THE Zimbabwe national cricket team’s performance in Bangladesh is a shame, to say the least.
NewsDay Comment
No win in the Tests and five one-day internationals is the worst thing that can happen under this new regime of Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) chairman Wilson Manase, coach Stephen Mangongo and convenor of selectors Givemore Makoni.
They must swallow their pride and admit the cricket train is off the rails. There is nothing wrong in taking the game back to experienced hands, but there is everything wrong in believing and forcing everybody else to believe that you are on the right track.
We have never said Zimbabwe could compete with the likes of South Africa, India, Australia and India, but we are able to provide a competitive game in most of the matches we play if we admit that we have flaws.
True leadership is harnessing the resources available, putting them to better use, listening to advice from those who have travelled before you, and perhaps, with a bit of luck, hoping that things will fall into place.
We can do better than this horrible and embarrassing performance in Bangladesh. It’s not inspiring and Bangladesh is benefiting from Zimbabwe’s own talent.
Get this right, we did not say Mangongo must resign. No, he needs help and ZC must bring in those who have played at the highest level to ensure we do better in future assignments. We have the World Cup coming up and this certainly is not the kind of preparation we need for the world showcase.
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As for Makoni, even if he were to leave, there would be no loss to ZC, not at all. No malice intended, but a spade is a spade, we just have to call it that, not a working tool.
What is clear is that we lack the coaching experience to impart to these players, yet the same people we shoved off, the likes of Heath Streak and Grant Flower, are enjoying considerable success in Bangladesh and Pakistan.
It’s more like firing the builder and hiring the mortar boy!
But it was always coming for ZC when it decided to adopt a militant approach to solving issues to do with player welfare and the technical team composition, than looking at what is best for the game.
ZC surrounded itself with a team of public relations practitioners, some of whom are more concerned about fringe benefits than their own integrity and the performance of the national team.
This team of PR persons will cry racism when criticised by people of a different colour; they are so blind to the damage they have done to the game such that the only people who are wrong are those offering solutions.
We have always maintained, and we still do, that players should be selected on merit and judged on figures and not affiliation. That is how professionalism operates, not bullying and intimidation.
The local league needs to be strengthened and the players well remunerated so that when they (players) demand money, you can ask if they are worth it.
We are still waiting for Manase to deliver on his promise that he would do things differently. If angered by our criticism, tell us, don’t rush to other media to answer us. We have the space here.
