Race Storm Hits Zim Cricket

[herb]

Neil Ferreira on Facebook..

Having been one of the so called rebel players I am very sad to hear some of the things being written because they are so untrue it is scary. First of all we as players never ever wanted to destroy cricket is Zimbabwe. We were all professional wanting to improve standards and yes selecting was one of the standards that needed to be addressed. (there were many other issues to address as well).This can be seen with all this sad confrontation going one now. Player did not feel confident in the process of selection because we felt that how could someone select player if they had not played the game to a high standard. We were not calling on all selectors to have played international cricket, first class cricketer (and there are hundreds of people in Zimbabwe that have done this) who had played to a high standard it what we were asking for. we were trying to improve standards, it was never ever a race issue (the rebel player). we wanted more structure in place to that the game could get better in Zimbabwe. it was turned into a race issues by the press and ZC because we were white, at no time did we want to destroy cricket in Zimbabwe we all love the game.

[aydee]

Thought this might be of interest:


Thollet Mware‏@tholletB

@PeterBurgoyne1 In your short stint in Zim have you come across anything that have made you think that there might be racism in Zim cricket

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30 JanPeter Burgoyne 11‏@PeterBurgoyne1

@tholletB no nothing at all its a great place

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31 JanThollet Mware‏@tholletB

@PeterBurgoyne1 thanks mate and I'm delighted to note that you liked it here. All the best with the Rocks........

[bayhaus]

@PeterBurgoyne1 In your short stint in Zim have you come across anything that have made you think that there might be racism in Zim cricket

But honestly what would you expect him to say? As I speak he is is batting for SR. Ask him after he has no intentions of coming back to Zimbabwe. Or maybe he is just naive.

[bayhaus]

Source: http://www.espncricinfo.com/zimbabwe/co ... 02816.html

Chingoka makes racism claim

Peter Chingoka, the long-standing chairman of Zimbabwe Cricket, has claimed that racism remains a major problem in the sport and has in certain areas actually grown worse in recent years.

In a statement issued last week, Chingoka said that at the ICC Under-19 World Cup in Australia last August white batsmen alleged that blacks were bowling bouncers at them in the nets and black bowlers countered that white fielders were reluctant to cut off runs made off their deliveries.

Chingoka has called a stakeholders' conference to discuss the situation straight after the tour of the Caribbean.

"There have been reports of black and white players using separate buses on senior team tours," he said. "Our domestic leagues have not been spared either, as there has been a marked increase in the number of disciplinary hearings initiated by allegations of racism.

"In view of the unfolding media debate and the unacceptable incidents referred to above, it would appear that there is still some progress to be made in addressing the imbalances of the past and re-integrating the sport to accommodate all Zimbabweans, regardless of colour, social background or gender.

"Cricket is a game for all and we have no reservations in saying that discrimination, where it is proved to exist, and whether brought about intentionally or as a result of other factors, should not be tolerated in any way or form."

In recent weeks there has also been a stand-off between ZC and the Sports and Recreation Committee over who should be eligible to be a national selector.

[aydee]

@PeterBurgoyne1 In your short stint in Zim have you come across anything that have made you think that there might be racism in Zim cricket

But honestly what would you expect him to say? As I speak he is is batting for SR. Ask him after he has no intentions of coming back to Zimbabwe. Or maybe he is just naive.

I wasn't drawing any conclusions, just thought it might be of interest...

He also said, when returning to Zim after the Xmas break:

Peter Burgoyne 11‏@PeterBurgoyne1

Zimbabwe one of the best places in the world hasnt changed one bit still an unreal place wouldnt change this place for anywhere #africa

Draw any conclusions you want. I just found it interesting.

[hhm]

I've tried unsuccessfully to marry he title to the article.

Cricket community averts looming crisis

They say cricket is a gentlemen’s game, but nothing seems to suggest that locally at the moment.

What, with the mudslinging, counter accusations, conspiracy theories and farce that has engulfed the corridors of Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) since the Sports and Recreation Commission gave the directive that all national associations should have selection panels comprising individuals who would have played for the country at the highest level.

The decree by the Sports Commission, an arm of the government, ignited war between the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture David Coltart and Convener of Selectors Givemore Makoni, with the latter accusing Coltart of being racist because the minister wanted to push out blacks from cricket through the directive. Makoni alleged that there are very few blacks who played at the highest level in the country at the moment, therefore Coltart’s motives were meant to benefit whites.

