By John Ward

December and January have been something of a mid-season slump in Zimbabwean cricket. Very little has been taking place inside the country apart from club cricket, and it has been very hard to find much to report on locally. Our apologies for so little current content in this present issue, but I have spent several days chasing up people for articles and interviews, only to find most of them refuse to return phone calls or produce what they had promised. So we are very thin on the ground this time and can only hope that the offenders will come up with the goods in time for next week.

The feeling seems to be that, with the national players away for so long, the remaining players are just marking time. Next month will be a step up, with two Board XI fixtures and the start of the revitalized Logan Cup competition. Then come tours by Bangladesh, India and West Indies, meaning we have virtually non-stop cricket at first-class and international level from February to July. [More]

BIOGRAPHY

Eddo Brandes

Eddo Brandes is probably the world's most famous chicken farmer. He was the spearhead of Zimbabwe's bowling attack for over ten years, and was just at his peak when Zimbabwe gained Test status in 1992.

A few months earlier he had played the major role in an unexpected victory by Zimbabwe over England in the World Cup of 1991/92, breaking the back of the England innings with four cheap wickets. He received far more prominence, though, against England in 1996/97, the highlight of his career at the age of 33, when he appeared to be fitter and bowling perhaps better than ever before. Despite the presence of several promising young pace bowlers, Eddo was determined to continue to play a leading part in the Zimbabwean team, and his skill and experience kept him in the selectors' minds right up to the 1999/2000 season, when he was unexpectedly recalled for what was probably his final Test match. [More]

Andy Whittall
Andy Whittall has the unusual, but not unique, distinction of representing his country overseas before playing first-class cricket at home. (Peter Rawson, Eddo Brandes and Dan Rowett among others also share this distinction.) But Andy is very much a Zimbabwean, and after a profitable time at Cambridge University returned home to stay.

He was born in the eastern border town of Umtali, now Mutare, but spent most of his boyhood outside school on Humani Ranch, which is about 120 kilometres from Chiredzi in the Lowveld. He and his cousin Guy, almost a year older, lived together on the ranch which was started by his grandfather and later taken over by his two sons, the respective fathers of Guy and Andy. Andy's grandfather had captained Rugby School at rugby, but decided to hunt in Africa at the age of 18 instead of staying in England and probably playing international rugby. He had just enough money to complete the trip; he then worked on a farm in Borrowdale, Salisbury (now Harare), until he had enough money to buy a ranch in the Lowveld in partnership with another man. Humani is near to the original ranch. [More]

LETTERS

Youth Tours
Again you are to be congratulated on the continuing standard of both the website and the newsletter. It is always a pleasure when Friday comes around as I know I can catch up on all the local news. As I spent a lot of time scoring at that age group is it possible for an U19 report on the tour to South Africa to be made available as they seemed to have done quite well. I have read, with interest, the U14 and U15 reports and on the whole they are encouraging for the future of Zimbabwe cricket as a whole.
Andries van Tonder (UK) [More Letters]

Alex blast405/3 in 50 overs
Club cricket review by Clive Ruffell

Alexandra Sports Club scored a massive 405/3 in 50 overs against the hapless MacDonald Club in Bulawayo, and then dismissed the home side for 212 to record a comprehensive victory by 193 runs. The opening pair of Roger Liddell and Brian Bath started the onslaught with a century partnership at a run a ball before Liddell was bowled by Steven Brown for 72. Andy Blignaut joined Bath at the wicket and proceeded to smash the Mac Club bowlers around (and over) the park before he holed out to Mark Vermeulen for 77. Bath reached his first century of the season before being bowled for 124. John Vaughan-Davies and Andrew Gilmour continued the slaughter to push Alex to the highest score in the first league for several years. The Mac Club cause was not helped by 43 extras. [More]

Matabeleland Cricket Report
By Derrick Townshend

With the Logan Cup commencing on 16, 17 and 18 February, and the national players available, Matabeleland could field the strongest bowling attack ever seen in the competition with the possibility of five Test opening bowlers. Mashonaland 'A' could find their opening fixture a stiff challenge. The recently announced Matabeleland team has Streak, the current national captain, Mbangwa, Nkala, Olonga and John Rennie as the seam attack. The remainder of the squad is C. Coventry, I. Engelbrecht, J. Hitz, B. Jacobs, M. Kenny, R. King, C. Mahachi, D. Oberhoster, N. Van Rensburg, M. Vermeulen and G. Wren. [More]

FIXTURE LIST

West Indies In Zimbabwe, June/July 2001
This list does not include the Triangular Tournament fixtures, which were included in our last issue.

17, 18, 19 June v CFX Academy, at Country Club, Harare
20 June v Zimbabwe Country Districts, at Harare South
23 June - 7 July Triangular tournament
9, 10, 11 July v President's XI, at Country Club, Harare
14, 15, 16 July v Zimbabwe A, at Kwekwe Sports Club
19, 20, 21, 22, 23 July FIRST TEST, at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo
27, 28, 29, 30, 31 July SECOND TEST, at Harare Sports Club [Read]

STATISTICS

Andy Flower in Test cricket [Read]
Andy Flower in One-Day Internationals [Read]

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