Running scared?

These are tough times for Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. A long sequence of defeats on the field has left both under the spotlight, with calls for them to lose their international status growing. In a Cricinfo poll last week, 49% of those who voted said that Zimbabwe should be stripped of their Test status, with 38% advocating a similar fate for Bangladesh.

The stats do not make happy reading. In the last year, Zimbabwe have played eight Tests and lost seven of them (all by an innings bar a ten-wicket defeat by India). The other match was a draw with Bangladesh. In the same period they have played 17 ODIs, losing all but two - again, both wins coming against Bangladesh.

It's not much better for the Banglas. In 10 Tests, their solitary win was against - you guessed it - Zimbabwe, as was their one draw. The other eight matches were all lost by an innings. Their one-day record is slightly better, with five wins in 20 games, including one against India and the historic success against Australia at Bristol in June.

Faced with such a dismal record, it's fairly clear that both could do with some morale-boosting wins to rally their beleaguered players. But it seems that the Bangladesh Cricket Board and Zimbabwe Cricket have quite different ideas.

The re-entry of Kenya to decent cricketing circles following the ousting of the old regime on the face of it presented a great opportunity for the two countries who had been bullied for so long to finally find someone smaller to pick on. Kenya, who have full one-day status, have been ripped apart by internal conflict. Since reaching the World Cup semi-finals in 2003, they have played four ODIs, all resulting in defeat. Lacking in match practice and experience, they appeared to be perfect fodder.

The initial signs were good. The new Kenyan board were given encouragement at the ICC meeting in June, and both Zimbabwe and Bangladesh indicated that they were keen to arrange fixtures. Bangladesh even went as far as to suggest that the three could meet in a triangular series in Dhaka in November.

But since then, things have changed. Bangladesh have decided that their players are too tired to contemplate another series and have gone cold on the idea of playing Kenya. Since the end of January they have played four Tests and nine ODIs - nor do they have a punishing domestic calendar. And reports indicate that this weariness is not preventing the BCB courting the Indian board to try to arrange matches in the near future.

The story in Zimbabwe is similar although, to their credit, Zimbabwe Cricket agreed to play A-team matches against Kenya as part of the Kenyans' preparations for the Intercontinental Cup semi-finals later this month. But suggestions by the Kenyans that the visit was a perfect opportunity for the two countries to play an official ODI - at a time and venue to be decided by ZC - the offer was turned down, again citing player fatigue. In the last six months Zimbabwe have played four Tests and four ODIs, all at home. Their next confirmed fixture is not until May 2006.

It will be interesting to see who is in the Zimbabwe A side. The feeling is that it will contain quite a few of the players who have struggled to make an impact in the full side rather than being a genuine second-string XI.

Last week, Ozias Bvute, ZC's managing director, told Cricinfo that "the emphasis right now is on growing the international game, not preserving its exclusivity." And yet it appears that both Bangladesh and Zimbabwe are reluctant to look down, possibly fearing that if the unthinkable was to happen and they were to lose to Kenya, then the pressure on the ICC to act would grow even greater.

Privately, Kenya believe that they have what it takes to beat both countries, and it is hard to argue against that, although Zimbabwe and Bangladesh's experience would count for much. The worry is that we might never know.

In expanding the list of countries who can play full ODIs - five more join Kenya from January 1 - the ICC took a big and commendable step towards expanding the international game. But while it steadfastly refuses to be drawn into the debate on Zimbabwe or Bangladesh's Test status, it has to start flexing a few muscles in a bid to persuade them to start taking on the best of the rest.