I agree with Peter Roebuck. From a purely cricketing perspective, so what if Australia play a weakened Zimbabwe. It's not as if there haven't been plenty soft runs and wickets in the past....
ICC wrong to let Zimbabwe cricket off the hook
Nothing has been resolved in Zimbabwean cricket. No progress has been made. By cancelling its meeting after the abandonment of the Test matches, the International Cricket Council indicated it was satisfied with the state of affairs prevailing in that country. Zimbabwean officials were let off the hook without having to make a promise of any sort.
Malcolm Speed has spoken with Heath Streak and the ICC is familiar with the issues involved. Accordingly, it ill-behoved the game's governing body to ease the pressure on the Zimbabwe Cricket Union at this critical moment in the history of the game in that land.
Evidently, the ICC's sole concern has been the integrity of Test cricket. Once again, cricket's obsession with statistics has led it up the garden path. The point of the dispute is not the legitimacy of the side fielded by Zimbabwe or the value of the runs scored in those matches. Nothing less than the bona fides of the ZCU is at stake.
Peter Chingoka and his cronies have won a great victory. Malign forces at the ZCU can continue their malpractices unchecked. About the only hope is that presented with its own mortality, the ZCU will come to its senses. A cleaning of the stables is required but who has the strength for that? Not the current time-servers, one suspects.
Only cricket works itself into such a lather about statistics. Of course it is ridiculous that shavers have been elevated to the status of Test cricketers. Of course it is demeaning that runs can be easier to score and wickets easier to take than in a park on a Saturday afternoon. A fortnight ago, Kris Sangakarra and Marvan Atapattu scored Test double-centuries with the ease of children plucking apples from a tree.
But does anyone really care? English batsmen have been filling their proverbial boots against university bowlers for decades. Donkey drops have been bowled in first-class cricket.
Test cricket also has a chequered past. Don Bradman scored runs against weakened Indian teams led by incompetent gentlemen. S. F. Barnes scythed down South African teams that could hardly hold a bat. Some odd fellows represented Australia during the Packer years. Cricket has always had its distortions. Moreover, we are living in an age of soporific pitches and huge scores. Brian Lara has just reached 400 against the cream of England.
Test cricket never has been as pure as traditionalists imagine. In recent times, matches have been fixed, yet no attempt has been made to remove them from the books. Mere figures are not the issue.
Indeed, cricket has been presented with an opportunity to break the tyranny of the statisticians. It is starting to happen. Everyone knows that Rahul Dravid produced the best batting of last summer. His innings were an unforgettable affirmation of mastery of self and game. Contrastingly, nobody sensible dwells on the previous matches against a full-strength Zimbabwean side.
The current dispute in Zimbabwe has been caused by the racist policies pursued by its governing body. Zimbabwe has no reserve strength because white players have been driven away. Dark deeds have been done in the name of transformation.
The ICC has ignored the causes of the dispute and concentrated upon the reputation of Test cricket. Otherwise, it could not have allowed matches to take place next week without extracting some promise about the future governance of the game in Zimbabwe. Doubtless, officials wanted to stay on the sidelines in the hope that a compromise might be found. But there are no sidelines in this game. The ZCU has been taken over by men with agendas. Streak and company might well return for a while but it will not last. No cure has been found for cancers of this sort.
Australia's willingness to stay behind for some one-day matches confirms that Cricket Australia is likewise reluctant to take sides. But this is an issue that goes to the core of the game, not a discussion around a dinner table.
Cricket cannot duck this issue. The ICC must keep the heat on the ZCU. Chingoka and company must be reminded that prejudice has no place in this game. Cricket has survived dictators, wars and terrorists but it cannot turn a blind eye to the traitor in its own ranks.
Yes, it's true. "Bradman scored soft runs". And doesn't Spanky just love to cane Aussie buttocks with that one? I'm only surprised he didn't raise his usual point about weak post-war Pommy sides.
Never the less, he's right. Bradman DID score plenty of soft runs, but he also scored plenty of tough ones.
And that's the whole point. Sometimes in sport the going's good, othertimes, bloody hard. If that wasn't the case, no one would watch.
And speaking of soft runs ... and ... ahem ... wickets. Shrill Lanka just played the self same Zimbabwe hacks that weren't up to a series against Australia. Does that mean they're going to have to annul the results and hand back their runs and wickets?
PS: "Shavers"?
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