Chevrons Blown Away by the Proteas : Should We Once Again Quit Test Cricket?

By Perkins-Tino Bare

It was expected that the Chevrons would lose to the Proteas but noone would`ve imagined that they`d lose by an innings and 120 runs inside 2 days. The Chevrons were blown away in such a maner that the match only lasted 907 balls and discours has been more on how we can close the gap between the top tier nations and the lower ranked nations in the name of Zimbabwe, Ireland and Afghanistan.

'It seemed they were justbetter than us. We were blown away by their seamers. they didn`t let up, they hit their areas consistently, there was just enough in the wicket and we didn`t adjust to that" said the Chevrons captain Graeme Cremer in a post-match interview. He later added "We knew it was going to be tough, but maybe not this tough. We know we have a long way to go, especially in Test Cricket and in conditions which are not flat . when  it`s seaming around and bouncing and turning - we need to get used to that .

The Chevron`s coach Heath Streak highlighted on the need for Zimbabwe Cricket to focus more on the shorter formats of the game. " If we are going to play Test cricket, we need to play more than three or  four matches a year. We all want to play against the best, but you`ve got to earn the right", Streak said. "With teams like Afghanistan and and Ireland, maybe that`s our opportunity to play a lot more cricket. And once you are playing that, you are earning your way to playing the top-tier nations". Streak said in an interview.

Let`s keep it Short and Sweet

While it may have been an embarassment that the Chevrons failed to last the distance, its quite evident that Peter Chingoka had seen something of this nature almost a decade ago when he pulled us out of Test cricket and we were all grumbling why.

It worked with West Indies and up to now they are a still a force to reckon in the world of T20. With the World Cup qualifiers coming in March I think its safe to say for the moment that noone wants to play the Chevrons in a Test match. The qualifiers provide an opportunity for the Chevrons to earn their way to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 which had become a begotten right to them.

But things have changed since then the Chevrons have gotten worse and worse just when it seems impossible and as suggested focusing on the shorter formats of the game would be a good route to go not only in the name of just getting game time but in the development of Zimbabwe Cricket in general. This will therefore also see more emphasis on the domestic leagues. But then what is worrying at his moment is the 2019 World Cup which os up for stakes considering that the sheer presence of the Chevrons at the ICC World Cup has been the backbone for Zimbabwe Cricket over the years. it`s not just financially but it`s the only chance the team gets in a four-year window to play the top tier teams not to meantion the exposure for our players in general.

When its gets too tough it`s time to Quit!

One thing  for sure is that the Chevrons may have lost emphatically but it`s not the last Test match they`ll play so they better pick themselves up and start preparing for the next one to avoid embarassment. It`s time to take the 4 day games back to Zimbabwe-A and also to the juniors that`s the U-19 and try to build the team around the Rising Stars which is by now supposed to be forming the bulk of the players in the Chevron`s squad by now.

One thing that`s for sure is that the Zimbabwe Cricket is hanging on to wasted talent and whilst the World Cup is a good show for the youngsters, the team always has to also be able to bat for longer hours and hence the need for the to develop that ability to bat out two innings unlike their former compatriots. 

With the Test Championship on the cards the Chevrons are set to play more of these 4-day Tests against Ireland and Afghanistan the first of which comes in February  But then this has been a debate for a decade now to hang on to Test cricket or just let go of it? It is no lie that Test cricket plays a vital role to the development of teams which is why the Chevrons lost 20 wickets in two days in 907 balls. This gets to show the calibre of players that we possess that is in no way impressive and quitting Test cricket will certainly not make it any better.        

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