Huge step forward for Zimbabwe (31 May 1999)

31 May 1999

Huge step forward for Zimbabwe

Charles Randall

Zimbabwe are tantalisingly close to the World Cup final, and an appearance at the grand occasion at Lord's on June 20 would surely fire the imagination back home, where there is no cricket tradition among the 11 million black population.

With Saturday's victory over South Africa at Chelmsford, Alistair Campbell's side have almost assured themselves an appearance in the semi-finals, because they unexpectedly take four points with them into the Super Sixes stage for their Group A successes against India and South Africa, a luxury that might protect them against all hiccups during the six-country scramble for four places.

Zimbabwe's remarkable progress would not have been shown by ZBC, the terrestrial television broadcasters, had South Africa's M-Net station not provided a feed from their satellite network, reportedly free of charge. Such accessibility to viewers without satellite dishes, the vast majority of the population, has been acknowledged by the cricket authorities as crucial to establishing the game.

The exciting three-run victory over India at Leicester a fortnight ago was seen in Zimbabwe by the biggest television audience yet for cricket, though the ZBC viewers were robbed of Henry Olonga's final fateful over because the programmers insisted on showing the news at its scheduled time. The Zimbabwe Cricket Union officials, grateful for M-Net's generosity, could only shrug and say: "That's Africa."

Major advances have been made in Zimbabwean cricket in the past decade. The England A tour last winter under Michael Vaughan marked the opening of a cricket academy in Harare, which will join Mashonaland (two teams) and Matabeleland in the tiny first-class programme next winter.

Zimbabwe's rise to greater prominence in this World Cup reflects the steady advance in establishing an expensive game in a country gripped by inflation at around 43 per cent.

The ZCU have been insuring for the future by arranging scholarships each year for underprivileged black children with cricket ability at major fee-paying schools, with more than 50 recipients benefiting. Nearly all the World Cup squad are contracted full-time players with sponsored cars.

Dave Houghton, Zimbabwe's coach, is anxious to raise general aspirations to a higher plain. He said: "There's huge support for us, black and white, at home but we could have undone all that by not getting to where we should be - in the Super Sixes. Really, we haven't done anything yet. All we've done is what people have always said we could do - cause a surprise."

Campbell said: "It is magnificent, not only in the context of being in the World Cup but for Zimbabwean cricket and Zimbabwe as a nation. Now we are in the Super Sixes, there will be a truck-load of people coming over. They said if we reach the Super Six, they will all be here."

Campbell believes his team's self-belief will serve them well in the later stages of the competition.

"I think you have to believe in yourselves when you walk on a cricket field," he said. "We knew how well South Afrcia were playing and what a good side they are. But we knew we had nothing to lose. Everyone had written us off, but we knew if we got all three departments right we still had a good chance.

"The main thing we said beforehand was that we were going to enjoy ourselves - and we did."

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)