The current plight of Zimbabwe cricket could push it into oblivion

Zimbabwe cricket is under huge debt and even hosting India is not going to solve their problems

Zimbabwe is like the younger brother of the cricketing fraternity, always looked upon as someone to be humoured, and not to be taken too seriously.

But there was a time when Zimbabwe cricket was rich in talent, in the mid 90s, but that time came and went by, with not near enough youngsters with the same talent to follow it up and keep the mild success going.

These days, witnessing a Zimbabwe match is akin to finding water in the desert. There is simply not enough cricket, either in Zimbabwe or featuring Zimbabwe, for the public to cast their eye on.

The FTP is also not helping in that respect, but then you would be hard pressed to find teams that wish to tour a country like Zimbabwe. This is a place that has abandoned its own currency due to hyperinflation and uses currency from other countries. It’s not a safe place to visit either, with coups breaking out like flowers in spring.

As far as the cricket board is concerned, it too, like the general public, is skint and under heavy debt. According to media reports, the Zimbabwe players are forced to have meals at the stadium, because the ZC (Zimbabwe Cricket Board) has no money to spend, even on player meals!

The same is the story with their transport, with the players and team staff forced to fund their own trips from one venue to another. Some have arranged car pools while others rely on public transport. On the other hand, the Indian team, bankrolled by the world’s richest cricket body, relies on flights to travel across half the globe in under four months, touring multiple countries, in stark contrast to the hosts’ situation.