Race Storm Hits Zim Cricket

[Ming]

...checks and balances...definitely. With the difficult history that is ours and the limited means at our disposal both on terms of cash and players we have at our disposal, they are essential.

The reason I am so suspicious of Makoni's motives is that he only speaks now that he's about to be kicked off the gravy train. If he was the knight in shining armour he purports to be, why didn't he kick up a fuss when the alleged events happened?

The allegations regarding Taylor are nothing more than ridiculous. He's one of a hand ful of cricketers currently in Zim who had a realistic chance of making a much better living elsewhere...but he stuck it out at a time when we were the laughing stock of the world.

[sloandog]

Now Taylor must definitely be fired!

Why should he be fired ? He's done a splendid job as captain and has led from the front with the bat in his hand, take all the politics out of it, which you seem to be focusing on with Taylor, when the skills on the field as captain have been rather good! He was the only youngster who stuck with Zimbabwean Cricket in 2004 at the height of the rebel saga, so have some faith!!

What's clear is that the guys don't like Taylor, and they are not playing for him.

No no that's not a fact, it;s your opinion. Chigumbura and Utsea could well have had a quite word with Taylor and he could have acknowledged it straight away.

However, they didn't want to take the risk of Thami Tsolekile picking up a couple of half-centuries or even a hundred over four innings, and have to live with him going forward!

Why do you make such amazing assumptions Hhm ? Elgar was picked for Australia, where he failed, so he was always going to be given another chance. This is amazing The race card in your post is absolutely mind boggling, and it's this kind of mentality that's pushing Zimbabwean Cricket to the brink

[Tom91]

What slander that jurno wrote about streak. When streak declared in the 2nd innings of that test they were 20 overs into the 5th day trying to force the victory. Zim needed every over avabiable to bowl the windies out, streak didn't have time to wait for matsi to get a another 50. If streak had declared when matsi was in the twenties zim would had one the match. I can't believe ethier that hhm believes that streak declared just to stop matsi becoming the first player in zim test history to get two 50's on debut. You seriously need to get a grip if that is the case.

[eugene]

Matsi getting a few more runs to beef up his meagre average is not more important than winning a match.

[ZIMDOGGY]

the thing is, if someone genuinely comes out with ZC at heart he will be attacked by the race which he isnt.

i have noticed black zim fans tend to draw towards black players (calling for mutombodzi to oust price etc whilst ignoring prosper) and i have noticed white fans tend to get over excited about people like jarvis etc. its a natural bias in the general masses that creates problems.

Also, why all this broo haha about ethan Dube?
yeah he may have not played test for zim, but why do we have to go by the cricinf definition?
this is a zimbabwean political matter, so why not have u/19 players and touring players eligible?

[CrimsonAvenger]

Problem is these two camps can't accept the fact that for survival they need each other. Whites adopting an entitlement stance and a superiority complex. Blacks responding with militancy. Outcome is the whites as in 2004 will fly off to the Counties and NZ and all other white friendly places and lost to international cricket, but consolation is they will earn better and more consitantly and predictably, not as successful or glorious but better livings.

The blacks will have access to the vacated spots, and inevitably there will be a loss in strength, not because the white man is the only one who can play cricket, but Taylor with all his flaws is the best cricketer in the last 5 years, Price for all his tailing off takes with him tons of experience (yes Prosper will step in but we all know Pro is not a Ray Price), Creamer could be replaced but Williams when focused will not be replaced, Foster even the on form Foster, is not Williams, Waller and Ervine maybe replaced, but by whom? Matsi, after over a 100 ODI matches an ave of 22 doesn't inspire much confidence, nor does an ave of 29 after over a 100 FC appearances inspire any better. Weather we like it or not Zim will be weakened not because white people are the only ones who can play cricket, but the genuine talent that will be lost. Unlike India and Pakistan, ours is a small pool.

Only in Zim do we prefer to shoot ourselves in the head rather than in the foot. Only in Zim do knights in shining armour arrive in time to bury the damsel in distress rather than save her.

... Bangs head in dispair...

i have noticed black zim fans tend to draw towards black players (calling for mutombodzi to oust price etc whilst ignoring prosper) and i have noticed white fans tend to get over excited about people like jarvis etc. its a natural bias in the general masses that creates problems.

Cant agree more...