Coltart has since dismissed Makoni’s assertions as frivolous arguing that his ministry was merely adopting worldwide standards in cricket.

The smoldering differences have divided the cricket community ahead of the team’s tour of the West Indies later this month. Bowling coach Heath Streak and his batting counterpart Grant Flower together with fitness trainer Lorraine Chivandire have been dropped from the touring party to the Caribbean because their services are no longer wanted there.

Zimbabwe Cricket says they dropped the specialist coaches after recommendations from the cricket committee which had detected discord within the technical department after an investigation following the team’s poor show in Sri Lanka during the T20 World Cup last year.

Captain Brendan Taylor was livid that Chivandire, Streak and Flower were snubbed and took to the social media via Facebook, tearing into the decision arguing that the coaches were essential during tours, contrary to what the cricket committee had recommended.

This is a sad development in a sport that was beginning to pick up pieces after almost a decade of turmoil and points to yet another gloomy future.

What is particularly hurting in this matrix is that it is the game that suffers and the future of thousands of aspiring cricketers. While the boardroom wars take centre stage, those steering the cricket ship and indeed the authorities above them must spare a thought for the game and cricketers.

The real custodians of that sport are the cricketers because it is a source of their livelihood, entertainment, hope, future, and indeed pride. Administrators and ministers come and go, but the game will be there to stay for future generations. It is petty for authorities to allow their personal egos to harm the same game they purport to represent.

Cricket is not about Flower, Streak, Makoni or Coltart, but it represents the aspirations of a nation. That is why it is vital for all these stakeholders who claim to want the game to develop to come together for the good of the game.

This bickering will only take us into an abyss. It is not about who scores what points, but putting Zimbabwe on the cricket World map. The sport must not benefit individuals.

[aydee]

I've tried unsuccessfully to marry he title to the article.

Cricket community averts looming crisis

They say cricket is a gentlemen’s game, but nothing seems to suggest that locally at the moment.

What, with the mudslinging, counter accusations, conspiracy theories and farce that has engulfed the corridors of Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) since the Sports and Recreation Commission gave the directive that all national associations should have selection panels comprising individuals who would have played for the country at the highest level.

The decree by the Sports Commission, an arm of the government, ignited war between the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture David Coltart and Convener of Selectors Givemore Makoni, with the latter accusing Coltart of being racist because the minister wanted to push out blacks from cricket through the directive. Makoni alleged that there are very few blacks who played at the highest level in the country at the moment, therefore Coltart’s motives were meant to benefit whites.

Coltart has since dismissed Makoni’s assertions as frivolous arguing that his ministry was merely adopting worldwide standards in cricket.

The smoldering differences have divided the cricket community ahead of the team’s tour of the West Indies later this month. Bowling coach Heath Streak and his batting counterpart Grant Flower together with fitness trainer Lorraine Chivandire have been dropped from the touring party to the Caribbean because their services are no longer wanted there.

Zimbabwe Cricket says they dropped the specialist coaches after recommendations from the cricket committee which had detected discord within the technical department after an investigation following the team’s poor show in Sri Lanka during the T20 World Cup last year.

Captain Brendan Taylor was livid that Chivandire, Streak and Flower were snubbed and took to the social media via Facebook, tearing into the decision arguing that the coaches were essential during tours, contrary to what the cricket committee had recommended.

This is a sad development in a sport that was beginning to pick up pieces after almost a decade of turmoil and points to yet another gloomy future.

What is particularly hurting in this matrix is that it is the game that suffers and the future of thousands of aspiring cricketers. While the boardroom wars take centre stage, those steering the cricket ship and indeed the authorities above them must spare a thought for the game and cricketers.

The real custodians of that sport are the cricketers because it is a source of their livelihood, entertainment, hope, future, and indeed pride. Administrators and ministers come and go, but the game will be there to stay for future generations. It is petty for authorities to allow their personal egos to harm the same game they purport to represent.

Cricket is not about Flower, Streak, Makoni or Coltart, but it represents the aspirations of a nation. That is why it is vital for all these stakeholders who claim to want the game to develop to come together for the good of the game.

