Eligibilty to play for national team

[Xlife]

As we have a lot of foriegn players now interested in joining our national side I thought i might ask a few questions about it:

Who qualifies to play for the national team, as the criteria seems a bit baffling... Does a player have to hold a Zim passport? Do they have to be resident in Zim for the last 4 years or is it any 4 year period in the past? What about holders of dual citizenship as its outlawed in Zimbabwe? Have Sean Ervine, Butterworth and Grant Flower been "resident" here for the last 4 years, as I understand that they all hold british passports?

The reason I ask is I have a mate in the same predicament and he is thinking of going home to play first class cricket but now has british citizenship...

[andybligz]

im not sure but theres a few players now from overseas looken to qualify , its really good to see

[Robin]

I thought dual citizenship wasn't allowed in Zim. However it's long be quoted that the Ervine's (and Anthony Ireland) hold Irish passports. Will Compton need to renounce his British and South African Citizenship to play for Zim?

[maehara]

While Compton was born in South Africa, I believe his parents at least lived in Zimbabwe for a while. He may have enough ties to the country already to qualify himself.

He's never turned out for a national squad, so that makes a qualifying period unnecessary.

ICC rules have no requirement on citizenship. If ZC have any in-house regulations on this, they keep them to themselves.

If he wants to play & is qualified to do so (and I'd say he probably wouldn't be making noises about it if he wasn't), great. But he'll have to prove himself properly against the existing players - I wouldn't want to see him just walk into the side.

[Robin]

While Compton was born in South Africa, I believe his parents at least lived in Zimbabwe for a while. He may have enough ties to the country already to qualify himself.

The article says his mum is Zimbabwean - does this give him the right to apply for apply fo a Zimbabwean passport? There seems to have been a lot of debate recently in Zimbabwean politics about dual-nationality.

ICC rules have no requirement on citizenship. If ZC have any in-house regulations on this, they keep them to themselves.

I do recall that Olonga's International debut was delayed as he did not hold a Zimbabwean passport and that Andrew Durham has a similar issue with selection prior to an U19 World Cup. Isn't Sikander Raza also awaiting a Zim passport before being available for selection?

However, I'm not sure that the Zimbabwean constitution allows for dual-citizenship.

If he wants to play & is qualified to do so (and I'd say he probably wouldn't be making noises about it if he wasn't), great. But he'll have to prove himself properly against the existing players - I wouldn't want to see him just walk into the side.

Since Zimbabwe's entry into Test Cricket, opening batsman has been the problem position, in TEST matches, with all apart from Grant Flower in his early years failing to be anything other than a cheap wicket for the opposition opening bowlers. Duffin & Mawayo would be the best and probably only partnership, for TEST matches, currently available (Masakadza & Taylor should be 3 & 4). However, Ballance & Compton would provide alternatives if available for selection. Personally, I would go Ballance & Mawayo in an ideal world.

Additionally, Compton signed a 2 year contract with Somerset in September 2009 and therefore as with Ireland & Ballance (and Sean Ervine!) would not be available for selection until after the forthcoming English county season.

[sloandog]

No it should be Vusi Sibanda and Terry Duffin to open the batting. Not Tino Mowoyo.
Sibanda has a great technique and is best suited for the test arena

[Robin]

No it should be Vusi Sibanda and Terry Duffin to open the batting. Not Tino Mowoyo.
Sibanda has a great technique and is best suited for the test arena

Sloan, maybe so, however, Sibanda has not opened the batting at 1st Class level for many years. When he did he wasn't very successful at it. The selectors have know about the return to test cricket for 2 years and yet the only 2 players, anywhere near test standard who have consistently opened the batting for their franchise are Duffin & Mawayo. I do believe that Mawayo is just starting to realise his undoubted potential, and rememember he has only just turned 24. Openers develop later than almost any other cricket position (other than spinners probably).

I don't disagree that given Zimbabwe's relative paucity of openers and comparative riches of middle order batsmen (Masakadza, Taylor, Sibands, Williams, C.Ervine, Mutizwa, Waller, Coventry, Lamb) that it would have made sense that one or two of these should have been developed into an opening batsmen. However, if this is to be done it shows a tremendous lack of foresight by all concerned as it should have been done in September '09 rather than a few months before the return to test cricket.

A commitment to Zim Cricket by eiher or both of Ballance & Compton may help the test team out of a hole

In stark contrast the selectors quickly recognised the lack of opening bowlers available and have invested much in Masakadza, Mpofu, Chatara, Jarvis & Nicholson. Whilst, the return to test cricket may come a little early for this quintet, in years to come Zimbabwe should be OK for an opening bowling attack and one may just develop into a top quality test player (just like Streak did).

[sloandog]

Yeah that's a very good point actually.
He hasn't opened, but class is permanent, and in my opinion, if Sibanda could open in ODI's, he should find it easier opening in test cricket.
In terms of bowlers, yes, we have an exciting crop.
In terms of pace we actually have a better crop of fast bowlers than we did in 2000-2003.
Streak was fast medium.
Blignaut was fast (fair enough)
Mbangwa was medium pace.
Brent was medium pace.
Ervine is medium pace.

When you look at our current crop we have some serious heat to work with.
Nicolson touched 86Mph against South Africa
Mazakadza 87Mph.
Mpofu hovers between 80 and 86 (when lose and in rythem)
Jarvis has the ability to bowl 90Mph
Tendai Chitara is the same, perhaps not quite as sharp as Jarvis, but probably has the ability to do so when lose.

What is now needed is exposure. Exposure and time.
Then, and only then, will we have a solid bowling attack in the years to come.

[shumbat]

Zim are strict on dual citizen when it come to politics, in sport they turn a blind eye. Anyone who can qualify without restrictions from ICC and make them available will be selected and will play. If Compton, Wessels, Razza, Balance want to play they will be in. The problem is that all potential candidates are batsmen and our seam bowling is the weakest, we need a revamp in this department.

[maehara]

The rules on Zim citizenship tend to keep changing, but the last time they impacted me...
- dual citizenship was illegal (and specifically forbidden in the constitution);
- if you wished to claim Zimbabwean citizenship and had a claim to another nationality, you had to provide documentary proof that you had legally renounced your right to that nationality;
- there was no provision for gaining Zimbabwean nationality by naturalisation (through marriage or residence) - it had to be a birthright or nothing;
- even if you were born in Zim, your parents also had to be Zimbabwean citizens (or citizens of another SADC country, under certain circumstances) to claim citizenship yourself.

If Sikandar Raza is in the process of claiming Zim citizenship, then the naturalisation rules must have changed; dual citizenship is one of the big things that may change if/when a new constitution comes in.