[CrimsonAvenger]

Butcher speaks: http://www.newsday.co.zw/2013/01/15/cri ... ks-on-row/

ZIMBABWE national cricket team coach Alan Butcher has conceded that the ongoing row over the appointment of national selectors has overshadowed the upcoming tour of the West Indies next month.

REPORT BY DANIEL NHAKANISO SPORTS REPORTER

The Sports and Recreation Commission last week issued a directive on the appointment of national selectors in all sporting disciplines emphasising the need to have former players’ involvement.

But that has led to allegations of racism between Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture David Coltart and Zimbabwe Cricket convenor of selectors Givemore Makoni.

“Obviously it is the most topical issue in local cricket right now but I sincerely hope that it won’t affect our preparations. We will definitely talk to the players, but I’m not sure it will affect them because their job is just to play the game,” Butcher said.

Butcher chose to focus more on the forthcoming tour and believes the wet weather currently prevailing in the country has deprived local players of some much-needed game time for their franchises ahead of the tour of the Caribbean.

Heavy rains have resulted in the abandonment of a number of domestic matches over the last couple of weeks with latest being the Pro50 and Twenty20 matches in Triangle and Mutare at the weekend which were all washed out.

In an interview with NewsDay Sport yesterday, Butcher, who has been following the domestic matches with keen interest to assess his national team players, said: “We were hoping that the players would be playing first-class cricket to remain in shape ahead of the tour, but obviously the weather has not been kind to us.

“It’s not something that we can control, but hopefully the situation will improve soon as there is still some time before we start camp.”

Butcher, who will step down after the West Indies tour, said full camp ahead of the tour would commence on February 4.
This will give the national team’s technical department less than two weeks of intensive training before their departure for the month-long tour which will run from February 20 to March 20.

The soft-spoken Englishman, who turned 58 last week, said he was happy with the composition of the squad announced last week, saying he was hopeful that the omission of Elton Chigumbura would help the player to work on his game.

“There are some established members of the team who haven’t been producing the performances expected from them. Elton (Chigumbura) has been one of those players which is the main reason why he missed out.

“I’ve spoken to the player and I’m hoping it will give him some time to work on his game and come back strongly. It has happened to Vusi Sibanda and Hamilton Masakadza before and they have all came back stronger,” he said.

[bayhaus]

So much for our headlines, but thats Zim papers for you,I would rate our journalist the same way i rate ZC administration - totally incompetent.

“Obviously it is the most topical issue in local cricket right now but I sincerely hope that it won’t affect our preparations. We will definitely talk to the players, but I’m not sure it will affect them because their job is just to play the game,” Butcher said.

Has to be diplomatic about it, but its clear that these issues affect. We already have an excuse if we get thrashed by WI.

“We were hoping that the players would be playing first-class cricket to remain in shape ahead of the tour, but obviously the weather has not been kind to us.“It’s not something that we can control, but hopefully the situation will improve soon as there is still some time before we start camp.

ZC should know better than this all our matches were cancelled in the first term because of rain, year in year out from form 1 to 6 without fail, we raised these issue while in highschool , but what is a lone voice echoing from the mountains of Mutare?

[hhm]

Butcher steered well clear of saying anything of worth. I read that article - from Coltart's grossly selective website that never provides links or other implicating reports - but there's nothing new and I'm not the least bit bothered about it(even guys here have already expressed concerns about it's effect to the players). Teams have won and lost amidst the whole quagmire.

KP-Broad-Swann-Anderson issues affecting England; latest Ross Taylor-Henson disputes for New Zealand; CSA racist issues Proteas; pay issues affecting Sri Lanka; Gayle-Gibson-Sarwan-Board West Indies; Indian batting greats being harangued to retire and inconsistency of selection affecting India; Pakistan permanently not having a home, plus match fixing, Afridi-MIsbah board, Yousuf-Younus board; Clarke-Katich-Hilditch issues affecting Australia; SAH-Tamim and the Bangladesh board, the list is endless. The professional side of things isn't much different! Strikes, office politics, economy etc all combine to put a twist to things. Everything has, at one point or another affected a team, and they must just get on with it!

I think a few guys here are being rather simplistic about the whole issue. Among others, Zimdoggy - it's just Makoni's reflex action as a result of job insecurity; Ming, FP, et al - why can't we all just be happy; we're shooting ourselves in the leg, it's a game among two factions and the players are caught in between etc? All of this is just ignoring the core matter at hand because the scales are heavily tipped against one side, the side they favour, and it's in danger of being exposed!

