 91, S Patel 58; R M Ervine 4/40, K M Curran 3/38) and 146/8 dec (S Patel 30). ZIMBABWE COUNTRY DISTRICTS 215/6 dec (B H Oldrieve 48, K M Curran 109) and 95/5. Match drawn. At Salisbury Sports Club; 10, 11, 12 January. KENYA 124 (E J Hough 3/30, C J Cox 3/20) and 247 (M P Jarvis 7/79). ZIMBABWE B 182 (D L Houghton 48) and 194/5 (G M Scott 82, M A J Seager 45*). Zimbabwe B won by five wickets.

LEICESTERSHIRE TOUR

At Salisbury Sports Club; 7, 8, 9 March. ZIMBABWE 56 (J P Agnew 3/12, G J Parsons 3/14, L B Taylor 3/11) and 229/9 dec (A J Pycroft 83*, G C Wallace 71; P Booth 3/55, D S Steele 3/29). LEICESTERSHIRE XI 121 (R W Tolchard 35; V R Hogg 3/23) and 120/5 (J H Hampshire 51*). Match drawn.

(One-day, 50 overs) At Umtali Sports Club, 11 March. ZIMBABWE XI 154 (D A G Fletcher 38, G M Scott 41; L B Taylor 3/44). LEICESTERSHIRE XI 153/9 (T J Boon 32; D A G Fletcher 4/27). Zimbabwe XI won by 1 run. At Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo; 13, 14, 15 March. LEICESTERSHIRE XI 209 (J C Balderstone 79, D S Steele 52; K M Curran 4/33) and 260/5 dec (J C Balderstone 70, D S Steele 36, J H Hampshire 58, N E Briers 60*). ZIMBABWE 298 (D A G Fletcher 66, J G Heron 83, A J Pycroft 54; P Booth 3/47) and 54/3 (R D Brown 30*). Match drawn. (One-day, 50 overs) At Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo; 18 March. ZIMBABWE XI 152 (J P Brent 30; P Booth 3/27, D A Wenlock 3/26). LEICESTERSHIRE XI 153/5 (T J Boon 96*). Leicestershire XI won by five wickets. At Salisbury Sports Club; 21, 22, 23 March. ZIMBABWE 234/5 dec (A J Pycroft 104*, K M Curran 55*) and 232/9 dec (D A G Fletcher 49, J G Heron 42, R D Brown 61*; J P Agnew 6/70). LEICESTERSHIRE XI 163 (T J Boon 75*, carrying his bat, R W Tolchard 32; K M Curran 3/26) and 303/9 (T J Boon 41, J H Hampshire 112, R W Tolchard 54; A J Traicos 3/110). Match drawn with scores level.

It is intended in the future to produce full scorecards, and also much more information about all cricket in Rhodesia during this season. At present, the next entry in this section is for 1981/82