Despite being a full member of the ICC with Test and ODI status, you rarely get the opportunity to have a punt on a Zimbabwe Test match with the likes of Coral bookmakers.
The ICC recently decided against the proposal of a two-tier Test system featuring promotion and relegation, whereby the three lowest ranked teams (the West Indies, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe as things stand) would have joined a second division that would have included Afghanistan and, probably, Ireland.
In reality Zimbabwe are already all but consigned to second-tier cricket, having played just 18 Test matches in over five years, with just one three-match series (in Bangladesh in 2014) in that period. They’ve not played a single Test against India, England or Australia.
The problems affecting Zimbabwean cricket have to be put into context against the nation’s descent into political and economic turmoil, with those running cricket being guilty of gross mismanagement at best, much to the detriment of the grassroots development of the game.
However, there are signs that things might just be moving in the right direction.
Having scrapped the franchise system last year, the omens look encouraging for domestic cricket going into 2017, with an extended season running from December until the end of August incorporating both club and provincial cricket.
In a packed schedule, there will be first-class matches for the four provinces in the Logan Cup, a forty-over Zimbabwe Premier League, fifty-over List A games for the provinces, two T20 tournament windows and opportunities for the under-19 side to face the provinces.
There are always hurdles to overcome in Zimbabwean cricket though and the start of the season has already been temporarily postponed due to “unforeseen logistical challenges”. In addition, players from the Eagles and the Mountaineers (two of the four provincial teams) refused to train in protest over unpaid salaries.
On the plus side, Heath Streak was recently named as Zimbabwe’s sixth coach in the five years since their return from what was a six-year self-imposed exile from Test cricket, whilst the appointment of former Zimbabwe captain Tatenda Taibu as convenor of selectors and development officer also looks encouraging.
The team available to Streak would be far stronger but for the mass exodus of players in recent years, although he hopes that a more stable structure might persuade those playing overseas, such as Brendan Taylor, Kyle Jarvis and Sean Ervine, to forego financial security to head back home.
Even so, Streak remains optimistic for the future and has expressed a desire to promote younger players, aided by the fact that the Zimbabwe A team gained experience in hosting matches against South Africa A and Pakistan A earlier in the year. Pace bowler Carl Mumba has already made his Test debut and top order batsman Tarisai Musakanda could be next up.
Nothing can be taken for granted in Zimbabwean cricket, but there is at least reason for cautious optimism.
