Published: Dec 27, 2015, 05:23 PM (IST)
Edited: Dec 27, 2015, 06:14 PM (IST)
Zimbabwe could have had a fairytale 2015, had they converted all the good starts they got against some prominent teams into match-winning finishes. This has been a concern for a very long time in the Zimbabwean camp. The men in red kick-started their innings with a bang but eventually stumble at the end and the result never goes in their favour. The team does have potential; a coach that would guide that talent in the right direction was just needed. Enters, Dav Whatmore—he was appointed as Zimbabwe’s head coach towards the end of December 2014. READ: 2015 Yearender: Ireland have bright path ahead as they keep on developing as a unit
Zimbabwe’s win in the One-Day International (ODI) against Australia at home, during the tri-series that included the eventual winner South Africa was one of the greatest achievements in their recent times. And undoubtedly, not only the players but the entire nation will cherish that moment for the rest of the life when their cricketing heroes beat the top-ranked team Australia in a one-dayer. The win was massive because the Zimbabweans had beaten Australia in an ODI for the very first time in 31 years. Not once in the match did the hosts seemed to have struggled as they went on to defeat the visitors by 3 wickets.
However, that moment of high has probably has not been good enough for motivating them to finish the games that way. The year 2015 includes numerous matches featuring Zimbabwe which were nail-biters. And like every time the Zimbabweans gave up mid-way, either with bad death bowling or throwing away their wickets while chasing in the second innings. Even the teams like Ireland and Afghanistan have had better performances to discuss when compared to Zimbabwe.
Whatmore came in just when the side was on the verge of breakdown, with their confidence completed wrecked. That was no good news because the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 was a couple of months away. He managed to make an impact with his presence when Zimbabwe beat Sri Lanka in the ICC world Cup 2015 warm-up match at Lincoln. Sri Lanka posted quite a competitive first innings total of 279. And with a bowling attack including Rangana Herath, Dushmantha Chameera, Suranga Lakmal and Thisara Perera, it was expected for the Sri Lankans to win the contest without any hurdle.
Nevertheless, Zimbabwe had special plans that day, their most trusted batsman at the moment Hamilton Masakadza came in with a special knock of 117, ensuring his side walked in the event with a win at the back. Zimbabwe faced South Africa in their first group match at Seddon Park, Hamilton. Once again, the Zimbabweans kicked off with an impressive performance leaving their opponents struggling at 83 for 4. However, Quinton de Knock and David Miller’s centuries helped South Africa recover. The duo hit the bowlers all over the park and the Proteas eventually set a target of 340. READ: Yearender 2015: Top 10 emerging players
Hamilton stepped up once again. This time he had support from Chamu Chibhabha, followed by Brendan Taylor after latter’s dismissal. A win for Zimbabwe was anticipated until 37th over. The very first delivery of that over saw the wicket of Taylor, leaving two new batsmen on the crease. In no time, the wickets fell like nine pins and yet again, the Zimbabweans had given up on a match!
They next faced United Arab Emirates (UAE), West Indies, Pakistan, Ireland and India in the mega event. Not one match was one-sided. A cricket fan will happily watch an under-dog win even against his favourite team. And cricket fans across the globe must have got disappointed watching Zimbabwe lose every single match in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 barring the UAE game. Despite being inches away from a victory, the men in red repeated missed on those victories.
Zimbabwe’s brave decision of touring Pakistan in May will be etched in the history of the game. They became the first side in 6 years to play in Pakistan after the attack on Sri Lankan players in Lahore back in 2009. That incident had more or less finished international cricket in that country leaving Pakistan with no choice but make UAE their home ground to host series. Although the visitors ended in the losing side in both the series—ODIs and T20Is—the fact that the Elton Chigumbura and Co chose to fight the fear of another attack shows the character of every single player of the team.
The home series against India and New Zealand were the next lined-up for Zimbabwe. India toured first for the three-match ODI and two-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series. Losing the ODI series and first T20, Zimbabwe ended the series with a surprise win in the final T20I. This definitely played the catalyst for their booster, as they shocked the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 runners-up New Zealand by beating them in the opening ODI of their three-match series. That match was a message for the Black Caps that Zimbabwe meant business, can’t be taken easily despite them being lower-ranked.
Zimbabwe had a great chance to win a home series against Pakistan when they won the second ODI and forced their opponents to play the third ODI as a decider. That surely pushed Pakistan under immense pressure and Zimbabwe could have taken all the advantage from it. A loss for them would have been just another usual result, but if Pakistan lost it, that would hurt heir ego and also ICC rankings.
Sadly, other than the openers, nobody batted well and Pakistan successfully restricted the hosts to 161 and eventually won the match by 7 wickets and thereby sealed the series. READ: Yearender 2015: Top 10 most thrilling ODIs
However, the lowest moments of the year for Zimbabwe were yet to come. Next came Afghanistan, who were in high spirits. Their first-ever win in World Cup match was in their minds for the rest of the year, that increased the positivity in the side. This was the best chance for Zimbabwe to return to winnings ways. However, what happened actually took the home team to a new low in their career. A series loss to a country who is yet to get a Test status was something Whatmore’s side did not want in their resume.
It is the payback time for Zimbabwe who are currently playing the same opponents in UAE. However, the results haven’t changed much with the visitors again losing to Afghanistan in the opening ODI. Four ODIs and two T20Is are left in the tour with the second ODI going to be played before 2015 ends. Zimbabwe and Whatmore will hope to end the year on a high and eventually finish the series on the winning side. Zimbabwe need to convert their starts into match-winnings knocks, Zimbabwe need to step-up with better performances in order to save the game in their country!
(Sakshi Gupta, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a sports fanatic whose mantra in life is “do only what you enjoy.” Her Twitter handle is @sakshi2929)
