Zimbabwe cricket fast running out of playing fields

Then ZCU officials denied claims that sponsors were re-examining their position along with the television company TWI who were looking at TV rights opt out clauses. About the same time there were several top brass in the United Cricket Board who privately questioned where the game was heading in the trouble-plagued neighbouring state.

Nothing official was said, but Gerald Majola, the chief executive, and several UCB minions attending a Pro20 Series (the local version of Twenty20) game at SuperSport Park, sat stony faced in the presidential suite as the highlights of the new ODI record innings low of 35 was replayed twice in an hour.

Little wonder, then, that Taibu was tight-lipped when contacted Monday to comment on the team’s batting performance against Sri Lanka in the third game of the series, along with issues surrounding the reinstatement of the rebels and the way forward.

‘‘It’s not nice to lose this way at all. And, no we didn’t bat particularly well, did we? We do know that we can do a lot better. We did show that in Bulawayo in the first game. What it does show is though is how far we have to come, yet how far we still have to travel’’, he said.

‘‘I still feel though we can, with the team we have, beat Bangladesh and Kenya and Holland’’, he added. ‘‘It is all a matter of experience. It is going to take a little while. I’m not worried.’’

While all this was taking place and serious questions are being asked what happened to the ICC dictate that the country’s top players should be included in their teams, Taibu denied he was one of several black players who had sided with the 15 white rebels and was prepared to join them along with Douglas Hondo, Blessing Mahwire Stuart Matsikenyeri and Hamilton Masakadza.

‘‘I prefer to keep my mouth shut at the moment with the way the things are happening’’, Taibu said when asked what his stand was on the issue of the white rebel players.

One of the problems facing Zimbabwe at present though is what is going to happen to the morale of the team should they get routed in a similar fashion. Zimbabwe coach Geoff Marsh, a member of the Border and Taylor Aussie teams in the 1990s, is hoping that something more positive is going to emerge from the current impasse.

‘‘They played well in that first game in Bulawayo and did show that in good limited overs conditions they have something to offer’’, he said. ‘‘They have a point to prove and would like to do that. But the squad, no matter how willing, is limited in experience.’’

Marsh could have no doubt said that winning the toss on Sunday partly sealed Zimbabwe’s fate. The pitch carried a little more grass than you would expect for a limited overs game and the batsmen played too many expansive strokes against the moving ball.

As soon as they saw the surface, Sri Lanka left out Muttiah Muralitharan and went in with what is mainly an all seam attack.

Zimbabwe’s inexperience against such smart bowling tactics as was exposed in the first over as Brendan Taylor attempted two expansive drives which failed to connect. Vusi Sibanda, who opened the batting in Bulawayo, and dropped to the lower middle-order to try an stabilise the innings was another who perished through poor strokeplay.

It was the type of approach expected of players who have yet to emerge from the under-19 age group system and unless there is a magic formula, the 5-0 whitewash will be followed by a similar batting debacle in the two Tests.

Taibu and Matsikenyeri apart, the remainder are going to battle against the red ball as their footwork has already been found out. Against veteran bowlers as Chaminda Vaas and Muralitharan they will have more than enough problems in attempting to build totals likely to test the Sri Lanka bowlers.