Zimbabwe cricket

Zimbabwe cricket

      It was the rise of an expected fall in Zimbabwean cricket. Mounting politicization in cricket selection policies, continuous upsetting performances and the growing rift between the players and the board led to a heated turmoil immediately after the 2003 World Cup. This was the Cup which was co-hosted by Zimbabwe and South Africa. It was the stage where they had to be the dark horses who gave jitters to the big guns. All the hopes of sporting fans were dashed as an infamous event occurred in this tournament.

In a move to help the beleaguered side, Heath Streak was reinstated back in the squad but political tensions continued to hover around. There were severe allegations that the players spent out of their designated budgets on overseas tours. Operation Murambatsvina also intervened, which further dampened the cricketing side.

The writing was on the wall, as after the series loss against India at home in September, Heath Streak announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket. It was back to square one as Tatenda Taibu was appointed as the new captain. The youngest Test captain ever in the history of the game was a gifted wicketkeeper with natural acrobatic skills. However, pressure took toll on him and he announced his retirement in a rather short international career of 11 years.