The national cricket team representing Zimbabwe is known as the Zimbabwe Cricket Team and was formerly known as the Zimbabwe Cricket Union. Zimbabwe is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and one-day international status. The team played its first Test match in 1992, becoming the ninth Test nation.
Zimbabwe is the ninth nation to play test cricket. It played its first Test against India in 1992. However, it had an established ODI team much before that and had even participated in three World Cups-in 1983, 1987 and 1992.
Zimbabwe did not perform very well in Tests, though they were improving on their ODI performances. Zimbabwe were never considered a strong team, but they were known as fighters who were exceptionally good in the fielding department.
The Zimbabwe Cricket Team, though not a very strong unit, had some very good players in it. The most renowned of these were wicketkeeper batsman Andy Flower. At a time, Flower was also ranked as the world’s best batsman. The 1990s was a whole bunch of good players emerging from the Zimbabwe tea. Grant Flower, Alistair Campbell, Heath Streak and Murray Goodwin were some of the most talented players to ever play for Zimbabwe.
However at the end of the decade, Zimbabwe was plunged into political unrest and that kind of strained into the Cricket Team as well. As a result lot of the top players lost their places in the squad and the team was reduced to inexperience. Further controversy resulted in some top players striking and this was like the final straw for Zimbabwean cricket’s doom. The team had to be made up of players who were not ready for international cricket and this meant a disastrous phase for the team where they lost almost every match they played, both at home and away.
On 18 January 2006, Zimbabwe Cricket announced that they would not play Test cricket for the rest of the year. The team is now scheduled to play its next Test match in July 2007, when they will host an Australian tour. Cricketscorelive.com brings to you the Zimbabwe Cricket Team Profile and other team profiles around the world.
Zimbabwe Cricket Team’s Recent Performances
Zimbabwean cricket has been plunged into a lot of controversy of late and as a result, the Zimbabwe Cricket Team’s recent performances have suffered as well. Many top Zimbabwe players rebelled and went on strike, leading to their expulsion from the team. As a result of this, the management and selectors had to resort to the domestic cricketers of the country. Unfortunately these players lacked experience and were in no way suited to play at the international level.
2005
Zimbabwe have not played a lot of international cricket of late. They had a disastrous 2005, losing the home series to New Zealand, and suffering humiliating defeats in the hands of South Africa.
2006
Zimbabwe toured the West Indies in April-May, 2006. They played seven ODIs and one tour game in the West Indies, but the performance of the Zimbabwe team was far from good. They lost all seven ODIs and could not even manage to win the tour game against University of West Indies Vice Chancellor’s XI. However there were a few positive aspects to come out of the series. Justice Chibhabha scored two fifties and Piet Rinke scored a brave century on the tour.
The Zimbabwe Cricket Team’s recent performances have been quite disappointing and with the World Cup coming up, they would indeed look to pull up their performance. Cricketscorelive.com brings to you the Zimbabwe Cricket Team’s Recent Performances and the recent performances of other teams.
Zimbabwe Players to Watch Out For
Considering the recent turmoil Zimbabwe cricket has gone through, there aren’t too many Zimbabwe players to watch out for. The team has suffered with many senior players striking. However with the management forming a new team comprising mainly of domestic players, the Zimbabweans will look to forget the past and go ahead with a new mindset and approach. Some of exciting Zimbabwe players to watch out for are:
Brendan Taylor
Brendan Taylor is the most experienced player in the Zimbabwe Cricket Team. He has played 10 Tests and 47 ODIs and is the current Zimbabwe wicketkeeper. He is an attacking batsman and can play shots all over the ground. He averages 25.96 in Tests. With some experience to back him, Brendan Taylor is a Zimbabwe player to watch out for.
Blessing Mahwire
A useful all-rounder, Blessing Mahwire has played 10 Tests and 10 ODIs for Zimbabwe. He was initially known as a batsman who can bowl, but know he is used mainly as a strike bowler. Blessing Mahwire is definitely a Zimbabwe player to watch out for.
Justice Chibhabha
Justice Chibhabha is a Zimbabwe batsman who is capable of playing some innings. He made two fifties on the recent West Indies tour. With not too many Zimbabwean batsmen hitting big runs presently, Justice Chibhabha is an interesting Zimbabwe player to watch out for.
Piet Rinke
Piet Rinke grabbed everyone’s attention when he scored a good 113 against the University of West Indies’ XI earlier this year. He is a good fast bowler too and can swing the ball both ways. In the 15 international matches has played, he has taken 6 wickets and scored a total of 312 runs. With a promising career ahead, Piet Rinke is a Zimbabwe cricketer to watch out for.
Prosper Utseya
Prosper Utseya is a very promising off spinner who can bat a little as well. He has played 44 ODIs for Zimbabwe. Though he has been a part of the team for sometime now, he was not very successful till the 2006 West Indian tour where he bowled quite well and stood out in an otherwise dull Zimbabwean performance. Cricketscorelive.com provides information on the Zimbabwe players to watch out for and other exciting cricketers around the world.
Zimbabwe Team World Cup History
The Zimbabwe team World Cup history is not very long and profound, yet the team can boast of having played in six editions of the tournament.
* Zimbabwe were not eligible to play in the 1975 and 1979 World Cups as the nation was not a member of the ICC.
* Debuting in the 1983 World Cup, Zimbabwe paled very well and went so far even to beat the much stronger side Australia. Though Zimbabwe didn’t get past the first round, they were immensely praised for their performance in the championship.
* The 1987 World Cup saw another first round exit from Zimbabwe. They could not repeat their previous performance at the World Cup and finished the tournament without registering any wins.
* The 1992 World Cup was as much of a disaster for Zimbabwe. They finished last at the tournament and once again failed to win a single match.
* In the 1996 World Cup, Zimbabwe again did not get past the first round. They however won their match against Kenya, registering their only win in the competition.
* The 1999 World Cup was marginally better for Zimbabwe and they finished the tournament at fifth place. The highlight of the tournament for Zimbabwe was them beating India by three runs in a league match. They also defeated Kenya.
* Zimbabwe secured the sixth position in the 2003 World Cup. They played well to finish over stronger sides Pakistan and England in their group. In the 5 matches they played, they won 3 and lost 2.
Cricketscorelive.com provides information on the Zimbabwe Team World Cup History and the World Cup history of other teams.
Zimbabwe Team’s Chances in the 2007 World Cup
Given that a lot of controversy has rocked Zimbabwe cricket in the recent past, the Zimbabwe team’s chances in the 2007 World Cup seem, unfortunately, rather bleak. Zimbabwe have never reached the semifinals of the World Cup and it looks rather unlikely that they will do so in World Cup 2007. Zimbabwe cricket was rocked by a lot of controversy in the recent past and as a result a whole lot of top players like Andy Flower, Henry Olonga and Heath Streak lost their place in the side. To compensate the loss, the Zimbabwe selectors called up a new set of player, most of whom were not equipped to play at the international level. Consequently, the team’s performance suffered. Now with the World Cup coming up, it is unlikely that the team can come up with a miracle. Only a handful of players in the team have played in a World Cup before this. So it will be an uphill task for the Zimbabweans to perform well in the series.
Cricketscorelive.com provides information on the Zimbabwe Team’s Chances in the 2007 World Cup and chances of other teams in the 2007 World Cup.
