By John Ward

How nice it is to have one’s criticisms and comments answered so smartly and positively! We have much good to report on concerning the Second Test match between Zimbabwe and India at Nagpur that has just been completed.

Last week I pointed out Zimbabwe’s weakness in that they rarely seemed to bat well as a team twice in the match, and that they seemed to have lost the ability to force draws. At Nagpur they amassed 382 and 503 for six wickets, a total of 885 runs in the match, which greatly exceeds their previous match aggregate in Test cricket, which was 688 against New Zealand at Queens Sports Club in 1997/98. It was a good batting pitch, but taking spin, so it was a fantastic effort to bat out more than three days of the match to earn a draw. Hopefully this fine performance will encourage them to bat with more resolution and confidence in future Tests. And not only did they score heavily, but they did it by batting positively, seeking to dominate the bowlers and keep the score moving at all times. [More]

  INTERVIEWS

Trevor Penney: Zimbabwe Board XI v Easterns B

Zimbabwean-born Warwickshire cricketer Trevor Penney talks to John Ward about his role in Zimbabwean cricket, and also about the recent three-day match between the Zimbabwe Board XI and Easterns in the UCB Bowl Competition. [More]

Raymond Price: Zimbabwe Board XI v Easterns B

All-rounder Ray Price made an unexpected Test debut against Sri Lanka last season but, despite continued progress especially with his left-arm spin, he has yet to be selected again. He took ten wickets against Easterns B in the three-day match at Mutare Sports Club, and talks to John Ward afterwards. [More]

PLAYERS

Dave Houghton: the Academy players
Dave Houghton, former national team coach, is now coaching at the CFX Academy and is in the best position to assess this year’s intake of Zimbabwe’s most promising young players. Here is his ‘report’. Last week we asked him to give his views on our international players and also promising youngsters, and he would like to add two players he left out. [More]

Craig Wishart: an updated biography
Craig Wishart has for several seasons been one of Zimbabwe's most promising young batsmen. Early in his career he was earmarked as a player for the future, but so far he has rarely lived up to his full potential. The fact that he has always been regarded as no more than a fringe player for the national side has also been a considerable handicap to a player who suffers from nerves and needs encouragement. [More]

LETTERS

I’d like to put you on the spot and ask who are the future stars of Zimbabwean cricket? Specifically, who are the 16-23 year-old players today who will be representing the country in 3-5 years? I’m presuming Travis Friend and Dirk Viljoen will be thereabouts. Who else is there? Michael Gorey (Australia)

Reply: Most of our promising young adults have already been given a go at international cricket, and those who have not are for the most part in the Academy. Greg Lamb, right-hand batsman and off-spinning all-rounder, is highly rated. In this issue we asked Dave Houghton to give his views on the present crop of Academy players. In our last issue we published a list of the 2001 Academy intake. I am not in a position to comment with authority on school players yet, but the age-group sides will be playing in South Africa in the next few weeks and we plan to get full reports of their deeds. Wicket-keeper/batsman Tatenda Taibu is already well known, while Dion Ebrahim is making fine progress and must be knocking loudly on the door now after his second century for the Zimbabwe Board XI.

UCB BOWL COMPETITION
You are to be congratulated on the continuing standard of both the newsletter and the quality of the website. I have a query: - The Zimbabwe Board XI is playing in the UCB Bowl competition. Where does this competition fall in the scheme of things that is South African First Class Cricket? Is there any chance of full Supersport series cricket or are we considered too weak? So far the results have been pretty good and I think it would do Zimbabwean cricket a lot of good if they were involved with top flight provincial cricket in South Africa.
Andries van Tonder (Derby, United Kingdom)

Reply: The competition no longer has first-class status. So far the South African administrators have not been willing to promote the Board XI to the Supersport series, despite the fact that this year one of its two divisions in that series has six teams but the other only five. I agree it would be great for the team to be promoted next season, but the UCBSA may be unwilling to allow a non-South African team to take part. They will just have to make the strongest possible case for themselves by their results.

UCB Bowl One-Day match: Zim Board XI v Easterns B
Mutare, 26 November 2000 by John Ward

A somewhat overconfident Zimbabwe Board XI limped to a two-wicket victory over Easterns at Mutare Sports Club. The highlight of the match was a blistering 73 by the home captain Gus Mackay, but his team-mates gave him little batting support and in the end his team had to fight hard after their bowlers had done well to dismiss Easterns for 142. [More]

OGs and Alex win again
Vigne Cup report by Clive Ruffell ........[Read]

SCHOOLS

Zimbabwe U19 Report
Schools cricket this year was handicapped from the start by the unusually wet season that all but demolished school cricket during the first term. Matabeleland for once suffered the worst of the climatic extremes and had very little schools cricket at all, while Mashonaland schools were more fortunate to manage perhaps three games each. “This made the selection process for the Under-19 side quite difficult because with the lack of cricket we had no real results to build on at all,” Win Justin-Smith says. “So the selection process only really took place from the end of the Prince Edward festival during the August-September holidays. [More]

Jameson High School Report
by T Kwaramba (1st XI captain)

Cricket this year was quite successful for the Jameson teams. The first-term season which had only two matches played had its main highlights from the games played against Watershed College. In this tough encounter, the first team lost marginally but performed well with an outstanding 65 runs made by F. Munda. F. Munda, T. Katomeni and T. Kwaramba were three of our first-team players who were included amongst the 22 trialists for the Mashonaland Country Districts. [More]

Prince Edward School Report
By K Saich (master i/c cricket)

The Prince Edward First Eleven has had another, seemingly, dismal year if “Wins/Losses” are the sole measurement. If, however, the performances of individuals are looked at, specifically, then there is much to be proud of. Ryan Butterworth’s opening 133 against Peterhouse was the epitome of bowler-destruction! Opening bowler Tarisai Savanhu got quicker and quicker, regularly knocked over early order opponents, and had over 30 catches spilled! [More]

Christian Brothers' College, Bulawayo
By Win Justin-Smith (cricket master)

During the first term the season was severely curtailed by rain with very few practices able to be held and only one game played, against Plumtree. This game was lost by one wicket, with the batsmen failing to capitalize on a good opening stand while the bowlers gave away far too many wides and no-balls, and hence lost the match. Matches against Falcon, Petra and Milton were cancelled due to rain. A train derailment caused the cancellation of the match against Eaglesvale, while the game against Prince Edward was cancelled because of the fuel shortage. [More]

Watershed College Report
By Chris Nyazika (master i/c cricket)

Watershed College this year met with mixed fixtures. After a very successful year in 1999, during which the boys played a total of sixteen matches inside and outside our borders, the year 2000 was not to be as inspiring, although the team played with great enthusiasm and team spirit. [More]

Peterhouse Report
By Paul Davis

The year 2000 was a very good one for Peterhouse on the cricket front. The school produced three open sides (44 would regularly come out to practice), two U16 and U15 sides and three U14 sides. The school has again been fortunate this term to have competent coaches and outstanding facilities, combined with natural skill and talent, always to make them a force to be reckoned with on the cricket field. The groundsman Tony Wilde and his workers must be commended for the excellent wickets they have produced throughout the year. The addition of the astroturf nets will make a huge difference to training sessions, especially in the first term with all the wet weather. [More]

Picture of the Week