Wellington Masakadza
Dingilizwe Ntuli
AS expected, Zimbabwe thrashed visiting Afghanistan by eight wickets in their first one-day international played at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo yesterday.
The match was rather one-sided and lacked competition as Zimbabwe dismissed the tourists for 122 after 34.1 overs. The hosts effortlessly chased the target in 23.2 overs, scoring 126 for 2.
Even the loss of openers Richmond Mutumbami for 30 and Chamu Chibhabha (58) was more due to a slip in concentration than threats posed by the tourists’ attack.
While the Chevrons easily strolled over their opponents, the sparse crowd at Queens Sports Club was a cause for concern and probably dealt a blow to those of us advocating for a fair share of international cricket games to be staged in the City of Kings.
It’s understandable that we were playing against minnows, but the sight of the Chevrons taking to the field in front of just a few dozen spectators yesterday was rather disturbing and questions have to be asked why the game attracted so few fans.
The last international game at Queens involved the hosts and the tourists a year ago, and fans had been yearning for a return of cricket to Bulawayo as all other matches were being staged in Harare.
No one was expecting Zimbabwe to be met by a rapturous reception, but watching Elton Chigumbura’s men being greeted to a meagre applause from the tiny crowd seated in pockets inside Queens Sports Club when they took to the pitch was embarrassing for some of us.
Does yesterday’s poor attendance mean cricket no longer captures the locals’ hearts or have Bulawayo cricket fans chosen to follow the national team online rather than in the flesh?
Yes, it was hot with temperatures hovering close to the mid 30s, but was that the reason for the absence of zestful children at the ground. Did the heat play a factor?
Where were the school kids? The Afghanistan tour is a perfect opportunity to expose kids, especially from primary school, to international cricket if revival of the game tops the agenda of cricket powerbrokers from this region.
We argued and complained that cricket authorities shouldn’t be afraid of taking big matches to Bulawayo, but it will take a lot of convincing to bring it to fruition by the evidence of yesterday’s turnout.
People who have a passing interest in cricket will always want to attend big matches, but they should also not shoot themselves in the foot by ignoring low level games, as this will justify claims that staging internationals in Bulawayo is expensive due to the low turnout.
Let’s show our hunger for cricket and that we deserve international cricket action, because Queens is a great ground to stage internationals.
Maybe cricket lovers should borrow a leaf from soccer fans. I do not possess the gift of prophecy, but I can predict that Barbourfields Stadium will be packed tomorrow when Zimbabwe’s Warriors take on the Likuena (crocodiles) of Lesotho in the final qualifier of the African Nations Championship (Chan) to be held in Rwanda in 2016.
The reason is simply that besides being starved of international football for ages, Bulawayo soccer fans love the game and will come out in their numbers to prove this point.
I am not saying people must be compelled to watch games they’re not interested in, but simply warning against giving some sport powerbrokers reasons for withdrawing international matches from Bulawayo citing lack of support.
They should rather present their own excuses for their difficulties and failures that do not include the sport loving fans of Bulawayo.
Excuses steal your motivation and weaken your resolve, and that is no way to get anything done. If fans remain focused, they will crowd out associations’ excuses and make things happen.
Feedback: dingi.ntuli@chronicle.co.zw