BushidoTiger
January 8, 2005, 01:28 AM
I don't know what happened...but most of the majors newspapers in Harare have no mention of the ongoing test. One had a generic wire service (AFP) report while couple of had reports w/ freezer burn on them, with The Zimbabwe Independent being the lone exception.
The most interesing, however, was a write up in 'The Mirror' from last Sunday. Notice, their sentiment on second paragraph and the very last line of article.
Dailies:
http://www.zimbabweherald.com/index.php?category=Sport&pubdate=2005-01-08
http://www.chronicle.co.zw/sports.htm
http://www.fingaz.co.zw/fingaz/2005/January/January6/7472.shtml
http://www.theindependent.co.zw/news/2005/January/Friday7/1394.html
Taibu’s men set to bounce back
Sports Reporter
AFTER a ninth-month layoff, the Zimbabwe national cricket team are set to bounce back onto the Test arena in just four days time as they take on Bangladesh – another lowly outfit – in a Test match at the MA Aziz Stadium.
Tatenda Taibu and his men have embarked on what should prove a gruelling 33-day tour of Bangladesh. The tour will see them locking horns with the hosts in two Test matches and five one-day internationals.
The matches will go a long way in giving a fair indication of just how far the new look Zimbabwe national team has come while Bangladesh will also be out to prove they have what it takes to compete at the highest level. Zimbabwe are currently playing a BCBXI at the newly built Cittagong Divisional Stadium in a three-day warm up match ahead of their first Test against the Asians on January 6. The hosts will be eager to make an impression against a relatively weak Zimbabwean outfit, given that they are yet to register a series victory in the longer version of the game since being granted Test-playing status by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Zimbabwe have not played Test cricket for almost a year and are sizeable number of the players have never played a cricket match for five days – something that might have an adverse effect on their aspirations to post a victory over the Asians. The likes of Brendan Taylor, Elton Chigumbura, Tinashe Panyangara and Prosper Utseya are bereft of experience at this level of the game and it will up to be the more experienced players to carry the day for Zimbabwe, who risk being booted out of the Test arena if they do not put up a commendable fight. Having been thrust onto the scene following the crisis that rocked local cricket in April last year, the inexperienced players are short of experience as compared to their counterparts who have featured in more battles even though they ended up on the receiving end in most of them. It will be up to players like skipper and wicketkeeper Tatenda Taibu, Dion Ebrahim, Hamilton Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri and Mark Vermeulen – who have considerable experience in Test cricket – to steer the ship to safety.
Zimbabwe will also be looking to take advantage of Bangladesh’s unimpressive record on the Test scene to power through. In 32 Tests, the Asians recorded 29 defeats and no wins. On paper the visitors are expected to clinch both the Test and One Day International series but there is really nothing to suggest that the matches will be a one-sided affair. Bangladesh have been improving steadily since being thrust into the deep waters of Test cricket and they may just spring up a surprise against a Zimbabwean outfit that must have been forgetting what Test cricket is all about. Despite having been on the losing end in almost all of their matches, they have put up some commendable efforts that have won them praises from some neutrals. But many people are of the view that if ever they had a chance to register their first victory, then it is against the current Zimbabwean outfit that has been weakened by the departure of several key players.
There seems to be a buzz of expectation in the air among the local cricket community in Bangladesh, who feel that their side should be able to capitalise on the current state of Zimbabwean cricket to shock the visitors. After a recent four-match tour of Zimbabwe, the skipper of the England squad Michael Vaughan equated the locals’ standard of cricket to that of Namibia – a non Test-playing nation. His sentiments were echoed by the rest of his team mates, who felt that their 4-0 victory in the one day series was of little significance as they had not been made to fight for it. And even though they fielded a second string side with the exception of a few players, England were able to power through with ease. Ultimately, a defeat will have more disastrous effect on Zimbabwe than on the hosts as it will reaffirm the widely held belief that Taibu and company are not good enough to play Test cricket. After all, Bangladesh are the weakest side of the 10 Test playing nations and are expected to be on the receiving end whenever they take on any of the other nine sides. They will not be under pressure, therefore, as another defeat to Zimbabwe is unlikely to trigger outcries from the local fans, who are used to their team’s shortfalls.
