South Africans eligible for Zim qualification?

[brmtaylor.com admin]

What does a South African have to do (or any nationality for that matter) to qualify for Zimbabwe? Does it have to be heritage, or can they move there and be eligible straight away as long as they haven't played for another national team in the last 4 years?

For example, how can someone like http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/ ... 44656.html be languishing in the seconds playing for Gauteng... average of over 40, a top score of 390 and numerous centuries in his last few games. It's beyond belief; he'd be in the Zimbabwe Test team for certain.

Can players like him be lured to Zimbabwe? Would dangling the carrot of Test cricket be enough to get him out of South Africa?

[Maweni]

I would have thought you'd have to be Zimbabwean(even by residence) or at least have a grand parent who is/was Zimbabwean.

[ZIMDOGGY]

He's a sexy bloke (im not gay) but damn.

You could make that argument for any nationality not just saffers.

However Paul Harris is a zimbo and he's playing sa
Steve elworthy was a zimbo and played for sa

Steyn would qualify

I've seen others too and god knows who else is born in SA to zim parents or one parent

[andybligz93]

be very hand wouldnt it . we should try lure paul harrris as a replacement for price when he retires

[ZIMDOGGY]

yeah he'd go good and lets face it now that the Pakistani dude is qualified for SA and bothas batting well theres no need for a ray price style plonker like harris.

but before all this talk of luring dudes to zimbabwe the board MUST MUST MUST sort this pay crap out...... NO ONE not already in the system will leave their setup for fiscal instability.

[andybligz93]

yeah he'd go good and lets face it now that the Pakistani dude is qualified for SA and bothas batting well theres no need for a ray price style plonker like harris.

but before all this talk of luring dudes to zimbabwe the board MUST MUST MUST sort this pay crap out...... NO ONE not already in the system will leave their setup for fiscal instability.

agreeed mate , if we can suplly the players with decent pay and honoust contracts and sort everything out we will be much better for the future and the next generations of players will want to stay home and we wont lose players like ballance who is the next generation

[bayhaus]

They can use the same fast track method they used for Beast, who am sure is a South African citizen, passport and all and belts out the national anthem as if there was no tomorrow! by now

[aydee]

5 years residency. That's what someone like Pietersen needed to play for England, even though he had a British passport.

If someone was born in Zim, they would automatically be qualified (I think...)

[FlowerPower]

5 years residency. That's what someone like Pietersen needed to play for England, even though he had a British passport.

If someone was born in Zim, they would automatically be qualified (I think...)

Would this be the same process Gary Ballance would need to go through? Or has he already got his 5 year residency?

[triedzi]

If Ballance was entitled to a British passport from birth (he would need one British born parent) then he would qualify after three years residency.

Zimbabwean citizenship is far more complicated - dual citizenship is illegal technically (I guess they overlook it in instances like Sean Ervine, who has an Irish passport). Didn't they try and disenfranchise anybody who couldn't prove that they had Zimbabwean born parents a few years back? TBH if you are willing to donate to someone's Christmas box all this doesn't really matter does it?!