Give us two years, pleads Taibu

Tatenda Taibu, Zimbabwe's 21-year-old captain, believes it will be two years before his young, predominantly black team are strong enough to survive in Test cricket and four years before they start winning matches.

Asked whether Zimbabwe could survive as a Test nation without their leading white players, Taibu told The Age newspaper: "Given a bit of time, yes. In about four years' time we could start winning games, but surviving in Test cricket, I would give myself about two years."

But Simon Katich returned to Australia on Sunday with a bleaker verdict on the country's cricketing prospects. "I feel it's in a bit of strife," said Katich, who flew home after the two-Test series against Zimbabwe was aborted.

"Looking at the papers, there's not a lot of coverage. They played a Test here the other week where Murali was going to break the world record and apparently there were 40 people at the ground. Everything's about soccer."

The question of whether Zimbabwe will remain a Test nation will be discussed at an ICC meeting in June. Taibu is pleading for the rest of the cricketing world to show yet more mercy towards Zimbabwe, and was disappointed the two Tests against Australia were called off.

"We need any games we can get at the moment so that we get experience and exposure," he said. "It was very important for us to get some kind of cricket somewhere."