Sunday News
By Mehluli Sibanda
20 January 2013
The recent directive by Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, Minister David Coltart through the Sports and Recreation Commission that all national teams’ selectors should have at least represented the country at international level has sparked a fierce uproar from those affected.
While Coltart’s instruction has noble intentions, it has unfortunately has not been welcome especially in some sections of cricket where the convener of the selection, for instance Givemore Makoni who did not play international cricket for Zimbabwe, feels that the minister is targeting him.
Having covered cricket in Zimbabwe at all levels since 2001, I am fully aware that selection has been a contentious matter. At some stage Bulawayo-based players used to confide in me that they had been openly told that if the do not re-locate to Harare, play for certain clubs, they will never play for the national team and for sure the national cricket team at some stage was made up of Harare-based players.
If that was not abuse of powers by the selectors, then I do not know what that was.
When the player revolt of 2004 came, the biggest issue centered around selection because the convener of selectors then Macsood Ebrahim, had never played cricket. Ebrahim was eventually removed but our selection panel has continued to have people who have not played cricket at highest level.
I do not see anything wrong with such a directive but I feel it is a little too late; controversy has always surrounded our national cricket team selection.
The biggest problem we have especially when it comes to the Makoni issue, is that he is a Zimbabwe Cricket employee as chief executive officer of Southern Rocks. How can we have another ZC member of staff deciding the fate of fellow employees? Are the no other qualified personnel that can do the job? Why can’t Makoni just walk away from team selection? He still has a job which I am sure pays handsomely, he doesn’t need a selector’s role.
I do not see why this issue id even being debated. Why should ZC now look for black former players to be selectors? An ex-player is an ex-player no matter their colour. As long as they are based in Zimbabwe and still follow the game at all levels, they can select the national team.
There is no need to ask Mpumelelo Mbangwa to quit his job as television commentator or Henry Olonga to give up his life in the United Kingdom, both to come home and be selectors.
It does not take a rocket scientist to realize that our national cricket team is not doing well on the international scene; it is the laughing stock of international cricket. Addressing selection issue might be the beginning of solving our problems.
Since it is an order form the SRC, ZC will have to soon appoint selectors with the requisite qualifications. Those who do not meet them, Makoni included, will not be re-appointed; it is as simple as that.
Coltart last year also gave an order to all sports associations to stop the tendency of holding all matches of note in Harare. We wait to see if our national associations will stick to that order this year.
In cricket, there is a busy year ahead with Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka set to invade Zimbabwe. ZC have for the past six years used logistics as an excuse for hosting all visiting teams in Harare and on wonders how they are going to finally tame this animal called logistics and have matches spread all over Zimbabwe.