Zimbabwe hit a familiar plateau

The most noticeable thing about Brendan Taylor is his smile. It is not particularly radiant and his teeth are not quite pearly white, but even as Brendon McCullum was making a mockery of Taylor's bowling attack in the Twenty20s in Harare, the smile stood out.

After nine international defeats in three series, the fact that Taylor could muster more than a grimace was impressive. That he could show a cheeky grin seemed a sign that there is still belief in Zimbabwe cricket despite their stumble as they try to step up to the big stage.

Their fairytale has not turned sour yet, since their sensational return to Test cricket in August, but it appears to be headed that way. For now they have reached a familiar plateau. With defeat piling upon defeat Zimbabwe have to look at their failures in context. Some of them are creditable losses and others just plain losses. The second T20 against New Zealand was one of the former: Zimbabwe batted to within 34 runs of their visitors' total, with an intent that was missing from previous showings. The first T20 was the other kind, where Zimbabwe were inept in all three departments and were rightly crushed by 10 wickets.

"We've shown we can perform, we know we can do it, but we just have to be more consistent," Ray Price, Zimbabwe's stalwart spinner, told ESPNcricinfo. It is not a groundbreaking thought, but it is exactly what Zimbabwe have to work on as they aim to become more than just the "Johnny Fontanes of cricket", as one respected cricket journalist labelled them.

Zimbabwe's talent is obvious but it needs to be refined. In the domestic competition they have performers who excel. Gary Balance scored a double-hundred for the MidWest Rhinos two weeks ago. Michael Chinouya started the season with a five-for for the Rhinos. And Forster Mutizwa, who is in the national squad, got 164 for the Mashonaland Eagles, but his average needs improvement in international cricket. A persisting problem has been the gap players have to jump when they take the step up from domestic to international cricket.

Price thinks Zimbabwe need to play more A team tours. "When I was coming up, I spent a lot of time on A tours, playing with guys who were much older than me," he said. "I remember an A tour to Sri Lanka that we went on in the late '90s. We lost every game. They had guys like Kumar Sangakkara and Thilan Samaraweera in the squad, and it was such an eye-opener. I wondered if I was good enough to play international cricket, and it made me work so much harder."

Zimbabwe played three unofficial Tests against New Zealand A in 2010 and two against Australia A this year, but lack of funds means they cannot send their A team to play in other countries. "Our A team don't travel enough," Price said. "But we were so happy to have New Zealand A play against us, not just from an on-field experience but off the field too. We could talk to them and learn from them."

Price is known for his engaging and interactive personality. During Pakistan's recent visit to Zimbabwe, he was often spotted chatting to Saeed Ajmal on the sidelines and said he picked up a lot of tips. Though he is the senior-most player in the Zimbabwe squad, Price wants to keep absorbing knowledge so that he has more of it to give. "I think if you stop learning, you may as well stop playing. I am really close to all the bowlers in our set-up, not just the spinners. I even like to share ideas with Brendan, and sometimes I am chirping in his ear so much, he has to ask me to move away."

The one area Price cannot dispense any insight into is batting, and he feels that's where Zimbabwe are struggling the most. "We've got a very young batting line-up. When you looked at Pakistan, for example, they had Younis Khan batting with Azhar Ali, and I could hear that he was helping him along. Our most experienced batsman is probably Tatenda Taibu, and he is only 28."

Zimbabwe's batting woes have cost them more games than their bowling has, and they have often over-compensated for their tendency to collapse by crawling along with little purpose.

Dave Houghton, the former Zimbabwe captain who coaches the local Tuskers franchise and Derbyshire, said the lack of Test cricket is one of the main factors for the side's fragile batting. "We've been on a diet of one-day and now T20 cricket, and in those formats every aspect of your game is scrutinised. Usually you have to score off every ball. You are always under pressure. When that happens and you lose two wickets, there is panic. If batsmen had more time to get in, have a look around and settle, they could build confidence."

Although Zimbabwe play four-day cricket, and did even during their six-year Test exile, Houghton thinks it has not done enough for the batsmen to be able to adapt to international cricket. Franchises play eight matches a season, which Houghton says does not give them enough practice in the long run or help develop any sort of consistency.

"If you look at batsmen like AB de Villiers or Jacques Kallis, when they have a good season, they score runs in almost every game," Houghton said. "With one of our players, they may have one good contribution in a series. But we need more."

Lack of cricket appears to a problem throughout the set-up. Former New Zealand allrounder Chris Harris, who coaches the country's Under-19 side, said even at the school level players are not exposed to the game often enough. "They play six to 10 games a season, so the administrators and I have tried to organise mid-week games and matches at local clubs to get more cricket in."

He is, though, heartened by the number of youngsters interested in the game and said Zimbabweans from all walks of life are taking up cricket. Harris worked with the senior national team on their fielding prior to the New Zealand series and said the attitude in the squad was upbeat and positive. "It's exciting times in Zimbabwe cricket and there is a real feeling that people want to improve."

Motivation remains one of Zimbabwe's biggest assets, and everyone from Price to Houghton agrees that it will keep them pushing to get better. "If you can't motivate yourself to play for your country then you shouldn't be playing at all," Price said.

Because Zimbabwe have usually been the underdogs, Houghton does not think their losing streak will dent them irreparably. "We've never been a team that wins series. We've always been a team that beats sides from time to time, and so even just one victory will bring back a lot of confidence."