The Zimbabwean Cricket Fog
Zimbabwe cricket has not been around as long as some other countries - but in a small amount of time, they’ve lived a lot of lives.
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In 2006, Andy Flower made 271* for Essex. It was the biggest score of his career. And that year he averaged more than 70 in 17 first-class matches. He was 38 years old, and was probably still his country’s greatest batter. But he hadn’t played a Test in four years, or an ODI in three. This was all for Essex.
The reason Zimbabwe’s greatest batter was playing for Essex and not his country was that at the 2003 World Cup, he wore a black arm-band to protest ‘the death of democracy’ in his nation. He was not alone, Henry Olonga did it as well.
Neither would ever play for their country again. A huge sacrifice for both. That was it, they spoke up against their nation one time, and they forfeited their cricket team.
The person they were protesting was Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe. And this is what he once said about the sport: “Cricket civilises people and creates good gentlemen. I want everyone to play cricket in Zimbabwe; I want ours to be a nation of gentlemen.”
Zimbabwe has an incredible history, even if occasionally you have to look into the fog to see it.
Zimbabwe cricket has not been around as long as many nations, but in a small amount of time, they’ve lived a lot of lives.
Zimbabwean cricket has been left in the garage for a few years. Like a fitness machine that broke – but people kind of forgot about, and wouldn’t ever want to fix – but is too expensive to throw out.
But even in modern times, it has given us incredible moments. The Pak Bean controversy is one of the more random narratives in the history of World Cups.
What happened was that someone in Zimbabwe hired Mr Bean to come to their country for an agricultural show. But they hired a Pakistani Mr Bean impersonator. Or Pak Bean. This disappointed the many Zimbabweans who came out to meet him when they found out they’d ended up with a fake bean.
So then before the match in the 2022 World Cup, Ngugi Chasura – just a regular human being – took to Twitter to tell the boring as hell Pakistan Cricket account that “As Zimbabweans we wont forgive you...you once gave us that Fraud Pak Bean instead of Mr Bean Rowan ..we will settle the matter tommorow just pray the rains will save you…”
This went viral. And obviously would have been forgotten if Pakistan won. But Zimbabwe pulled off a great underdog victory, and again another President of Zimbabwe was involved. But this time, it was ok.
Now, this tells you a lot about cricket and Zimbabwe: that it is very intertwined with the government. Mugabe’s right-hand man was someone called Peter Chingoka, who played most of the ICC boards like a fiddle for years.
But the other thing it tells you is that Zimbabwe is a nation that is basically unseen until a World Cup comes around. And that started in their first edition. In 1980, Rhodesia (who played in South African domestic cricket) became Zimbabwe, and in 1983 they came to England.
Remember, everything before 1992 was a pretty low-key event. That is why there are no cameras there to film Kapil Dev playing his career-defining innings against Zimbabwe (there was also no news footage because of a BBC strike). But, while that was important for world cricket, it wasn’t what Zimbabwean cricket fans remember from that tournament
That was the game against Australia. Only John Traicos had played international cricket, and that was back in the 60s – for South Africa. Zimbabwe were terrified of facing Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson, but both were at the tail-end of their careers and didn’t even take the new ball. Zimbabwe ground away – the top four all got starts, but none passed 50.
There was drama with young Dave Houghton, their best batter. He edged behind, Rod Marsh caught it, flicked it up in celebration – and dropped it (Hello Herschelle Gibbs if you’re reading this). The umpire at the bowler’s end said not out, square leg said out – and weirdly, square leg’s call stood, no chat between them.
At 94 for 5, Zimbabwe looked done. But the lower order rallied. Duncan Fletcher made 69, supported by Kevin Curran (father of Sam, Tom and Ben) and Iain Butchart. They posted 239 from 60 overs – not huge, but defendable if they could slow things down.
Traicos was the key. A lone offspinner with six lefties in Australia’s top seven – he bowled 12 overs for just 27. David Hookes missed four in a row. Vince Hogg backed him up, his inswing moving away from the lefties – six overs for 15 before injury ended his day. Nearly a third of the innings gone, and Australia had to go at over 4.4 an over from the other end.
The wickets didn’t come – but the squeeze was real. Zimbabwe’s fielding was outstanding. Australia couldn’t get going. Wood made 31 off 60, Wessels 76 off 130, Hookes 20 off 48, Border 17 off 33. Yallop chipped in with a slow-motion 2 from 17.
When Marsh arrived at 146/4, the rate was the problem. But for the second time, he became a villain to Zimbabwe. He swung hard, brought up 50 off 42, and hit a second six in the final over – but they still lost by 13 runs. It sounds like an easy victory, but no one in the Zimbabwe team felt that way.
Fletcher finished with 69 and four wickets. One fan had a bet on them at 200-1. That was their first major victory in cricket – turning over the Aussies, in a World Cup. Hell of a way to announce yourselves to cricket.
