The harsh reality

[syedmahm]

In the end I think it is clear that we lack quality, how many of the Zimbabwean team would walk into another international side, even Bangladesh or New Zealand?

Jarvis for sure can walk in to current Bangladesh team.

[Kriterion_BD]

In the end I think it is clear that we lack quality, how many of the Zimbabwean team would walk into another international side, even Bangladesh or New Zealand?

Jarvis for sure can walk in to current Bangladesh team.

Chatara too. But out of the batsman, possibly Taylor although his home/away discrepency is quite eye-catching.

[Googly]

Googly, do you think there is anyway to reverse the trend of talented young players heading overseas? You seem to be someone who is on the ground in Zimbabwe so perhaps you can offer more insight than others. The white community in Zimbabwe seems to be living in a departure lounge these days and we are losing just as many black cricketers.

To answer in a nutshell- no way in hell. We are too far gone. There is no way out of this shambles. Just been watching U16 and U18 trials and it's a disgrace. To digress slightly, the U16's have had two sets of 4 day trials and they still have only managed to pick a squad of 24. It's laughable.

We need a completely new administration, we need total accountability, we need a complete forensic audit and long jail sentences for people who have misappropriated money, we need to recover some of this money for a start, we need a maximum of 10 administrators ( not 80-150), we need them to be successful honest businessmen (I know people who could successfully run ZC before morning cofffee!!), not failed virtually unemployable people with issues we need the Ministry to insist on more school games (we play around 12 a year instead of 40-50), we need to play cricket in the second and third term and rugby in the first term, we need the new administration to get the full backing of the ICC, we need touring sides to come here and we go there, we need it to be paid for and not have to fund raise and then be dictated to by an inept and corrupt ZC, we need the franchise players and some of the First League players to make a living from the game, we need our National Players to make good money. Our top paid cricketer (taylor) earns less than half what the top 10 administrators get paid (where else does this happen?), we need decent umpires (99% of them should not be allowed near a cricket pitch unless they are putting on the covers), we need decent grounds and groundsmen (there's only one guy in the entire country who knows what he's doing and he's villified by the ZC, he left HSC a little while ago and it's already a shambles), we need financial backing from the Corporates and the Ministry, we need to be able to afford to send our top juniors to world class academies and then bond them, we need players contracts that require them to train 5 days a week if they are not playing games, none of them are professional enough (hard to blame them sometimes, they are trying to scratch a living doing other things), we need to revamp club cricket and get fierce rivalry and loyalty back into the club and provincial set up (will never happen).
Sorry the list is endless. Not one of these points that I have made is achievable, we lack the money, the will and the ability. We need all of them to happen.

[Jemisi]

All of those points are good. Where is a special donor with a few lousy million? I have talked to the Lord about a Lotto win, better buy a ticket...

[eugene]

Why would anyone give millions to ZC so that Chingoka and AC can line their pockets.

[Jemisi]

No, you wouldn't. You would provide a parallel payment structure direct to stake holders that you wanted to support.

[aydee]

I think a lotto win is definitely needed...

There is constant reference from all corners about Chingoka, AC, etc "lining their pockets". Let it be said that there isn't actually any proof of this...

It would appear to me that the main problem is the lack of funds in the first place. Googly's development plan sounds perfect. I doubt very much that the ICC handout could fund this alone though, even if the administration was voluntary... So keep praying for that lotto win...

[samedwards]

Isn't the ICC paying a mount totalling $4.5m over a three-year period? Where has the money gone?

[aydee]

Isn't the ICC paying a mount totalling $4.5m over a three-year period? Where has the money gone?

Funding absolutely all and any cricket related activity Zim is involved in. The entire franchise set up, for example. Grounds, players, admin, development. One and half million dollars a year really isn't very much when you consider just how far it has to stretch...

[bayhaus]

There is constant reference from all corners about Chingoka, AC, etc "lining their pockets". Let it be said that there isn't actually any proof of this...

The ONLY reason they are there is to line their pockets. There isnt anything else for them to do at ZC. They certainly are not there for the love of the game! There is 'no proof' because many at ZC are afraid to go on the record and stated these facts.