ZCO editorial, issue 6, 8 December 2000

First of all we need to apologize for a rather thin edition of our Online magazine this week. A computer breakdown on Tuesday and Wednesday cost us two prime days' work, and the main victim was the statistical section. We have updated the overall Zimbabwe Test records, but have been unable yet to update the individual Zimbabwe players' records. All being well, these will be completed during the next few days.

ODIs IN INDIA

Two contrasting one-day internationals have taken place in India since our last issue, and the third will either be in progress or will have been completed by the time these words are read. Realistically, Zimbabwe have little chance against India in India; the main question was how competitive we could be. The team was most competitive in the first match, but offered poor opposition in the second. This is the story of Zimbabwe cricket. The team could still win a match or two, but are always unpredictable on the day.

Zimbabwe were not far off victory in the first match at one stage. A total of 253 for seven, with a fine anchor innings from Stuart Carlisle, was perhaps a little low considering the wealth of the Indian batting, but any team would have to bat brilliantly to post a safe total - if such a thing exists as all - in face of the `Big Three', Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly. Yet Zimbabwe's bowlers dismissed five batsmen, including the Big Three, for 144 runs and had their tails up.

Unfortunately for Zimbabwe, another superb young batsman, Hemang Badani, chose this occasion to make his mark on international cricket, aided by wicket-keeper/batsman Vijay Dahiya. Both are new to international cricket, but both could have big futures ahead of them. Showing good temperament and strokes, they turned the game, and after Dahiya was run out Ajit Agarkar proved a sound partner until victory was achieved.

In the second match Zimbabwe dismissed Tendulkar cheaply, to a decision about which even the slow-motion camera was not completely clear but which the commentators seemed to feel was correct in the end. But that was the end of their challenge. Saurav Ganguly is perhaps an even greater one-day player than he is a Test batsman, and he scored a magnificent century, with Rahul Dravid also in fine form. Even on a good day Zimbabwe's attack, or any bowlers in the world, would find it hard to contain these three, but Zimbabwe bowled poorly and India passed 300.

India bat their Big Three at the top of the order in one-day cricket. Zimbabwe paid the price for having less experienced players there. Doug Marillier, like others such as Gavin Rennie, and Alistair Campbell until recently, seems to be a player who began well in international cricket and then lost his way. Hopefully he will readjust. Stuart Carlisle is still not one of our most experienced players and, in contrast to his previous innings, he struggled. These two not only slowed down the scoring when a good start was essential, but they also kept the in-form Campbell from the strike. By the time they were out in the 11th over, Zimbabwe were well behind the asking rate already at 35 for two. A minute chance of victory had become almost impossible, and so it proved, well as Andy Flower batted. Heath Streak also scored a fifty, but by then it was no more than a face-saving operation.

Perhaps Zimbabwe need to rethink the top order, especially when runs are needed urgently in a difficult run chase. The higher they can put Andy Flower the better. Perhaps an idea would be to put Guy Whittall in to open, as they did in the Second Test. On the other hand, he and Campbell opening together would be a recipe for disaster. The exploits of these two running between wickets together are becoming legendary!

UMPIRING PROBLEMS

Umpiring problems elsewhere are causing more of a stir in world cricketing circles, probably at least partly because England are involved rather than insignificant Zimbabwe. Nasser Hussain has been a regular victim, twice given out to erroneous decisions in Pakistan in the recent Test match when he has been battling to find his form. Fortune, as usual, loves to kick those who are down. Coach Duncan Fletcher's suggestion is that a team should be given the option, for a maximum of three times during an innings, to have an umpiring decision taken to a `higher court'.

This sounds a good idea to me, and it would avoid numerous interminable waits that might take place, as they already do at times for run-outs in particular, and also perhaps make it a less difficult way for the umpire if he is to have a decision over-ruled. Hopefully there will still be room for him to take the initiative himself and call for extra technology when he is uncertain, but even good umpires can be both certain and wrong.

At last it seems that the ICC is responding, with a review of the situation due in March. In the meantime cricketers will just have to take pot luck. The ICC has a long-standing reputation for being ponderous, if it moves at all, so let us hope things do happen quickly. It looks as if things will happen that way eventually, but why not recognize the direction this is taking and act quickly? It won't help those of us who have suffered from trigger-happy umpires in club cricket, or even in first-class matches, to start with, but at least it will help to improve matters on the volatile international scene. And at some time in the future technology will spread downwards so that all professional players at least will only have themselves to blame rather than the umpires.

Perhaps in a couple of years' time, we will again enjoy the sight of batsmen walking when they know they are out because they know they can no longer hope to get away with it. Perhaps `cheating' appeals will become a thing of the past because the fielding side knows it can no longer pressure an umpire into giving a wrong decision. The anger players suffer when a bad decision goes against them will die away, the game will become better humoured and relationships between teams on and off the field will improve because the decisions are fair and are known to be fair. It won't be perfect because life never is, but it will be better.

THIS WEEK

In this issue we include an index of this season's magazine issues so far. There is, of course, much more on the Zimbabwe cricket page than appears in this magazine, especially in the way of statistics and biographies, most of which have now been updated, but it will help those who may have missed issues or want to look back for certain information or certain players.