Distribution of Rising Star Academy & Under 19 Players in Domestic Season 2018- 2019

[Googly]

I know this is an old tired conversation but it’s worth repeating-
Kids need to see that there’s a future in professional cricket here. They need to see our national team winning a few games- not too many, but the odd heroic win against a good side and everyone pays attention. When they get a sniff of that then you will see kids starting to practice because they want to emulate one of the National players.
The youngsters these days know there’s no future in cricket here so they don’t bother. It’s particularly so for the white kids, and for the few that play they make up a disproportionate amount of the age group sides. If the sides were picked fairly they would make up an even bigger percentage. From this last u19 WC how many white kids are pursuing a cricket career? Off the top of my head it’s 2 whites in the entire country- Roche (dunno where he is these days) and Shardendorf (currently Australia). So basically out of a few hundred we’re left with 2. I don’t see Roche making it with Mavuta and Madhevere coming through and where’s Shardendorf going to fit in? He’d need a really good season here before they look at him for an A side and the only spot available to him if he proved himself would be as an opener. Hammy occupies the one spot and Burl, Mire and a couple of others are ahead of him in the pecking order for the other slot. He’s going to have to do something fairly extraordinary over the next couple of years and he’s going to need big financial support to keep at it with no income. He’s a decent player though and has a shot if he’s got the staying power. So after all those tours, time and money who have we unearthed exactly? This lack of interest has really gathered momentum and there are literally only half a dozen white teenagers in the entire country that are good enough, that take it seriously and get one on one coaching more than twice a week. We are the equivalent of a village compared to what other countries are doing.
It’s not that different amongst the black kids. Only a very few of them get the correct coaching more than a couple of times a week.
The kids with any ability are now thinking of scholarships overseas, followed by university, so they just disappear. They go there with aspirations of professional cricket and most come down to earth with a bump and settle for the experience and a tertiary education. Maybe 10% of those are good enough or determined enough or can access the right passport in order to continue their cricket, so by the time theyre 22/23 they’re playing club and by the time they’re 24/25 they’re playing socially and a year after that they’ve quit.
Murray is another guy, he will finish Uni before he commits full time to cricket. I doubt he will give it more than two years, unless he gets games and does well almost from the get go before he considers his options. You can only make a living if you’re contracted and in the National team, anything below that is a ticket to poverty.
They have to create that 5th franchise and they have to get an A side up and running urgently. ZC are vaguely hoping that some local lad stuck here with zero other opportunities is going to come right. It ain’t going to happen, not ever. We don’t do anything well enough here to produce a top flight batter.
All the solutions require expertise, but more importantly they require money, which we appear to not have.

[sloandog]

I know this is an old tired conversation but it’s worth repeating-
Kids need to see that there’s a future in professional cricket here. They need to see our national team winning a few games- not too many, but the odd heroic win against a good side and everyone pays attention. When they get a sniff of that then you will see kids starting to practice because they want to emulate one of the National players.
The youngsters these days know there’s no future in cricket here so they don’t bother. It’s particularly so for the white kids, and for the few that play they make up a disproportionate amount of the age group sides. If the sides were picked fairly they would make up an even bigger percentage. From this last u19 WC how many white kids are pursuing a cricket career? Off the top of my head it’s 2 whites in the entire country- Roche (dunno where he is these days) and Shardendorf (currently Australia). So basically out of a few hundred we’re left with 2. I don’t see Roche making it with Mavuta and Madhevere coming through and where’s Shardendorf going to fit in? He’d need a really good season here before they look at him for an A side and the only spot available to him if he proved himself would be as an opener. Hammy occupies the one spot and Burl, Mire and a couple of others are ahead of him in the pecking order for the other slot. He’s going to have to do something fairly extraordinary over the next couple of years and he’s going to need big financial support to keep at it with no income. He’s a decent player though and has a shot if he’s got the staying power. So after all those tours, time and money who have we unearthed exactly? This lack of interest has really gathered momentum and there are literally only half a dozen white teenagers in the entire country that are good enough, that take it seriously and get one on one coaching more than twice a week. We are the equivalent of a village compared to what other countries are doing.
It’s not that different amongst the black kids. Only a very few of them get the correct coaching more than a couple of times a week.
The kids with any ability are now thinking of scholarships overseas, followed by university, so they just disappear. They go there with aspirations of professional cricket and most come down to earth with a bump and settle for the experience and a tertiary education. Maybe 10% of those are good enough or determined enough or can access the right passport in order to continue their cricket, so by the time theyre 22/23 they’re playing club and by the time they’re 24/25 they’re playing socially and a year after that they’ve quit.
Murray is another guy, he will finish Uni before he commits full time to cricket. I doubt he will give it more than two years, unless he gets games and does well almost from the get go before he considers his options. You can only make a living if you’re contracted and in the National team, anything below that is a ticket to poverty.
They have to create that 5th franchise and they have to get an A side up and running urgently. ZC are vaguely hoping that some local lad stuck here with zero other opportunities is going to come right. It ain’t going to happen, not ever. We don’t do anything well enough here to produce a top flight batter.
All the solutions require expertise, but more importantly they require money, which we appear to not have.

