Spring after the fall

Armed with natty dreadlocks,and a black placard hanging around his red-scarfed neck,the self-proclaimed keeper of the Rhodesian tradition screamed himself hoarse with one phrase,till the sun melted down the mighty African skies. Mwedzi makumi mahsanu neshanu. Bvuma ICC. Month 55,Acknowledge us ICC, he repeated in his thick Shona tongue. In bold white font,the slate read in English: Happiness begins and ends with cricket. Let Tests begin,my protest will end.

Apart from a few amused politicians watching from across the white Parliament Hall on his left,and a few curious Indian and Sri Lankan journalists covering a tri-series to the avenues right,Harare yawned right back at him. But someone walking through the distant corridors of the International Cricket Council probably heard the nameless cricket custodians plea. For on that very same June evening,Zimbabwes voice was finally heard. Call it coincidence or the fruit of many sleepless hours of labour by the Zimbabwean faithful,the grant for a broken country to pick itself up was finally accepted.

Pillar of redemption

August 4,2011 might not be a red-letter day for the cricketing fraternity around the world,but for a country torn by political turmoil and economic crises,the return of Test cricket is the first tangible pillar of redemption in all walks of life. If the 2010 visit of Team India,the first international sports team to do so in four years interestingly,followed by Brazils football side,as a warm-up procedure to the 2010 World Cup laid the foundation to a rebuilding process,then the one-off Test against Bangladesh this coming Thursday will wave the flag of salvation in full mast atop a brand new concrete administrative structure called Zimbabwe Cricket.

It didnt happen overnight. Weve worked long and hard and come through the tough period. This could be the formal end of the dark age, says Zimbabwe batting coach Grant Flower,one of the many former players who returned from exile to help with the rebuilding process. But we must realise that this is not the end of our work. It begins here,for weve just reached the starting line of the marathon. What we should now work towards is gaining some respectability.

Respect is something Flower understands well. Having been part of the most successful Zimbabwe squad in the late 90s and early 2000s,he was witness to the old Zimbabwe Cricket Union folding inwards when his brother Andy,along with Henry Olonga,wore black arm-bands during the 2003 World Cup to protest the Robert Mugabe regime. Soon,Zimbabwe cricket directly reflected the state of the country,and the racial divide tore the game apart. Ever since though,everyone involved with the sport has been busy stitching back the shreds.

We all know what happened back then. But we are not talking about it. Returning to Test cricket is a great moment for us,and we will try our best to prove worthy of it, says Zimbabwes new skipper Brendan Taylor,who played in only 10 Test matches before the countrys self-imposed exile from the game.

The 25-year old Taylor would have probably witnessed more white-flanelled cricket had his current bowling coach,and the countrys most successful fast bowler Heath Streak not pulled out of the side,taking along with him 13 other white players in 2004 to give rise to an era known as Streaks Rebels.

Rebels with a cause

It was a stand someone had to take and when push came to shove,that someone happened to be me. As a senior,I was well set in the side and couldnt be removed for being white,but the younger lot werent, Streak said on the backdrop of the 2010 India tour.

It wasnt a great period for us. Probably the worst. It wasnt easy with so many big players leaving to manage with such a young side, says left-arm spinner Raymond Price,who at 35,will be the oldest member of this Test side.

Zimbabwean cricket had hit its nadir by November 2008. While the financial,social and political situation in the country fissioned out of control,there was clearly no time for sport. With the Logan Cup the countrys first-class structure cancelled for the first time in its 102-year-history,the soul receded away from the game. Zimbabwe played on the international front through ODIs,but it was the crumbs that were left fighting a lonely losing battle,long after the cream had left to more cricket-friendly shores. The ICC in fact sent a review committee to Zimbabwe in late 2008 to take stock of the situation,set an audit in placethough the results have never surfacedand suggested a number of recommendations.

But something unexpected happened at that time, says Alan Butcher,Zimbabwe head coach. Despite everything,cricket clung on to the grassroots,and that ushered in change, adds the Englishman.

Change returned in the unexpected form of franchise cricket. As Mashonaland became the Eagles,and Matabeleland transformed into the Tuskers,the franchise system not only expanded the game,but also dragged in professionalism. By the second season,the cause resurrection of Zimbabwe cricket attracted a number of former international scions,such as Jason Gillespie,Allan Donald and even Brian Lara.

The franchise system really turned it around. It exposed our youngsters to more four-day cricket and better quality competition,while also broadbasing the talent, explains Taylor.

Having exorcised many demons,top-level cricket may have returned to the country,but several riders piggyback this goodwill starting with their win-loss record. Apart from suffering six straight losses before their disappearance,Zimbabwe havent won a Test in their last 11 outings. The last time they won a Test match was against Bangladesh in 2004. The last time they beat a competitive side was India in 2001 31 Tests and a decade ago. But with the first of their four one-off Tests in the next six months Bangladesh,Pakistan,and a home and away against New Zealand,the young side will look to change some of that.

