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Loading ...A new dawn for Zimbabwe?
By Jonathan Liew last year, at the start of December Leave a comment on this post
It’s probably far, far too early to say this, but Zimbabwe look like a team very much on the up. Australia saw what they could do at the World Twenty20, and now the West Indies – who made England look very foolish just six months ago – are feeling the heat. Putting aside the Windies’ deepening mire for a sec, it’s heartening news for a team most of us had given up on.
There was a time in the mid to late 1990s when Zimbabwe looked as though they might crack the big time. They had a generation of gifted cricketers – the Flowers, the Strangs, Whittall, Goodwin, Johnson, Streak, Olonga and more – who propelled them to victories over India and Pakistan and the second stage in two consecutive World Cups.
Of course, things started going a little pear-shaped after that. Yet while the political situation is still quite unsustainable in the long term, the green shoots of recovery are very much in evidence. For the first time in a while, they’ve got a settled team and a modicum of experience. The batting unit looks strong, and from what I’ve seen and heard of him, Prosper Utseya is blossoming into a genuinely world class player.
Cricket needs Zimbabwe to make a full recovery. In an era when the game is trying to stretch its frontiers, its demise in an existing stronghold would be a serious blow. More than that, though, Zimbabwe needs cricket, profoundly and urgently. Which is why we should all be quietly rooting for them in this series.
Tags: Prosper-Utseya, west indies in zimbabwe, zimbabwe |
