secretzimbo wrote: ↑Thu Mar 09, 2023 11:15 pmWe get about 20x the ICC funding the Netherlands gets and have done for a few decades, so really I'm not sure why you are comparing the numbers of players Zimbabwe produce vs Netherlands. If anything we are the ones underwhelming.
They produce plenty of home grown players, plenty of whom play for the national side. That is topped up by some foreign born players with Dutch heritage, who want to play for the Netherlands and who seem pretty proud to represent that heritage and who, let's be clear, get paid very very little to play for the Netherlands and weren't actively 'imported' with wads of cash.
Anyway, on your other point, Raza's parents were here around the turn of the century, before he went to Scotland. Can't remember if he stayed in Pakistan for a while or came here but either way he has links to Zim going back over 20 years and he shouldn't have even been mentioned in this conversation imo.
Mate you need to relax and read what is being written and stop putting words in my mouth. I never ever not once said or suggested that the Dutch were actively trying to import players or throwing cash around to do so.
I really can’t understand how you came up with this? I never even mentioned money, recruiting, targeting players etc at all. I simply said (and for the last time) they they both BENEFIT & SUFFER from their unique eligibility sweet spot where they get lots of talented players from other countries via ancestry and because they are an associate these players can play for Holland yet still flip back to Australia or South Africa etc without having to sit out a cooling off period.
The negative side of that, is that they don’t always have their best players available as these guys will often prioritise other cricket over playing for Holland. As you can see I’m not trying to paint the Dutch in bad light, I’m just stating a fact. I really have no issue with associates strengthening their stocks like this, it makes for a better world game imo.
The point about Raza wasn’t even about Raza (again you’ve gone way off the subject) I was simply showing that Zimbabwe don’t benefit from any players produced overseas, which i described as imports which seems to have really struck a nerve with you. Rest assured though I meant no disrespect for Raza or the Dutch players by describing them as imports, simply a term to describe a person from somewhere else.
The reason I brought up Raza, was to say he is the closest thing to an import because I believe (and please correct me if I’m wrong) the rest of the Zimbabwe national players were products of the Zimbabwe cricket system.
Again the only the reason I even went down this path was because you said the Dutch produced plenty of national team players, and sure your list is long, but from their best players the majority are not produced from their system.
I hope this clears everything up? If we were a the pub debating this I’d tell you that God blessed you with two ears and one mouth and you should learn to listen more. But since this is a forum I guess you can be excused as I’m sure God has also blessed you with two eyes and two hands so you can type as quickly as you can read
NO chamu...