Zimbabwe National Cricket Team

Zimbabwe is represented by the national cricket team called as Zimbabwe cricket team which is handled by Zimbabwe Cricket. This team is a complete member of the International Cricket Council (I.C.C.) and has One day international as well as Test status, however currently it is not active in Tests. The Zimbabwean team achieved their test status in 1992, becoming the 9th test nation.

The early Test performances of Zimbabwe were not strong and this led many to state that they did not deserve the status. However the team quickly became competititive in One day cricket and were particularly respected for their fielding prowess.

Despite the difficulties faced by the team Andy Flower who was the wicket-keeper batsman was considered as the best batsman in world cricket at a point of time. In this period of time Zimbabwe produced some good cricketers like Grant Flower (Andy’s brother), Heath Streak (who later became the captain) and Eddo Brandes who was famous as a bowler. Due to the presence of good players in the late 1990s the team started to win Tests against other countries and this consisted of a series win against Pakistan. However during the same period the political situation in Zimbabwe was hampered and this had a bad influence on the performance.

The 2003 World Cup tournament for which Zimbabwe was a co-host was a complete disappointment for the team. Henry Olonga and Andy Flower began wearing black armbands as a sign of ‘mourning the death of democracy’ in the country. Due to this both were removed from the team. Such a public political protest hampered harmony in the team and was embarrassing for the co-hosts of the World Cup.

With many players leaving the team, a new team started developing which consisted of Barney Rogers, Douglas Marillier, Mark Vermeulen, Sean Ervine, Ray Price, Craig Wishart, Andy Blignaut and Travis Friend.

As the Cricket World Cup of 2007 approached the players selected for this Cup were required to sign a new contract to prevent departure of players as had happened after the 2003 World Cup. In spite of many changes in the side the team did not perform well at the 2007 World Cup.

In the Twenty20 World championship Zimbabwe upset Australia in its opening match in Cape Town, defeating them by 5 wickets. However the team exited the tournament in the first round itself.

Major achievements

Was placed 5th in the 1999 World Cup. Won the ICC Champions Trophy in 1986 and 1990