Herald
7 March 2011
From Robson Sharuko in Ahmedabad, India
ZIMBABWE will have to do it the hard way, by beating either one or both of their bogey opponents in a tense four-day period in Sri Lanka, to breathe life into a 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup campaign choked by the heavy 10-wicket defeat at the hands of New Zealand here on Friday.
Alan Butcher and his men were left clutching on their straws, in their bid to remain alive in this tournament, after losing two of their first three matches, at the halfway mark of their World Cup group campaign.
Zimbabwe were expected to make a match of their contest against New Zealand, which brought the fifth and fourth ranked sides together, and there was even expectation among some analysts that Butcher and his men could win it.
But that didn’t happen and the Zimbabweans were on the back foot, from the moment opener Charles Coventry chased a non-existent single facing his second ball and was run out and, from there on, it went downhill.
New Zealand didn’t only win that game but won it so comprehensively that they wreaked havoc in Zimbabwe’s net run rate and that has left the Zimbabweans needing to do something magical in the Sri Lankan leg of their World Cup tour.
World champions Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were favoured to go through, with questions only on who would win the group, and so far it’s going according to those predictions.
Pakistan, showing signs of revival under coach Waqar Younis, top the group after winning all their three matches, including a key win over Sri Lanka, with six points.
Sri Lanka have five points from four matches, with two left to play, after winning two, losing one and seeing their big tie against Australia abandoned after a heavy downpour lashed the R, Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Saturday.
The home team were 146-3, having recovered from a shaky start, in 32.5 overs, when the heavens opened and no play was possible after that leaving the two teams to share the points.
Skipper Kumar Sangakkara was unbeaten on 73 and Thilan Samaraweera was on 34, when play was abandoned.
Australia are in third place, with five points, but have played a game less than Sri Lanka, winning two of their three games, while New Zealand are on four points from three matches.
Zimbabwe have two points from three matches and have a mountain to climb if they are to grab one of the four tickets into the Super Eight.
All hope is not lost even though the good money is on the Zimbabweans coming short, in a World Cup that has been cheered by some strange results so far.
What the Zimbabweans need to do, which they haven’t done very well of late, is to believe in their abilities and have the mental strength to understand that this is only a game and, if they play their best game, they can win.
Their first assignment is against Sri Lanka, in their backyard in Pallekelle, on Thursday before they take on Pakistan four days later.
Zimbabwe’s record against Sri Lanka is not good and in 43 ODIs between the two countries, the Asians have won 33 and have a success rate of 76.44 percent against the Zimbabweans.
Zimbabwe’s record against Pakistan in ODIs makes sorry reading with the Asians winning 36 of the 40 matches the two nations have played against each other, the Zimbabweans winning two, one game was tied and there was a no-result in the other.
The Pakistanis have a 90 percent success rate against the Zimbabweans in ODIs.
Zimbabwe arrived in Colombo on Saturday to prepare for the Sri Lanka leg of their campaign and they know they will have to bury the demons of their last game for them not only to survive, but also to compete with honour against both Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Alistair Campbell, the Zimbabwe Cricket Convenor of Selectors, who is also commentating for ESPN at this World Cup, was asked whether the defeat against New Zealand signaled the beginning of the end for his side.
Campbell said there was still a chance for the Zimbabweans but they will have to play far better, especially in their batting, than they did against the Black Caps.
He was brutally honest that Zimbabwe had a magnificent chance, to make their mark, against the Black Caps but they blew it with a shocking batting display.
“Once we capitulated in our batting, we had no chance,” said Campbell. “There is still a chance but not with the way we played.”
One of the key decisions to be made will be on who opens with Brendan Taylor.
Coventry has struggled throughout this World Cup and whether he will be given another chance now that the campaign has reached the business end, remains to be seen, but looks very unlikely.
Skipper Elton Chigumbura, who also needs to fire with his bat, was clear that as long as they don’t get the basics right, including having a good start, then they are likely to keep having problems.
Tatenda Taibu anchored the innings in the big win over Canada while Craig Ervine also played brilliantly with his half century in that match.
But, once again, they came in to do some repair work, after Taylor had gone first ball, and while you can get away with it against teams like Canada, the established sides like Sri Lanka and Pakistan will always punish you.
However, even after their demoralising loss against the Black Caps, it’s hard for anyone to suggest that it’s game over for Zimbabwe, even now when it’s hard to find where their match-winning performance will come from.
This World Cup has shown a tendency of being unpredictable and, while Australia and India have played according to expectations, the rest of the established sides have given everyone hope that, on a good day, they can be knocked over.
Take, for instance, Canada’s performance against Pakistan when they bowled the Asians cheaply and even looked on course for a victory, having passed 100 for the loss of just three wickets, before they lost their way.
It’s the type of inspired show that this Zimbabwean team needs because, while there is no question about their talent, there are a host of questions about their temperament.
Former skipper Prosper Utseya has displayed the maturity that is needed at this stage, whether with his batting or his bowling, and others need to take a cue from him.
There is certainly no problem with the attack, even tough it remains lightweight in its seam department, and you get a feeling that if the batsmen can get it right, then Ray Price and company can help this Zimbabwe team to compete.
The Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture David Coltart, who spent a week with the team at this World Cup before returning home on Saturday, said the side was getting better and, while the defeat against New Zealand had hurt, it should inspire the boys to rediscover their touch.
“I think we are getting better as a team,” said Coltart.
The challenge is about getting the results that count at such tournaments like the World Cup and Zimbabwe know that they will have do turn it around, to stand a chance against Sri Lanka on Thursday, and stay alive.