This bickering will only take us into an abyss. It is not about who scores what points, but putting Zimbabwe on the cricket World map. The sport must not benefit individuals.

Pretty much agree with this. Grown men trading petty insults is very dull. If anyone wants to watch that, then tune into WWE. Admin should just unobtrusively get on with their jobs in the background. Always a bad sign when sports headlines go to administrators!

[hhm]

Coltart averse to criticism

HARARE - In my view, Education, Sports, Arts and Culture minister David Coltart, fits perfectly into William Shakespeare’s statement that: “there is no art to find minds construction in the face; he was a gentleman on whom I had built an absolute trust”.

Simplified the Shakespearean statement, in Macbeth, means that you can’t tell what a person is thinking by merely looking at their face, nor create trust based on that.

I had never met Coltart until 2009, days after the formation of the inclusive government, when I saw him driving off from his ministry’s offices near Ambassador hotel.

Nothing was particularly striking about him — maybe because I did not think he was the man who could pluck our education system from its hole and bring sound policies to our arts and sporting institutions.

At the end of that same week I met Coltart, my ambivalent view of him was re-enforced when I read his first newspaper article since becoming minister — an article on cricket in which he promised to “clean the mess” in that sport.

For me, this was a bad way of introducing himself, especially having been fighting the Peter Chingoka board for re-organising the game to allow black players into mainstream cricket.

Although the minister wanted to flex his muscles and cow the Zimbabwe Cricket chiefs, his plans remained in abeyance until his recent desperate attempt to cause mayhem and reverse the gains made in this sport — through a directive aimed at destabilising the sport by sidelining competent black people from being national team selectors.

I offer no apology for saying all this because Coltart has fought journalists, both from the State and independent media, using a tired line that we have all allegedly joined the politics of Zanu PF.

The fact that one Jonathan Moyo has raised these very same sentiments — that resonate with those enamoured with cricket — should not, in itself, dissuade us from writing about them simply because they have been raised by a Zanu PF member.

But Coltart clearly thinks that if you are the Daily News you have to pander to the whims of those in the opposition. And he is not alone on this.

If truth be told, there is a growing and maddening number of officials from both formations of the MDC who think that they can use and abuse those of us in the independent media as their lapdogs.

Well, that is a pipe dream — as we are nobody’s lackeys!

Still, this is probably the reason why Coltart recently went on his Facebook wall and expressed his disappointment with the way the independent media had handled the racism storm, torched by his directive which was swiftly amended in the aftermath of the ensuing public outrage.

This was also soon after the Daily News had carried an interview with the ZC managing director — Wilfred Mukondiwa — in which he spelt out his vision and plans for cricket in the short to medium term.

As is now known on the record, Mukondiwa told the Daily News that Coltart’s directive had the potential to derail cricket – and reverse the gains made in the last decade.

For those readers who are not au fait with Coltart’s directive, it reads: “All national sport associations whose national team selection is conducted by national selectors shall ensure that such selectors have the requisite experience and skills. In particular, no person shall be appointed as a selector unless they have represented Zimbabwe in the particular sport”.

Reasonable on the face of it, but highly problematic in fact and substance.

No wonder that the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC), has moved to amend the contentious clauses.

In the meantime, the ZC board contends that the amendments are still of no effect and that they are in fact illegal because there has been no board (SRC) resolution endorsing them.

Part of the watered down amendments read: “Not less than fifty percent (50 percent) of the selectors shall have represented Zimbabwe as athletes/players at the senior level in the particular sport discipline provided that all chairpersons/convenors shall be former national team players/athletes.

“Where a national sports association has a single selector, the incumbent must be a former national team player/athlete in that discipline. Non-former national team players/ athletes on the selection panel shall have coaching experience or some technical expertise in the particular sport discipline”.

The nub of the issue here is that those who have witnessed the revolution in cricket suspect that Coltart wants to reverse the gains that have been made in the sport, whose growing mass appeal is testament to the participation of Zimbabweans — at all levels — in that sport.

Indeed, one of the major goals of ZC is to offer equal opportunities to all people in cricket and to spread the game.

I guess, all this is a mere recognition of the fact that the sustainability of any activity sport in any country is dependent on the involvement of the majority of the people in that country, and this is what has been happening in Zimbabwean cricket.

