The joy of watching an underdog in action is always unbound.
The instances of David slaying Goliath have filled the rich history of Cricket
from the early days of the game. The advent of Limited overs cricket made a
remarkable turnaround in the so called “Upsets” where in the lesser fancied
team manages to come on top of the favourite.
The selection of All Time XIs for each team has mostly been
an exercise limited to the Top 8 Test playing Nations. However the sides like
Zimbabwe and Bangladesh do add a certain charm to the glorious game of cricket
and they boast of their own set of fantastic cricketers. This is an attempt at
picking an All Time Best XI for Zimbabwe side.
The side has been plagued by the long time dispute between
the Government (Board) and the players who revolted against the situation
prevailing in the nation. With the other nations stepping in, Zimbabwe withdrew
from Test Cricket in 2005 only to return with a bang in 2011 winning the match
against fellow underdog Bangladesh. The side is essentially packed with the
stars that sizzled during its golden period of 1997 – 2001 when they had some
class performers with high reputation in international cricket.
As one browses through the annals of the Zimbabwean
cricketing history, he is likely to come across few players who ‘ld
automatically walks into the XI. However the competition for rest of the places
is quite intense. My XI would be a conventional one with 5 batsmen, 4 bowlers,
1 allrounder and 1 wicket keeper. Here is the squad:
A predominantly middle order
batsman, younger Flower was fixture in the side for almost a decade. Batting
right handed, he had a temperament of steel and made some impressive scores in
Test matches. Flower was an opener at the start of his career before shifting
to the middle order. Given the paucity of quality openers in their history, he
opens my XI. His debut innings against India and double century against
Pakistan leading Zimbabwe to their first test win are just indications of his
ability. He was a useful spinner and a classy fielder in the infield. He even
made a comeback in 2010 to International cricket and had for long been a veteran in English county cricket.
The Southpaw
Campbell is Zimbabwe’s successful skipper during their prime days in 1999. He
led the side almost to the Semis of World Cup 1999. In Tests he was another
middle order batsman but his few experiments at opening position had been
stupendous making him another opener in my XI. Campbell was a powerful stroke
maker and had a niche of elegance in his shots. He made two good centuries in
Tests and has a terrific ODI record too.
Having spent
his formative years in WACA, Perth, Goodwin managed to play few matches for
Western Australia before migrating to his homeland. He soon became a top order
batsman for the weak side giving lot of depth to the side’s line up at No 3. He
was adept against pace and spin and his cuts and pulls oozed the Aussie
flavour. Despite playing few matches he has a respectable average. His career
was cut short by family issues but he still will have a place in the realms of
Zimbabwean history for all his class and elegance.
The Man is in
News for leading the English side to zenith of test nations as their wonderful
coach. But senior Flower was no less a cricketer in his prime. During the turn
of the millennium he was bracketed among the best batsmen in Cricket and for a
brief period, he led the rankings too. He is the only man from his country to have
a fifty plus average in test cricket. He was a quality wicketkeeper too. Flower
was the best batsman from the nation and was the only one who could stand
against any attack anywhere. Enough said; he will walk into any Zimbabwean XI
as the first name.
Zimbabwe’s
first test captain, Houghton was a wicket keeper batsman of high quality who
made a mark in their first test itself scoring a century on debut. He still
holds the highest test innings by Zimbabwe batsman and led the side valorously
in their formative years. He was destructive and defensive and could adapt to
the situation quite brilliantly. He will lead my XI for his cricketing acumen
despite not so impressive captaincy record.
A true
quality allrounder, Whittall was a man any skipper would love to have in his
side. He was a middle order batsman with ability of clearing the ropes at will
and could anchor the tail to add some respect to the total. His medium pace
bowling was street smart and he had the knack of breaking partnerships. In the
outfield he was athletic and could easily fill in the all rounder slot.
A pocket sized dynamite, Taibu
replaced Flower behind the stumps so that the latter could concentrate on his
batting. The man himself was not a pushover with the bat. He honestly led the
side during their tumultuous period. Despite some awful performances and
dispute with the Board, he still manages a respectful average in the Zimbabwean
standards. He will don the gloves in my XI where he was decent in tests. His thunderous
shots were a pleasure to watch given his short stature. He recently quit
cricket for serving the religion but will hold a place in the hearts of the
cricket lovers for his commitment and enthusiasm.
The only
bowler of quality to be produced by the African nation was also their skipper
before the dispute set in. Streak was accurate and wily with his pace and had
some lovely cutters and nippers in his armoury. He stands tall among the
Zimbabwean bowlers distancing him from the rest of the crop by miles. He had a
lovely action and a good follow through. With Andy Flower, he will command the
first name in the XI by any one. Notwithstanding his exploits with the ball,
Streak was a more than useful lower order batsman and can be bracketed as an
all rounder too.
Brandes was a
veteran when Zimbabwe made their test debut. He learnt his trade in the bouncy
South African pitches and had a wonderful out swinger to probe top quality
batsmen. He might not enjoy an envious record as his successors but he led
their attack in the infancy stages with big heart. But for his age and fragile
body, Brandes could have ended up with bigger returns. Nevertheless he will be
in my XI as the third seamer.
In a career
spanning a decade, Price is the best spinner produced by Zimbabwe inching ahead
of equally good Paul Strang. He had the guile and accuracy of a conventional
slow left arm spinner and was very tough to put away. Even when they were not
playing Test matches, Price could leap to the top three of ODI bowling
rankings. His economy was unbelievable and he could extract bounce from the
pitches. His standout quality was his accuracy though. He will be the spinner
in my XI.
A man known
for his curls and whirls, Olonga was a quality pacer with tearing pace. He
could move the ball on both sides though he tends to be erratic many a times.
Olonga formed a potent pair with Streak during the late nineties and early
noughties giving quick breakthrough early in the innings. He later joined Andy
Flower to rebel against the regime thanks to his honest humanity. He will open
the bowling with Streak in my XI.
The squad looks decent if not threatening. They might not
give their opponents a run for their money, but this XI can compete at the
highest level on a consistent basis. A batting order that bats deep until No 9,
few quality all rounders, 3 wicket keepers, a spinner of high quality and 4
pacers to stifle the opposition is as good a package as you can get.
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