Zimbabwe Cricket Online - editorial
First of all there will be no issue of Zimbabwe Cricket Online next Friday, 31 December, but we will be back on 7 January as cricket prepares to start up again after a break of almost three weeks
John Ward
23-Dec-1999
First of all there will be no issue of Zimbabwe Cricket Online
next Friday, 31 December, but we will be back on 7 January as
cricket prepares to start up again after a break of almost three
weeks.
The busiest ten-week period, and in many ways the least
successful, in Zimbabwe's cricket history has come to an end,
mercifully with a token victory in the final one-day
international against Sri Lanka to show for it. Six Test matches
(four lost, two drawn) and eight one-day internationals (one won,
six lost, one drawn) have passed into history. Lack of
first-class preparation and injuries have played their part in
Zimbabwe's failures, but at least a number of younger players
will be much wiser as a result of their experience.
For Zimbabwe supporters, especially in Harare which hosted four
of the Tests and five of the one-day internationals, there was
more cricket to watch than ever before. The Australians and
South Africans drew massive crowds, the Sri Lankans less so - in
fact, the one-day series against the Sri Lankans drew very
disappointing crowds, with the grounds being less than half-full
at all matches.
Unreliable weather cannot be used as an excuse for Bulawayo, as
fine weather in Harare failed to attract many spectators. There
are several other reasons which probably combined to keep the
numbers down. The sheer glut of cricket in such a short period
of time and the poor form of the national side were two reasons.
Furthermore Sri Lanka are not seen as attractive opponents in the
same way as Australia and South Africa.
Another factor mentioned by a number of people was the high
entrance charge to the one-day matches. $200 per adult may not
seem exorbitant by international standards, but it is a lot more
than many people in Zimbabwe will willingly pay, especially
against less popular opponents and when there is so much cricket
on the market in such a short period of time. The Zimbabwe
Cricket Union, eager to attract more black spectators, probably
missed a trick here. Potential black spectators who are not yet
in the habit of attending matches were probably put off by the
price, especially children.
It might well be worth considering, when England are here in
February, making the mid-week matches in Bulawayo and Harare
dirt-cheap for adults and free for children. Mid-week matches do
not draw such large crowds anyway, and many who will only be able
to attend for a short period of time, during the lunch hour or
for the last period of play, will decide not to if the entrance
charge is too high.
Schools will have afternoon activities and many children will
only be able to attend if these schools decide to bring parties
during the morning. A high entrance charge will put them off.
It will be excellent publicity for cricket if the Zimbabwe
Cricket Union actively encourages children and other spectators
by going very easy on the charges and very heavy on the
publicity. Spectators attracted in this way will, if they like
what they see, be far more likely to attend the more costly
matches as well.
There is one piece of good news about spectators, and that is the
increasing proportion of women and schoolgirls in the crowd. One
visiting reporter from South Africa was quite ecstatic about the
number of 'beautifully dressed young women' present. Cricket
seems to be catching on much more strongly among the female
population - among the whites, that is. Few of them are black,
and a more thoughtful policy by the administrators is probably
necessary to attract blacks, both male and female, who do not
usually attend cricket matches.