Neil Manthorp reports from Birmingham on Zimbabwe’s progress in the World Cup
Zimbabwe’s rousing progress towards a probable semi-final place has been explained away in these parts by everything from a faulty format to a Southern African conspiracy. The truth is, however, they have worked as hard as any other team here and with far fewer resources. They deserve their success every bit as much as David did with his slingshot, and it is no less pleasing to the neutral.
The fact that the tournament structure ended up suiting the minnows makes it even better, because the system was devised by South Africa and widely lauded in England, and those two countries suffered most through Zimbabwe’s form. The fact that a single point, awarded for the wash-out against New Zealand, seems likely to be enough for a place in the last four is vindication to all those who not only predicted, but categorically stated that the weather would make a significant impact at this time of the year.
Of all the interesting factoids that one can produce about Zimbabwean cricket, perhaps the most chastening is that, on any given summer Saturday afternoon, there are likely to be more cricketers representing the Wanderers than there are playing in the whole of that country. There are no more than 30 cricketers in Zimbabwe likely to be considered for a game in Johannesburg’s top league, if that.
And yet here they are, about to make the final four in the world. Captain Alistair Campbell can’t deny the fairytale nature of the situation but also stresses that his team were never “just along for the ride, like Bangladesh or Scotland”.
In fact, with a 5-1 all-time win record over England before the tournament, and recent victories over Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka, Campbell’s side had genuine reason to believe they could finally slap the face of the established cricket world and demand to be heard. There is only so long a precocious child can be ignored, and the truth is Zimbabwe arrived in England sick and tired of English, Australian, West Indian and, for that matter, a certain amount of South African condescension.
Another motivation was the money, admits Campbell with the unmistakable beginnings of a grin. “The Zimbabwe Cricket Union [ZCU] came up with a very heavily incentivised package, with virtually nothing for turning up but excellent rewards for doing well. That suited all the players perfectly. We didn’t want to be rewarded well just for turning up.”
Given that the extent of Campbell’s ambitions before the tournament was to reach the Super Six, the ZCU decided to reward the players well if they could achieve it. “They offered the team Z$165 000 [R27 500] – to be shared – for each match we won in the qualifying stages but a bonus of Z$2-million [R333 333] if we reached the Super Six.”
As Campbell would happily admit, and as chair of selectors Andy Pycroft says, “Nobody expected us to get into the Super Six in the way we did – with four points. Not even the players expected that. And certainly nobody expected us to get beyond the Super Six.”
With that in mind the ZCU offered the team Z$4-million to reach the semi-finals. The package stopped at Z$6-million for reaching the final and losing. Nobody, it seemed, had the imagination to picture Zimbabwe actually winning the trophy.
“It’s a dream come true already, but with one foot already in the semi-finals there might be more to come. When we left home virtually everyone said, `Even if you don’t reach the Super Six, just make sure you beat South Africa!’ Well, we’ve done that, and it was fantastic. Absolutely fantastic.” It is also Campbell’s job, of course, to appreciate the long-term effects of his team’s success.
“It will mean a huge amount in terms of exposure and development of the game. Sponsorship is pretty meagre but this World Cup should change that, hopefully. Also, Henry Olonga’s achievements will have continued to encourage black kids to play the game. We face a constant battle to expand the base of the game. The more kids we can persuade to play cricket, not just soccer, the better,” Campbell says. Merit, incidentally, is the only criteria now used in selection. “We had the same issue as South Africa, at about the same time, but we’ve moved on from that.”
In the meantime, the battle for any Zimbabwean following the tournament in this country is simply to make ends meet – and that includes the players. At the 1992 World Cup, in Australia, the Zimbabweans asked their attendant to empty the contents of the dressing room fridge into the team bus at the end of the day in order to save on costs back at the hotel.
“Nothing’s changed in that regard,” Campbell laughs. “The Zim dollar is 60 to one against the pound. We’re spending the equivalent of a weeks wages on a sandwich in London! It’s not that bad, though, because we get 45 a day as subsistance from the tournament organisers. The problem is that our guys want to save as much of that as possible! Seriously, if we can save 500 of that, then we go back with Z$30 000!”
However, while most of the squad continue to live on Marmite sandwiches made in their five-star hotel bedrooms and remove all the sponsored drinks from the dressing room after matches, at least there are more “professionals” now than ever before. For two years just the Flower brothers (Andy and Grant), Dave Houghton and Campbell had contracts with the ZCU. Now the majority are professional.
“Eddo Brandes is probably the most famous chicken farmer in the world,” says Campbell of those who are not full-time. “Guy Whittall and Heath Streak have a game ranch and Adam Huckle runs his dad’s cattle ranch. They do have contracts, but they’re not dependent on the game for their living,” Campbell says.
Not so for youngsters like Dirk Viljoen and Stuart Carlisle. “They’re battling to make a living as professional cricketers; they call themselves pros, because it’s what they do, but the pay is desperately meagre.”
So, is it fair to say that the money taken home from a semi-final place will be enough to change the course of certain players lives? “Absolutely right,” says Campbell. “Guys like Dirkie [Viljoen] and Stu [Carlisle] will be able to put a good deposit on a flat, maybe buy a car and generally not have to worry about the next bill. It will give them time to train and practise and make a real go of it. Yeah, I’d say it’ll change a few lives.”
Sporting dreams are a funny thing: more often than not the fairytale ends after the obligatory 15 minutes of fame and the achiever is pushed back even further into the ranks than he was before the dream began. Not so this time. Through great determination, impenetrable team spirit and the ability to utilise every ounce of available talent, these players have achieved something that will last.
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