Zimbabwe arrive sans baggage

Mumbai, November 6 : Zimbabwe were given the first feel of their 41-day tour of India when the visitors spent long hours at the Mumbai air...

Mumbai, November 6 : Zimbabwe were given the first feel of their 41-day tour of India when the visitors spent long hours at the Mumbai airport in the wee hours on Monday before moving into Hotel Orchid here sans their captain, coach and more importantly the baggage which was stuck at the Heathrow airport in London.

The players already left bleary-eyed had just a few hours of sleep before they again moved to the airport this time to fly to Indore where they play their three-day tour opener against the National Cricket Academy boys from Wednesday.

Long-time Zimbabwe manager Babu Memon informed that the captain Heath Streak could not join the team following a wisdom tooth trouble that needs to be removed. Streak is to miss the opening match and will join the others on the second day of the opening match on Thursday.

Also the coach, Australian Carl Rackemann was not among the party that arrived to play Two Tests and five One-Dayers besides the two warm up games. Rackemann, who went Down Under after the triangular series at Sharjah, was said to have landed in Delhi and headed for Indore straightaway, according to Memon.

The arrival hang ups had frustrated the Zimbabweans and understandably so. Memon, who initially refused to speak saying that they all well tired, later relented with requests from the newsmen. 8220;I8217;m sure we8217;ll do well,8221; he said. 8220;We have played here often and are pretty used to the Indian conditions. We8217;ve got some young players in the side and it will be a good exposure and the experience.8221;

He also informed that leg spinner Bryan Murphy was busy writing exams at the University of Cape Town in South Africa and will join the squad on Saturday.Vice-captain Guy Whittall will be leading the tourists in Streak8217;s absence, The baggage which is expected to reach Mumbai on Monday night is expected to be made available to the players on Tuesday morning at Indore.

Zimbabwe8217;s only Test match in India way back in 1993 ended in an innings victory for the hosts. But the team has played a number of one-day internationals in this country including two World Cups in 1987 and 1996.The tourists are without the seasoned duo of Neil Johnson and Murray Goodwin, who left Zimbabwe this year to play in South Africa and Australia respectively.

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Zimbabwe will have another three-day warm-up match against the Board President8217;s team at Faridabad from November 13 before the first Test in New Delhi starts on November 18. The second Test will be played in Nagpur from November 25, followed by a series of five one-day internationals.

The Squad and Schedule
The Squad: Heath Streak capt, Guy Whittall vice-capt, Alistair Campbell, Stuart Carlisle, Andy Flower, Grant Flower, Travis Friend, Trevor Madondo, Douglas Marillier, Brian Murphy, Mluleki Nkala, Henry Olonga, Gavin Rennie, Bryan Strang, Paul Strang. Manager: Babu Meman.

Coach: Carl Rackemann The Schedule: Nov 8-10: vs National Cricket Academy XI at Indore Nov 13-15: vs Board President8217;s XI at Faridabad Nov 18-22: First Test at Delhi Nov 25-29: Second Test at Nagpur Dec 2: First ODI at Cuttack Dec 5: Second ODI at Ahmedabad Dec 8: Third ODI at Jodhpur Dec 11: Fourth ODI at Kanpur; Dec 14: Fifth ODI at Rajkot