And if you think that was a fluke, the next World Cup they almost did the same with New Zealand.
New Zealand surprised everyone by opening the batting with bowler Martin Snedden on a damp pitch. He made 64 – his only ODI fifty. Backed by Martin Crowe’s 72 off 88, New Zealand posted 242.
Zimbabwe collapsed to 104 for 7. Only Houghton and Butchart passed 20. The rest of the batting was one, five, 12, four, five, two, one, a diamond duck, and four not out. Butchart made 54.
Houghton added 142 off 137 by reverse-sweeping New Zealand’s spinners repeatedly and backing away to cut. But the heat was brutal. He’d kept wicket, and scored more than half the runs – he was exhausted. After six sixes and 13 fours, Martin Crowe took a stunning catch to end his innings. Zimbabwe needed 22.
That diamond duck? It was Eddo Brandes. After watching a 117-run partnership, he snapped his hamstring running his first single and was out – of the game and the tournament.
In came captain Traicos, not known for his batting. Butchart tried to finish it, was hit on the pad and stayed put. Traicos ran. A mix-up. Butchart was run out.
Zimbabwe lost – by three runs.
These are both pretty exciting games, but the moment that changed everything was the 1992 World Cup. And in that, Zimbabwe started brilliantly.
They made 300 against Sri Lanka and pushed the game very far only to lose with three balls and three wickets remaining. They pushed Pakistan but ran into Wasim Akram. Brian Lara made light work of their total for the West Indies, and against New Zealand they were handed a farcical 154-run chase in 18 overs due to a flawed rain rule.
It kept raining on them metaphorically and in real terms. They were ruled to be 50 runs short when it poured down against India. Then South Africa dismantled them, with Kepler Wessels anchoring another chase.
By the time they faced England in the final match, Zimbabwe were winless and demoralised. Bowled out for just 134, it looked like the end. At lunch, former England legend Geoffrey Boycott told captain Dave Houghton how amateur they looked. He didn’t need the reminder.
But Eddo Brandes – the big, unfit chicken farmer – ripped through England, taking 4 for 21.
The last of them was Graeme Hick. This was the most important, as these two were close friends. Hick was Zimbabwe-born, and had decided to move to England to make the top level of cricket. And in his first match against his own side, his mate got him out. Worse, England collapsed further and Zimbabwe had their second win. This time, the entire thing was filmed for the world to see.
Hick would never go on to be the great that everyone thought he would. But he played his part in Zimbabwean cricket. Because that loss allowed for Zimbabwe to receive Test status – which is largely the reason Hick left in the first place.
That Test status led to one of the more famous draws of the 1990s, when England were in Bulawayo and the two teams played out a classic, of sorts. Andy Flower made 112 in their first innings, the backbone of a 376 score.
England got a 30-run lead thanks to tons from Nasser Hussain and John Crawley. Zimbabwean legspinner Paul Strang took 5-123 in almost 60 overs. Zimbabwe lost early wickets in the second innings, but Andy Waller and Guy Whittall made 50s down the order to set England 205.
Remember, this was not a good England team. At one point, they were ranked lower than Zimbabwe in Tests. But England had a decent pitch and a big chance of taking this match. Nick Knight made most of the runs, as England went really close. So Zimbabwe decided to bowl as wide as they could in a defensive style to slow them down. It really upset England, and probably ultimately changed the laws around defensive bowling.
But England still had a chance; Knight had to score three runs off the last ball, and England still had wickets in hand. Instead, he only managed two, meaning this was the first time in history that two teams had finished on the same scores, but it wasn’t a tie. It had everything, a sensational finish, dodgy tactics, the underdog holding on, England being angry, and my frequent podcast co-host David “Bumble” Lloyd – at the time the England coach – saying ‘We flipping murdered them.”
But by then, Zimbabwe had won a Test against Pakistan. That was when the Flower brothers combined for 357 runs and the rest of Zimbabwe added 187 more. Heath Streak took nine wickets, and Pakistan lost without Zimbabwe needing to bat again.
If you think that was a fluke, they beat India in 1998 – that too after a disappointing first innings and a Rahul Dravid hundred in India’s first innings. India needed 235 to win the match, Dravid top scored with 44, Zimbabwe won by 61 runs.
That was a one-match Test series, so it made it easier to win.
But shortly after, they beat Pakistan in a three-Test series away from home. That was a lot more fun. Pakistan started the series with 296, but Neil Johnson made a hundred to keep them in the game. Then in the third innings, Streak and Pommie Mbangwa (yes, that Pommie Mbangwa, as if there was another one) took a bunch of wickets. But it was Olonga’s opening spell that changed everything when Pakistan fell to 15/4 and never recovered, making only 103 and setting 162.
