BY Kevin Mapasure
Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has hit out at Cricket Australia over the latter’s refusal to play a Test match or enhance the variety of One Day Internationals (ODI) with Zimbabwe of their tour Down Under this August.
The two nations are set to sq. off in three ODIs within the International Cricket Council (ICC) Super League and Zimbabwe, who hardly ever get a possibility to play the cricket giants, have been hoping to make use of the chance to play crimson ball cricket in Australia.
Their request for a Test match was rebuffed whereas even requests to have extra white ball matches over and above the three Super league matches was not entertained.
A ZC official described Australia as ‘arrogant’ and “selfish” as Zimbabwe should journey all the best way only for three matches.
The matches lead in the direction of qualification for the 2023 World Cup and are thus essential for each groups.
Zimbabwe final toured Australia within the 2003-04 season the place they performed two Tests in addition to a One Day tri collection that additionally included India.
The official stated the tour itself doesn’t make sense they usually may have opted out have been it not a part of the World Cup qualification route.
“This tour to Australia doesn’t make sense, how can our boys travel that far just for the three ODIs? The Australians’ attitude does not conform to the spirit of cricket. Cricket has become commercialised and bilateral and the big nations only want to play teams where they can make a profit, fine and understood but because of the Super League, it simply means Zimbabwe is now part of Australia’s FTP (Future Tours Programme) and we say let’s have our bilateral tours around that Super League since we already have to play each other, they don’t want,” complained the official.
“With such an attitude how is cricket going to be a global sport? We don’t get to play Australia that much and now we have this opportunity, yet they want to stick to the three Super League matches alone. This trip doesn’t make sense at all and if it wasn’t for the points, the boys wouldn’t be going that far just to play three ODIs. They (Australia) are arrogant and selfish, they won’t even entertain any discussion, yet the ICC wants the smaller nations to grow by playing the bigger nations. The ICC wants nations such as Zimbabwe, Ireland and Afghanistan to have that opportunity to play the bigger nations so that they can develop but some of these bigger nations are not interested, they just want to play among themselves.”
Zimbabwe have 35 factors after enjoying 18 matches and sit on place 14 however would want to complete within the prime seven to get an computerized ticket to the World Cup which shall be hosted by India.