Winds of change

[zimfan1]

Winds of change
September 10 2009
Coventry - positive about the future.

After a period dominated by widespread scorn and dissension, cricket in Zimbabwe is showing the first signs of emerging from the storm.

Having last donned the fields of Test cricket in 2005 and, rather embarrassingly for the proud nation, confined to do battle primarily with the minnows of world cricket, the Zimbabweans have taken the first steps back towards big time cricket.

A revamped domestic program commences on Saturday, with the first round of four-day games kicking the season off. A glance at the fixture list proves it's a far cry from the miserly two or three months that constituted the domestic season last year. It's one of many changes made on the back of ICC recommendations following a visit to the country last year, and it's a key factor to getting the game back on track according to Zimbabwe batsman Charles Coventry.

"It's definitely a good idea," Coventry told Cricket365 of the new structure.

"It's all still early doors so I don't know how it's going yet, but at least for all of us there is a lot more provincial cricket being played now.

"I think we've got 14 four-day games coming up and the 14 one-day games and the twenty20 setup. There wasn't much provincial cricket being played before this so I think it's a lot better for all of us."

There appears to have been a change in attitude of late from those in Zimbabwe cricket, mirroring improvements in the country as a whole, and Coventry admits there is a definite air of positivity.

"It's just in everything," explains the 26-year-old.

"When we get spoken to now the things that they tell us they want to do and their plans for the future it all seems a hell of a lot more positive, and with ex-players coming back to help on the coaching side that's all very positive for us."

The return of former players is also part of the ICC-recommended restructuring plan, and the results look promising.

After ending a stand-off with Zimbabwe Cricket that dates back to 2004, former captain Heath Streak was recently appointed the national team's bowling coach, with rumours rife that he will soon adopt the role of head coach. Another former skipper, Alistair Campbell, was appointed chairman of selectors in July and may take a more hands-on role with the batsmen.

It's not the first time that changes have been made to the structure of cricket in Zimbabwe, but while previous alterations focused more on consolidating power for the elite rather than reinvigorating grassroots cricket, the driving force behind the current changes appear to be the realisation that rock bottom had been hit, there was only one way things could go and that was up.

"I think it was getting to a stage where they just needed to try something different. I think they had a whole lot of meetings apparently with the ICC and the ICC gave them a few things they said were the way that they wanted it to be run and it all happened in a couple of months. I think they basically listened to the ICC and said, "right that's how we're going to do it".

"They want us to run our cricket like how they do in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the cricket they play in those countries just shows how strong they are and the more cricket we play for Zim and in Zimbabwe itself, the stronger we are going to get."

Coventry encapsulated the potential of the southern African nation when he equaled the highest score in ODI history with a rollicking 194 not out against Bangladesh in August.

Coming in at number three in the order, Coventry made an early arrival at the crease with opener Mark Vermuelen dismissed in just the second over. Wickets continued to tumble before Coventry enjoyed a fifth-wicket partnership of 117 with Stuart Matsikenyeri.

His maiden one-day hundred was reached at the end of the 37th over with Zimbabwe trundling along at a rate of 4.83 runs to the over, and with only 179 runs on the board there was much work to be done. Coventry insists that it was this, rather than thoughts of personal glory, that dominated his thoughts.

"I wasn't actually thinking of the record as such," he says. "When I got to the hundred we were quite a bit behind where we wanted to be so I just thought it was time to try and hit as many to the boundary as possible and it came off.

"It was just one of those days where everything seemed to come out the middle of the bat. I was quite lucky that the guys I was batting with kept talking to me and telling me to try bat till the end of the game. I also had a bit of luck on the day - I got dropped a couple of times which I think you need in those sort of scores."

Sitting on 191 heading into the final over of the innings, Coventry admits he believed he could reach the elusive 200 mark.

"Ja I did [think I could reach 200], it was just a bit unlucky. Prosper Uteya was batting and he hit one down to the boundary and the guy ran past it and it went for four, maybe if we had just got the single there I would have had more strike, I just ran out of a bit of strike!"

Looking forward Coventry has big dreams for the future of Zimbabwe cricket.

"I think we all feel the same way where we want to start improving big time with our cricket, and then we can start playing against the big teams again."

The Kwekwe native's personal ambitions are rooted in the humble desire to make the most of the opportunity afforded to him.

"I just want to keep training hard and playing hard and there's a lot of cricket to come so hopefully for me as a goal I want to keep playing as much as I can and try and perform as best as I can."

http://www.cricket365.com/story/0,18305 ... 56,00.html

[zimfan1]

looks like people are starting to take notice of changes both on and off the field

[Detective RDS]

Really good to see that cricket365 has come with a good article on Zimbabwean cricket.

[Kopje]

This is a good article, nice one cricket365! I hope journalists highlight a lot more of these positive changes to our team.