Edited on, January 8, 2005, 7:44 AM GMT, by BushidoTiger.
The most interesing, however, was a write up in 'The Mirror' from last Sunday. Notice, their sentiment on second paragraph and the very last line of article.
Dailies:
http://www.zimbabweherald.com/index.php?category=Sport&pubdate=2005-01-08
http://www.chronicle.co.zw/sports.htm
http://www.fingaz.co.zw/fingaz/2005/January/January6/7472.shtml
http://www.theindependent.co.zw/news/2005/January/Friday7/1394.html
Taibu’s men set to bounce back
Sports Reporter
AFTER a ninth-month layoff, the Zimbabwe national cricket team are set to bounce back onto the Test arena in just four days time as they take on Bangladesh – another lowly outfit – in a Test match at the MA Aziz Stadium.
Tatenda Taibu and his men have embarked on what should prove a gruelling 33-day tour of Bangladesh. The tour will see them locking horns with the hosts in two Test matches and five one-day internationals.
The matches will go a long way in giving a fair indication of just how far the new look Zimbabwe national team has come while Bangladesh will also be out to prove they have what it takes to compete at the highest level. Zimbabwe are currently playing a BCBXI at the newly built Cittagong Divisional Stadium in a three-day warm up match ahead of their first Test against the Asians on January 6. The hosts will be eager to make an impression against a relatively weak Zimbabwean outfit, given that they are yet to register a series victory in the longer version of the game since being granted Test-playing status by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Zimbabwe have not played Test cricket for almost a year and are sizeable number of the players have never played a cricket match for five days – something that might have an adverse effect on their aspirations to post a victory over the Asians. The likes of Brendan Taylor, Elton Chigumbura, Tinashe Panyangara and Prosper Utseya are bereft of experience at this level of the game and it will up to be the more experienced players to carry the day for Zimbabwe, who risk being booted out of the Test arena if they do not put up a commendable fight. Having been thrust onto the scene following the crisis that rocked local cricket in April last year, the inexperienced players are short of experience as compared to their counterparts who have featured in more battles even though they ended up on the receiving end in most of them. It will be up to players like skipper and wicketkeeper Tatenda Taibu, Dion Ebrahim, Hamilton Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri and Mark Vermeulen – who have considerable experience in Test cricket – to steer the ship to safety.
Zimbabwe will also be looking to take advantage of Bangladesh’s unimpressive record on the Test scene to power through. In 32 Tests, the Asians recorded 29 defeats and no wins. On paper the visitors are expected to clinch both the Test and One Day International series but there is really nothing to suggest that the matches will be a one-sided affair. Bangladesh have been improving steadily since being thrust into the deep waters of Test cricket and they may just spring up a surprise against a Zimbabwean outfit that must have been forgetting what Test cricket is all about. Despite having been on the losing end in almost all of their matches, they have put up some commendable efforts that have won them praises from some neutrals. But many people are of the view that if ever they had a chance to register their first victory, then it is against the current Zimbabwean outfit that has been weakened by the departure of several key players.
There seems to be a buzz of expectation in the air among the local cricket community in Bangladesh, who feel that their side should be able to capitalise on the current state of Zimbabwean cricket to shock the visitors. After a recent four-match tour of Zimbabwe, the skipper of the England squad Michael Vaughan equated the locals’ standard of cricket to that of Namibia – a non Test-playing nation. His sentiments were echoed by the rest of his team mates, who felt that their 4-0 victory in the one day series was of little significance as they had not been made to fight for it. And even though they fielded a second string side with the exception of a few players, England were able to power through with ease. Ultimately, a defeat will have more disastrous effect on Zimbabwe than on the hosts as it will reaffirm the widely held belief that Taibu and company are not good enough to play Test cricket. After all, Bangladesh are the weakest side of the 10 Test playing nations and are expected to be on the receiving end whenever they take on any of the other nine sides. They will not be under pressure, therefore, as another defeat to Zimbabwe is unlikely to trigger outcries from the local fans, who are used to their team’s shortfalls.
Edited on, January 8, 2005, 7:44 AM GMT, by BushidoTiger.