The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Cricket board is meeting virtually today to discuss among other things the pathetic display by the country’s senior national cricket team in international cricket.
Chaired by Tavengwa Mukuhlani, the ZC board is under the spotlight to come up with solutions to the continued losses suffered by the Chevrons every time they take to the field against international opposition.
Before they take on Afghanistan in the third and final Twenty20 International at Harare Sports Club today (Tuesday), Zimbabwe had lost six international matches in a row. That losing streak started with the loss to Namibia in the fifth T20I at Queens Sports Club, which saw the Namibians win their first ever T20 series over an International Cricket Council Full Member.
Zimbabwe went on to be whitewashed 3-0 by Afghanistan in a One Day International series and are 2-0 down against the same opponents in the T20Is. The ODI matches were part of the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League, the qualification pathway for next year’s Cricket World Cup to be played in India. While Afghanistan are soaring, second in the 13-team log that is topped by Bangladesh, Zimbabwe are languishing second from bottom, only better than Netherlands. Zimbabwe have won just three of the 15 matches they have played with 11 defeats and one no result.
Chances of Zimbabwe securing automatic qualification to next year’s World Cup are fast disappearing and it seems they will have try qualify via the qualifier that the country is hosting in July next year.
Zimbabwe 3-0 loss at the hands of Afghanistan has come at a huge cost as they are now ranked 16th in the ICC Men’s ODI rankings. Countries like Oman, Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates are now better than Zimbabwe in ODIs after the ICC updated the log on Monday.
The highest decision makers at ZC have to come up with firm decisions unless if they are happy with the teams continuing to embarrass in international cricket. It has become clear that the team is not progressing under coach Lalchand Rajput and something has to be done as continuing with the 60-year old in charge is no longer making sense.
Zimbabwe are preparing to the host the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier B in Bulawayo and if nothing changes, Zimbabweans might be in for another heartbreak, the same they suffered in 2018 when Heath Streak and his lads conspired to lose to the UAE, a defeat which saw them fail to qualify for the 2019 50 over World Cup in England.
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