What we've learnt over the last couple of days is evidence that Makoni has been a hindrance to the advancement of other people's clandestine activities. A directive is issued in January, effective first of February, ahead of Zimbabwe's tour to West Indies later that month, so that Makoni has no say in the final travelling group, or travel as selector and continue to frustrate them through the decisions he makes in performing the duties accorded to him by ZC. Why the urgency and desperation to push things through in such a manner? So that the illegally preferred Dube suddenly travels with the team to West Indies as selector(i.e. pawn)? Or miraculously Taibu or Mbangwa will abort Church or Supersport and be on the flight to the Islands? Or rather, an interim selection committee comprising say James, Guy & Rennie will attend to the duties? You don't see this, because you don't want to admit it's a fact.

Truly speaking, I don't see how Taylor, AC and Grant can survive these allegations if a commission were to be tasked with resolving this. Neither would Butcher, but he's leaving. There are serious accusations that have been thrown at them and I haven't heard a single allegation in Makoni's direction calling his corporate governance into question on selection matters or bias. They must come out and say Makoni and these reporters are lying, so that the Minister through the SRC, plus Peter Chingoka & the ZC board will be forced to have an independent inquiry. Racism and conspiracy threaten the future and stability of Zimbabwe Cricket. Regulations have been flouted(selective application of fitness test results, plus AC, Butcher & Taylor all conspiring to lie that Taylor has a vote in an attempt to sway matters), not to mention a suspicion of favouritism on the part of Grant feeling that Waller(who as stats prove had wretched form behind him), would do better at T20WC than Matsi(in much better form and having outshone all other domestic batsmen ahead of the current season), hence he overruled Makoni's selection decision. Personally I think they know what the consequences of opening their mouths will be, so chances are they will shut up, everyone will brush off the whole matter, and Makoni will continue in his role.

Apart from the incident when Taylor tried to deprive Vitori of his glory, I have no doubt that a number of the Black players themselves will have a lot to say to the commission about many issues(including shedding light on the suspicion I've always wondered about of their always being made to bat higher than the likes Craig, Waller & Taylor). Add all these major and minor issues together and the commission will quickly realise that power has been abused as well. This is a very simple and speedy task for the Commission of Inquiry, which will along the way reveal the real source of Coltart's familiar recommendations.

Stop reducing Makoni to an insecure man, and focus on the contents that he and the independent reporters have revealed!!! It's been said, they are out in the open, and they won't disappear. What they point to is serious. From noweher a Sports Minister personally instructed that a specific player, a suspended player, be allowed to play. This communication was given via Zimbabwe Cricket(Wilfred Mukondiwa). The coach & national assistant coach(Mangongo) and CEO(Vimbai Mapukute) of the Eagles franchise will have been formally told this. The umpires victimised will have filed their reports, the Disciplinary Committee will have the details of the hearing on record. All parties will have this information on record. Regardless of his motives, Makoni has revealed it. I won't be wished away! In any case, as in any other so called 'model' parts of the world, we were entitled to know in the first place.

Thinking and commenting around serious facts, instead of on them adds little value! If you must, persist in self-pity on behalf of ZC or the players, or dwell on empty remarks. However, the key issues interest me, and I'll be following closely to see just how smart the other party thought they really were! Everyone will have to stand by and for his word.

[Ming]

Hhm, I hear you, but I am not the one being naive and confusing many allegations (Taylor denying Vitori, Streak denying Matsi, Jarvis racially abusing an umpire) with facts. Goebbels once said that if you repeat a lie a sufficient amount of times, it becomes truth. Maybe that's what's being attempted here. If we want to move on, we have to do so in another way than throwing around press releases, and getting rent-a-crowd/reporter to ululate more loudly than the adversary's rent-a-crowd. These allegations are serious, and need to be treated seriously, both intellectually (an allegation does not become a fact until indubitable proof is laid out) and institutionally. Independent commission of inquiry, anyone?

PS Do not think I'm necessarily a fan of Coltart's, but I repeat that Makoni supped off the gravy train and ate to his hearts content whilst the alleged incidents were taking place. If he didn't stick his neck out when they allegedly took place, then we can say that he aided and abetted a system which he is now denouncing.