Murray Goodwin was 73 not out and finished the chase easily with Andy Flower.
But there were still two Tests after that.
Pakistan were finally on top in the next match, with a 142 run lead. But a lot of time had been lost in the match due to bad light, caused by fog. And then on the last day with Pakistan needing to do a lot, they never actually got a chance as the entire day was cancelled – again, because of fog.
So to draw the series, Pakistan had to win the last match. And not a single ball was bowled.
It wasn’t just Tests. In the 1999 World Cup, Zimbabwe came in with great form, and it kept going.
They kicked off by scoring 252 against India, led by Andy Flower’s 68. India leaked 51 extras – but Zimbabwe returned the favour with 39. Still, it came down to Olonga vs India’s tail. Wild wides, a beamer, misfields – chaos. But Zimbabwe held on for a famous win.
These obviously aren’t flukes, this was normal. Zimbabwe had won 18 of their last 39 ODIs – a better record than England or New Zealand. They beat Kenya next, then faced South Africa, a team they’d never beaten and once shared a domestic system with. To qualify for the Super Six, Zimbabwe had to win.
Enter Neil Johnson. South African-born, Zimbabwe-raised, and overlooked by the Proteas’ allrounder-rich setup, he returned home and became Zimbabwe’s talisman. Against South Africa, he opened the batting with 76, then bowled the first over — a nasty lifter that set the tone. South Africa collapsed to 40/6. Lance Klusener’s fifty wasn’t enough. Zimbabwe had made the Super Six.
Against New Zealand, rain robbed them after posting just 175. Then Pakistan piled on 271; Johnson’s 54 wasn’t enough. Their last Super Six game was against Australia – 16 years to the day since their famous ’83 win.
This was a different Australia to 1983, they were about to go on their run. They posted 303 with the Waugh twins doing the damage. Johnson dismissed Gilchrist and Mark Waugh, then walked out to bat. His 132* was unforgettable. He tore into Shane Warne like no one else – Ian Chappell even said South Africa let a Warne destroyer slip through their fingers.
At 153/1 after 28 overs, Zimbabwe had a shot. But they crumbled, losing 5 for 47. They fell 44 runs short, and Johnson – despite his brilliance – couldn’t drag them over.
He and Murray Goodwin would leave the team soon after, due to non-payment. Zimbabwe never reached these heights again. Perhaps the 2022 Pak Bean was their next height.
Somehow, in 2013, they managed to beat Pakistan by 24 runs in another sleeper classic. Tendai Chatara – who was very young at the time – bowled them to victory.
In 2003, they co-hosted the World Cup, but by 2005, they had been voluntarily suspended from Test cricket. They came back in 2010, but had no money. There were racial tensions surrounding the team. Politically, their cricket and country were struggling. It all went wrong. Eventually, their players became victims of organised crime syndicates to fix matches. It meant that some of their best players’ legacies had been tainted.
In 2019, they didn’t make the World Cup. It felt at this stage like that was the end. They were a Test nation, but struggling to beat the Associates.
But franchise cricket gave them a short boost, and Sikandar Raza was a thing of joy. There were still issues, like when Ryan Burl asked for new shoes and when Blessing Muzarabani also ended up as a Kolpak or US cricketer. And they are still without Tawanda Muyeye, who’s playing for Kent.
But they have played some good cricket, and also won the first PakBean Trophy. And while we know their team is not great, it is also the one that beat Bangladesh recently and drew a series. They have bowlers and allrounders. They can play decent cricket.
Who knows if they will ever go back to that late 90s period, or produce another player of Andy Flower’s talent.
His batting is largely forgotten now, but he was special. He averaged 51.5 in Tests, while occasionally captaining, always keeping, and batting at No. 5 – and the median score when he went out to bat was 65 for 3. He was there mid-collapse in almost every match.
And yet this was a man who made 820 runs in India from just five Tests. On turning tracks, against real spinners, he averaged 117.
Against Pakistan’s world-class bowlers (their attack was lit for most of his career), across 14 Tests, he averaged 44.3. Against South Africa: 70.7 from just five matches.
It included one match at Harare in 2001. South Africa made 600 in the first innings. Zimbabwe added 286, and were asked to follow on, making 397. Out of 677 runs, Flower made 341 of them and was only dismissed once.
His numbers are hard to interpret. Zimbabwe played so few Tests – 42 over a decade. He had one match against Australia. Two against the West Indies. But he made runs everywhere, even as the team lost around him. No one with 2000+ runs has averaged more in defeats.
He was under pressure, always. His final act in Zimbabwe colours was to protest a corrupt regime. He was great, no matter how you looked at him. Whatever gloves he wore, Flower just got on with it.
If Zimbabwe can have one flower bloom, even within this fog, who says it won’t happen again?