In the nicest way possible, your posts depress me

[jaybro]

Lol

[Jemisi]

Yes, Sloan.

[zimbos_05]

@Googly

I think it's how you view it. It's not that these players don't want to pursue cricket careers, but rather they have been forced to pursue other careers. Their is blatant racism within the setup, and the administrators do not run the game well at all.

Take RS for example. An opportunity for youngsters to get some meaningful cricket and experience in a first class cricketing set up, and ZC go ahead and shut down the whole programme. Not to mention that RS wont the most recent domestic One Day tournament.

As a youngster as well, how do you think they feel when they see the likes of Elton performing so badly, and yet no matter what you do as a youngster, you get overlooked for these underperforming overrated players. You slog and put in some hard yards, and yet you do not get an opportunity. Murray is a prime example. Players performing poorly throughout the SA series and yet he gets no chance, despite being one of the better players in the previous Africa T20 comp played in the same country.

We know for so long that the current administration is a failure, but that has never changed. Talk of the SRC and the Sports Minister stepping in and change happening, but nothing has ever happened, so how can anyone expect these players to want to stick around or try.

It's not about being racist, but if this sport was run by the white man, we'd be in a much much better state. Unfortunately certainly people in Zimbabwe would rather watch everything burn and be destroyed rather than see a white Zimbabwean become successful.

[Googly]

I just want to see how we went from +$10m to -$20m in such a short space of time. The auditors should do time as well. If you’re in charge of money in Zim and you haven’t helped yourself you’re regarded with disdain because it’s your right that you’ve earned by arse licking your way into that position in the first place

[ZIMDOGGY]

I think Googly sometimes misses the passion and opportunity cost side of it all.
On surface I agree with everything in the long post and it’s based in reality but a few things.

1/ most players will choose the international side of cricket wherever possible.The ones who don’t drift back are usually the ones who got burned hard, are bitter and laid roots elsewhere. You see, there’s no glory in being a paid club player. No one grows up dreaming of playing for Essex’s top club team or the manly warringah cricket club. For all but a few, the ambition and the thrill of Test cricket and a World Cup will be everything.
2/ following on, being in the top stage represents the world best exposure and opportunity cost. I’m a massive fan of Raza, but I bet you any money I have that of not for his Zimbabwe career, successes, passionate media interviews seen worldwide and what not he would only be a decent club cricketer working in his uncles kebab shop or in a pilot internship rather than playing round the world in various mid tier t20 leagues. Let’s use a fictional name for example. What sounds better for the Bangladeshi premier t20 league? ‘Jake friend who smashed his opponents last year in club cricket’ or ‘Jame Friend, Zimbabwe international who scored a fantastic match winning century against the West Indies last year’?

No one cares about you unless you are either on the world stage, or on the cusp of the world stage in a top three cricketing nation. You absolutely have to have some type of international or budding international career to be anyone in world cricket. In Australia, even a hardened cricket fan will not know your name if you’re a Sheffield shield regular but haven’t played a lot of big bash of international cricket. I think more cricket fans would know who Chisoro is than the fringe county player.

3/ I think (hope) ZC would work similar to a car yard recruiting car salesman.They’ll pay twenty guys biggish money if all 20 are worth it and bring success to the national team. As it is, you’d be paying blobs like Prince Mausvare big money for being no value add. As it is, there’s only maybe 12 guys (being generous) capable of turning a international match in this country and they are being paid accordingly. Being in centuries, wickets and wins and you’ll get your money. I do agree that talented kids need their special development but I think ZC are sorta doing it wit the RS and giving players like Murray a fast track to the international arena.

In short. Even if you are just chasing money and hate you’re own country, you’re propelled on the big stage with the mike in your hand if you stay and play for Zim as opposed to navigating the harder waters in the developed country.

[TapsC]

International cricket has many advantages. Just look at how Mavuta got the SA t20 gig yet he still has a long way to go.

[Googly]

Nobody is disputing the lure of international cricket, but there’s no pathway to it as school leaver. The only one they had they’ve shut down. Let’s take the next u19 team, if any good players emerge from that they’re really going to struggle to crack a FC side (forget the fact that they should be playing it beforehand!), for all the wrong reasons, then they’ve got a handful of games in a season to make their mark and then hope someone dies of old age in the national side. 8 games, weather and funds permitting, of our sub standard FC with no pay does not equip you to play international cricket, nor does it entice you to risk some years of your life with little or no pay.

[Googly]

That RS side was largely made up of guys that came 14th in the WC and they won our 50 over comp, that tells you how far our cricket has slumped.