Zimbabwe excited by daunting Test

Modern methods of motivation for sports teams include mantras, music and if we're honest, money, but not in Zimbabwe. Just having a match to play is enough to inspire their cricket team.

The upcoming Test is not just any match. It is their first in almost 12 months and it is against the No.1 team in the world. Usually that combination might evoke angst but for Zimbabwe it spells opportunity.

"It is the ultimate to play the best in the world," Stephen Mangongo, Zimbabwe's coach said. "It's such a privilege and an honour; we are excited about it. But at the same time it is a perfect opportunity to put our best foot forward for world cricket to see that we can play the game in this country."

Like his charges, the lid on Mangongo's pot of excitement is close to popping off as D-Day approaches. He is as keen as anyone to see how his batsman stand up to the challenge South Africa's pace pack will pose, and how his bowlers will aim to cut through a line-up that more experienced attacks have struggled to even snip into.

Mangongo's message to his players is simple - if they perform as well as they can, they will make an impression. "We are a professional team. We are under no illusion. We know that we are up against it and we have to bring our best game to compete. That has been the hymn all week long - that we have to bring the best out of ourselves and to play out of our skins."

Zimbabwe may have to be better than their best to compete against South Africa. Despite weeks of preparation, lack of match practice could take its toll on an outfit that has not had sufficient time to settle since their Test comeback three years ago.

Zimbabwe have only played 10 matches since their return in 2011 and four of those were one-off games. Unlike other teams they have not had the opportunity to develop combinations, never mind settle on them, or find any momentum. They are in a constant state of building and rebuilding and even then, there have managed to lay few bricks to form a solid foundation.

Without that base, choosing a squad is difficult and deciding on the XI more so. Zimbabwe are constantly wondering whether to continue giving chances to players who have reputations as performers but have been through a lean patch, or to reward players who have done well domestically. "It is massively difficult. When you are stop-start you are always starting," Mangongo said. "The reality is that it is always difficult for the players after spending a year to get back into it, to feel it, to feel the confidence. It's an uphill struggle when you stop-start."

There is one player who can take a positive out of a lengthy interruption. Batsman Mark Vermeulen is likely to make a return to Test cricket following an absence of a decade, after finishing last season's first-class competition as the second-highest run-scorer.

Vermeulen is also Zimbabwe's most in-form player, fresh off a century in an A-team match against Afghanistan. He will be the oldest member of the team and will add a level of experience that Zimbabwe's younger players could benefit from. "He's put his hand up. He is really looking solid and he is really calm for once, which is great," Zimbabwe's captain Brendan Taylor said. "He has a great cricketing brain and he is full of constructive ideas. Hopefully he will continue to have a clear mindset."

If there is one man who is more motivated than the rest, it's Vermeulen. He regards himself as being close to the end of his career and wants to make up for lost time. All the Zimbabwean players want to do so too. Test cricket is so rare for them that they do not need any fancy marketing to get excited about it. They just want a match. And they have a big one from Saturday.