Zimbabwe's sad plight in international cricket continues, as two
awful batting collapses handed victory to Sri Lanka on a plate in
the two one-day internationals that reached a conclusion. It
seems futile to continue looking for reasons for this plight, and
one can only hope that the players themselves will have the
character to fight their way out of their slump.
It is interesting to see the contrasting attitudes of the players
and the press to matches played in Bulawayo and Harare. The
players are very much in favour of the former; the press the
latter.
The players feel that both the pitch and the practice facilities
in Bulawayo are superior to those in Harare. Noel Peck in
Bulawayo always seems able to prepare a beautiful batting pitch
whatever the weather conditions, and the nets too are dry and
immaculate. The pace bowlers usually find they can get something
out of it if they are prepared to bend their backs, while the
spinners usually get a little turn.
In Harare, since the sad death of the head groundsman in a road
accident during the Australian tour, things seem to have gone
into decline. The batsmen in particular are very wary of the
pitch, especially if they are required to bat first on it, and
although they do not generally try to use it as an excuse,
obviously if they feel that way they are at a psychological
disadvantage.
For the press, the opposite is true. Press facilities in Harare
have improved immeasurably since Dave Ellman-Brown took over as
chief executive of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union just over a year
ago, for he has brought all this to pass. Before then, the press
were placed in a tent almost at ground level about ten metres
beyond the long-leg boundary, where it was impossible to see what
the bowlers were doing with the ball and with the public
persistently wandering across their already inadequate line of
vision. They also had to find their own lunches, although
telephone lines were usually in place.
Today there is a new media centre, rather hastily constructed and
possibly to be replaced at a later date, but ideal for its
current purpose, situated above the sightscreen at the clubhouse
end. Even the visiting press rave about the lunches provided,
with a good choice of hot and cold meals, with dessert, available
in a tent by the Sports Club swimming pool (which doubles as a
fish pond, depending on the colour of the water!).
Meanwhile press complaints about Bulawayo proliferate. They
expect a brand new media centre to be in place by the time
England arrive in February, but cannot be certain that it will be
equipped with telephone lines by then. When the President's XI
played the Australians there in August, the lack of telephones
forced the Australian press to go out and buy their own cell
phones as this was the only way they could communicate with home
base. Phone lines were available for the Test against Sri Lanka,
but only in the scorers' box. Even these were removed in time
for the one-day internationals there last weekend.
Most of the press were seated in a tiny tent, fortunately next to
the sightscreen, but, according to the visiting press who
occupied it, without a television set, although one was enjoyed
by the occupants of the president's enclosure next door. Live
reports by CricInfo were impossible as there was no phone line,
and there wasn't even room for them in the press box. The local
authorities seemed quite unable to anticipate the problems
experienced or to do anything about them. No lunches were
provided during the President's XI match against the Australians
either; this has now been remedied, but the quality of the meals
does not begin to compare with Harare.
Fortunately Mr Ellman-Brown is aware of the situation; he enjoys
a well-earned reputation as a man who gets things done, and so
Bulawayo will no doubt enter the twentieth century just before
the twenty-first begins (which will be on 1 January 2001, despite
popular opinion!).
There have been some very negative reports on the state of
cricket in Zimbabwe in the Sri Lankan press. Some of the
criticisms are valid, but there does not seem to have been much
credit given to the massive progress which has been made since
Test status was granted in 1992, and especially since Mr
Ellman-Brown took over as chief executive. Visitors with more
international experience such as match referee and former West
Indian wicket-keeper Jackie Hendriks, interviewed in this issue,
are more appreciative. The situation was not helped, though, by
a local reporter who took a very temporary break from crucifying
the local team to slating the Sri Lankans, with some very
immoderate language. Goodwill and a willingness to understand
are unfortunately in short supply in certain quarters.
It would be easy to retaliate by interviewing those from this
country who have toured Sri Lanka and found different, but very
real, problems there. However dialogue is more constructive, as
we have urged in previous issues in a different context. There
needs to be an acceptance by both sides that they are operating
on different wave-lengths; what may seem a problem to one side is
not a problem to the other, but that does not make the grievance
unacceptable.
Then those with the complaints need to take them up in the right
quarters first, as we have done concerning conditions in
Bulawayo. If this is done and if action is taken, as it will be
in Zimbabwe as long as Mr Ellman-Brown is in charge, then what
need is there to make the issue public, except to praise those
responsible for putting it right?