Zimbabwe breaks cricketing ties with South Africa

Press, 24 September 1980, Page 26

Zimbabwe breaks cricketing ties with South Africa

By

ASIF KHAN in London.

The English . county cricket champion, Middlesex, led by the former test .captain, Mike Brearley, leaves for a three-week tour of Zimbabwe iater this month to mark the beginning of a new sporting era in the country’s history after its lawful independence from Britain.

The visit by one of the strongest first-class teams in the world, containing eight current or former test players, including Wayne Daniel, the West Indian opening bowler from Barbadoes, is particularly significant in view of Zimbabwe's decision to sever its sporting Jinks with South Africa, previously its only source of topline opposition.

Soon after Zimbabwe had joined the Commonwealth as its' fortythird member, the Zimbabwe Cricket Union announced it was ending its affiliation to the South African Cricket Union and would no longer take part in its neighbour’s domestic competitions. As Rhodesia. Zimbabwe gained much, of its first-class experience playing in those com'petitions.

The announcement was coupled.with a decision to look to Britain and other Commonwealth countries to send teams to play matches against Zimbabwe, so vital if the country’s cricket standard is to be maintained. Middlesex, which leaves London today, will play two three-day matches in Salisbury and Bulawayo and two limited-over games in Um tali and Gwelo. They will be the first of several teams from abroad to tour Zimbabwe in the near future.

Among those expected to make visits are Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Sri Lanka. Efforts are also being made to arrange fixtures against a Derrick Robins XI which will contain top cricketers from various test-playing nations.

Another leading English country club, Leicestershire, whose captain is Brian Davison, himself a Zimbabwean, and which includes his fellow-coun-tryman, Paddy Clift, is also expected to visit Zimbabwe early next year. The invitation to Middlesex was extended

by the Zimbabwe Cricket Union president, Alwyn Pichanick, in July, and was accepted within a day or two of its being received. The Middlesex secretary, Alan Burridge, said: “Cricket is at a crucial

stage in Zimbabwe at the moment. Now that they have broken away from South Africa, they need to maintain a good standard of cricket."

He added: “All our players, without exception, immediately responded to the invitation. They know that they can help Zimbabwe to establish its identity in world cricket after years of international isolation.

“It’s also a significant step in the history of the club. It’s an opportunity for us to take cricket as a kind of catalyst to an emergent nation.” Besides Brearley and Daniel, Middlesex’s other test players to make the tour will be Graham Barlow, Phil Edmonds, John Emburey, Mike Gatting,

onve wauiey auu ivuxe Selvey. The team will also include Roland Butcher, a cousin of the former West Indies star, Basil Butcher, who became the first player of West Indian origin to play for England when

he figured in a one-day international against Australia in August; and the Kenyan-born Rajesh Maru. who toured the West Indies with England Young Cricketers earlier this year. Also in the party will be Wilf Slack, from St Vincent is the Caribbean, who played club cricket in New Zealand during the last English closed season, and Paul Downton, one of the most promising young wicket-keepers in the country, who toured New Zealand and Pakistan with England in 1977-78 as an understudy to Bob Taylor. _ The Zimbabwe tour will have a special significance for one player — Phil Edmonds, who was bom in Africa where he learnt his cricket. It is a

part of the world of which he has fond memories and for which he has a special place in his heart. The 29-year-old all-roun-der, who has appeared in 18 tests for England, says he is very much looking forward to the tour, partly because of sentimental reasons. “It would be like homecoming for me," ' he says.

Edmonds —? bom in Lusaka, Zambia — who left the country for Britain in 1966, said: “The fifties and the early sixties was a fascinating and very important period in African history. I was very fortunate to be brought up there at such a time." Edmonds, who was picked for the senior team of his Lusaka school when only 13 .recalled: “It was a magnificent school, and the standard of its cricket and the quality of its teaching were very high. “It’s very difficult to explain to people here in England the excellence of that school. We really plaved a -very good standard of cricket, and we had some very fine cricketers. “When you tell people.

in England that you learnt your cricket in Africa, they just pooh-pooh it. Yet, when I came here I was a much more mature cricketer than other boys of my age.” Edmonds is sure Middlesex’s visit will help Zimbabwe maintain its standard of cricket and further promote the game in the country.

An important step forward in Zimbabwe’s efforts to earn a place in world cricket will be taken next summer when the game's governing body, the International Cricket Conference, meets at Lord’s and considers its application to join it as an associate member.

Zimbabwe’s independence in April came too late for its application to be put on the agenda for this year’s ICC meeting If the application is successful next year — and there is no reason why it should not be — Zimbabwe will then have the opportunity of competing for the I.C.C. trophy in 1982. This competition wall provide two qualifiers for the World Cup, the. follow-

ing year when they will compete against the six test-playing countries — Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and West Indies. ■

But Zimbabwe’s ultimate aim would seem to be to gain full membership of the I.C.C. which would give it test status — something another Commonwealth country, Sri Lanka, has been trying to achieve for some time, and now looks a step nearer achieving.

Although Sri Lanka’s application was again unsuccessful at this year’s I.C.C. meeting, despite strong support from India, Pakistan and West Indies, the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka is optimistic. Australia has offered to send a “high grade” team to the island within the next year, if invited. The team will include several test players, according to the I.C.C. secretary, Jack Bailey. Middlesex has also suggested a tour of Sri Lanka early next year, and Sri Lanka itself is to make a two-month visit to England in 1981. All this ex-

perience can only strengthen its claim to Test status. And if Sri Lanka gets it, can Zimbabwe be far behind?