Perfect 10

Zimbabwes return to the Test fold,only the second team to do so after neighbours South Africa,ensures that the long format game is back to being a perfect 10 collection. And despite having recorded only eight wins two each against India and Pakistan and four against their Thursday opponents in 84 Tests,Zimbabwe has always held a special place in world cricket,thanks to the quality of players that the glorious era produced.

While two of them Andy Flower and Duncan Fletcher are currently training England and India respectively to earn the honour of being the best Test team in the world,many others Flower Jr,Streak,Alistair Campbell,Dave Houghton and Andy Waller are working towards helping Butcher keep Zimbabwe in the Test fray.

The presence of former legends such as Grant,Heath and Dave has helped tremendously. The boys look international quality only thanks to them, says Butcher,praising his homegrown support staff.

Adequate improvement?

The political scenario in the country continues to be observed with caution by people from stabler parts of the world. Zimbabwe is still plunged in despair,and still riddled with controversies under Robert Mugabes dictatorship even if hes officially not in control.

Zimbabwean cricket also continues to be headed by a couple of hugely discredited and contentious plutocrats,Peter Chingoka and Ozias Bvute. And many still doubt whether the standard of cricketers in the team has improved substantially in the six years since September 2005,when Zimbabwe played their last Test.

But Butcher believes,The cricketers are as resilient as those famous African tree trunks. Theyve dug their roots,but we must now be ready to blossom out.

As autumn paves way for a bright and flowery spring below the equator,sunny Zimbabwe readies itself for Test cricket in its own unique way. Apart from the odd giant hoarding sprouting out of metal billboards on freeways,the dense foliage of rhododendrons and jacarandas around the Harare Sports Club also carry nailed notices. Under the blooming flowers of yellow,blue and lavender,the stomach of tree stumps around Harare read: Test cricket returns to our land.

It isnt a bad way to advertise a long awaited return for in full bloom,the jacaranda reclaims its majestic grandeur.

There and back again: Zimbabwes tumultuous journey
Peaks

On October 18,1992 Test cricket welcomed its ninth member under sunny skies at the Harare Sports Club. And in what counted almost as instant success,the Zimbabweans,led by skipper Dave Houghton pic,became only the second team after Australia to avoid defeat in their maiden Test outing. Houghton became the first Test centurion for Zimbabwe. But the game will always be remembered most fondly for 45-year-old John Traicos,who returned to Test cricket after a gap of 22 years and 222 days, and among his five Indian victims was a certain Sachin Tendulkar,more than 26 years his junior.

The second best African side had remained a tough team to beat in their early years. And after showing a lot of gumption in their first 10 Tests,they pulled off a huge upset in their 11th by downing a strong Pakistan outfit,handing them a comprehensive innings defeat at Hararewhere they have posted five out of their eight Test wins. Grant Flower led the way with an unbeaten 201,while Andy Flower and Guy Whittall helped themselves to a century each. The Flowers were in full bloom and were named joint Players of the Match,while Heath Streak also starred with a fantastic show of nine wickets in the match.

Zimbabwe continued to be a thorn in Indias flesh and never a lost a series at home till 2005. And they came back from a 1-0 deficit in 2001 to level the series with a hard-fought win at the Harare Sports Club.

Andy Flower was Zimbabwe crickets greatest high. He ended up as one of the best keeper-batsmen in Test history. His crowning moment came in India,where he scored 183,70,55 and 232,at an average of 270/innings.

Troughs

The black arm-band protest pic by Andy Flower and Henry Olonga durind the 2003 World Cup remains Zimbabwe crickets darkest hour. Having publicly displayed against Mugabes regime,Olonga fled to England,while Flowers career reached an instant end as soon as that match concluded,never to return home.

Captaining the side during political instability and having to tolerate racial unrest within the administration,Heath Streak snapped on April 2,2004,pulling out of the team and taking along with him 14 other Zimbabwe cricketers. The era was to be known as Streaks Rebels. Although Streak did return the following year,the damage had been done.

Zimbabwes lowest point on the cricket field was one of their last Test matches before their exile,the opening Test at Cape Town in 05. Zimbabwe was bundled out for 54 runs in the first session and South Africa piled on 340/3 dec by the end of the first days play. Half way through the second day,Zimbabwe lost by an innings and 21 runs.

Blacklisted by most international countries,Zimbabwe cricket hit another low when its cricketers were denied visas for the 2009 World T20 Championship held in England. The following year,ECB denied permission to Glamorgan,Gloucestershire and Worcestershire to travel to Zimbabwe for their regular pre-season tours.