Zimbabwe Cricket Online: Letters

I withhold my right of reply to the reaction to the question I posed for a couple of weeks. It was fantastic to see Zim make the Super Sixes, and I think talk of anything else would detract from that.

Assuming the reasonable happens, and Aus and India win their next three games, and Zim beat Kenya, then all (sic) we have to do is beat either SL or NZ for a crack, probably at India, in the semis. Form goes out of the window in knockouts, and Zim have a real chance to make history. How I wish we had Campbell (I'll eat humble pie) and Evans there!

---

TRAVIS FRIEND

I've been watching the World Cup, and cannot work out why Travis Friend hasn't been playing for Zimbabwe - he really impressed me after breaking into the side at a young age.

What has happened to him?

Reply: I haven't been able to ask about this but my feeling is that his bowling is not accurate enough and better bowlers are fit (at present!)

---

CONGRATULATIONS

It's my pleasure to congratulate your lads on your job well done. Even though I live in the United Kingdom you make me proud to walk around London streets with our flag as a proud Zimbabwean. It's a shame about our match with England because I was looking forward to that match. Anyway it's part of politics which I am not part of, but my message to you is to keep the good work going, don't let politics let you down and prove to the world that we are still the best country to live in.

---

GOOD LUCK

Good luck to the boys. Contrary to what most people think I still believe we will make it into the Super Sixes. We can beat both Kenya and Sri Lanka and if other results go as expected then we will make it.

I am also just sick and tired of reading and watching English reporters report about how England were robbed of a place in the Super Sixes by not coming to Zim. In truth they didn't come for political reasons, whilst the other five teams in the group had enough sense to leave politics out. Even though they forfeited, if they really were that good then they should have still qualified by beating all the other teams, but no they didn't because they are just a mediocre team. Nothing special at all. We have stars like Heath Streak and Andy Flower, but who do England have? Nobody, everybody they had is past their prime.

So to all those English fans and journalists moaning, just face the fact that we are in and you are OUT.

---

ENGLAND v ZIMBABWE

When people talk about England not making the Super Six they say it's because we didn't play in Harare and therefore sacrificed four points.

It may not be very patriotic of me to say so but I'm not convinced that England beating Zimbabwe was a foregone conclusion. England never seems to play consistently. Namibia gave them a scare but then they played well against Australia.

It only needed Trescothick, Knight and Vaughan to be out cheaply, which did happen in some matches and then Andy and/or Grant Flower to have a good innings, backed up with reasonable scores from others, and Zimbabwe could easily have won.

I agree you are not the force you were in '99 but your appearance in the Super Six is not all down to fortuitous circumstances.

And what a revelation Kenya have been!

---

ZIMBABWE v KENYA

I am gutted after Zimbabwe's performance last night. They seemed disinterested and had not half the enthusiasm that Kenya had. I thought they had a real chance to get to the semis but that dream is no longer.

I think the team needs an overhaul for future matches. I would like to think that Zimbabwe will improve in the future but I think the talent is a bit thin on the ground at the moment. The conditions they face daily in their homeland are obviously having an effect on the players and I can't blame them. I would love to see my team getting back to playing with enthusiasm and having fun out there but, sadly, I think that is lacking at the minute.

---

HEATH STREAK - GENTLEMAN OF THE WORLD CUP

My wife and I are ardent supporters of cricket, and even more so of Kenya.

We'd like to offer our condolences to the Zim team after yesterday's game which saw Zimbabwe exit the World Cup. It's always sad that someone has to come second in such games.

However, we'd also like to say a warm thank you to Heath Streak for his comments at the awards ceremony after the game. He accepted defeat with grace and took the time to congratulate Kenya on their win. He came across as a good sportsman and a gentleman.

This was in stark contrast to the mutterings of certain other captains either defeated or almost defeated recently by Kenya! In both cases the captains said that they'd played the worst cricket in their lives (in one case) and that they'd played brilliantly to recover from a precarious situation (in the other case). Not a word about the fact that Kenya played an excellent game in both cases.

We will be supporting Zimbabwe in their upcoming match against Sri Lanka. Our thoughts are also with the Zimbabwe team and its members as they face such an uncertain future back home after the CWC.