“The focus now is on improving the quality of all facets of the game at all levels. Through the franchise system launched in 2009 we have spread cricket to all corners of Zimbabwe. There are now over 1000 young men, black and white, who can be classified as professional full-time cricketers - an increase of almost 80 percent,” Mukondiwa told this writer two weeks ago.

But for Coltart this was a bitter pill to swallow. He, ridiculously, then went on to cast aspersions on my professionalism.

My sins? Being the bearer of bad news for him.

He sent me this angry message: “I am surprised that you have written such a biased report on cricket.

You say the majority are opposed to this. Have you spoken to a single player about what they think?

Are you are aware of the fear that pervades the players? You know that there are several black ex-players more than willing and capable to be a convener of selectors? I know because they have spoken to me — and by a 3 to 1 margin they are black players. You have done your profession and cricket a huge disservice.

As a journalist where is the balance in your story?”

The Guthrie Munyuki Interview, which featured Mukondiwa, is known for bringing to readers big name characters every Thursday — to offer insights on different topics.

These interviews are not commentary, so why blame the messenger?

I would have expected Coltart to challenge the issues raised in the interview, as well as the claim that his directive could reverse the gains made in cricket thus far.

Not play the man, nope — the messenger!

By the way, and as an aside, does anyone still remember that Coltart was linked by former cricket captain Andy Flower as one of the people who conceived the idea of wearing black armbands during the 2003 World Cup tournament in South Africa.

That message read: “Although we are just professional cricketers, we do have a conscience and feelings. We believe that if we remain silent that will be taken as a sign that either we do not care or we condone what is happening in Zimbabwe. We believe that it is important to stand up for what is right. In doing so we are making a silent plea to those responsible to stop the abuse of human rights in Zimbabwe.”

Coltart has, as is his right, not denied being part to this — even though he now expects everyone to agree with him on what is evidently not good either for local cricket or for Zimbabwe for that matter.

How hypocritical!

How indeed does he expect people to believe that he has national interests at heart?

And he wants the media, including the Daily News, to portray him as a righteous man who is at the receiving end of ZC officials.

How preposterous.

Here is my five cents worth of advice for you Minister Coltart.

Yes, you do have a right to have your say on anything, as is the case with every other Zimbabwean.

But for Pete’s sake you now hold a very high public office as our minister.

This should ordinarily mean taking the good with the bad — and not displaying such a childish, thin skin.

Yes David, the same Daily News that you think is against you now is the same one that has given you a good performance rating when the newspaper assesses the performance of ministers at the end of each year. We have never heard you complaining about these ratings.

Does this imply that you only expect praise from us?

The sad thing here is that in the four years that Coltart has been minister, there has been rapid progress in cricket driven by the same board he had hoped would fall by the wayside once he sorted out the “mess”.

Yes Zimbabwe is not playing Test cricket but as the ZC has said, development is not an event but a process.

Development programmes, including school leagues, school festivals and tournaments, inter-franchise age group tournaments, trials, coaching camps and national age group tours, are now in place.

I had expected Coltart to dispute these facts not to attack me for publishing them. That is what sane, balanced and confident leaders do.

Meanwhile, and in another staggering development involving the minister — it is as clear as day that the substantial support given to education by donor agencies, including the 22 million textbooks, has come to naught.

Results released last week by the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (Zimsec) showed that 81,6 percent of the 172 698 who sat for ‘O’ level examinations failed to pass at least five subjects with grade C or better.

Naturally, our swift-tongued minister has found a reason to celebrate in the dismal performances — saying the 18,4 percent pass rate recorded last year is the best.

That is utterly astonishing!

Was this man forced to be in government and in this portfolio?

I rest my case.

The journalist does a good job of exposing the Minister whom he summarises to be an insane and imbalanced leader. Surely we do not want such a man having anything to do with Zimbabwe Cricket and its future.

[Jemisi]

People running around calling others insane who clearly aren't just because they disagree with them or dislike them are usually the ones struggling to keep in touch with sanity.

[bayhaus]

Huuuh, I lost all respect for the Hon Minister when he took the fight public. What really does astound me is that members of ZCF have chosen to be silent and not criticise Coltart despite how everything havs panned out. maybe they can't see that something is amiss. Anyway I have come to expect this. Even if all this info came from a signed affidavit from Coltart admitting to being biased and have ulterior motives, most of ZCF would not believe it.