On Thursday 22nd May, sporting history will be made in Nottingham. It may go slightly unnoticed for those who aren’t avid cricket followers, but England will host Zimbabwe in a one-off Test Match for the first time since June 2003.
In the intervening years, much has changed. The first generation of iPhone had not been invented back then, Facebook had yet to launch, YouTube didn’t exist, Manchester United dominated the Premier League, and the world was gripped by a SARS outbreak that turned out to be less lethal than a subsequent pathogen we’d all really rather forget. The context for this test match is barely recognisable to that one that took place all those years ago.
To talk of Zimbabwean cricket is to talk of the wider decline of a nation that was once referred to, perhaps patronisingly, as the “breadbasket of Africa”. The early 2000s were a time of political strife, as Robert Mugabe’s government pursued a series of increasingly authoritarian and economically illiterate policies that resulted in the country’s expulsion from the Commonwealth, and severe hyper-inflation that wheelbarrows replace wallets as the principal means of transporting cash.
Cricket could not escape the politics. In 2003, the World Cup was co-hosted by Zimbabwe, and England refused to play a match in the capital Harare against the hosts when it was reported the team had received death threats from a group known as the “Sons and Daughters of Zimbabwe”. That came days after members of the Zimbabwe team wore black armbands to mourn the death of democracy following a Mugabe crackdown on his political opposition. Unsurprisingly, England ceased to play the Chevrons, but as the political difficulties have eased (but not ceased), that has changed, which brings us to Thursday.
When you look at the two sides, you can’t help but draw the conclusion that England should win comfortably. English cricket is blessed with abundant resources, that Zimbabwe can only dream of. The financial inequality gives the match a slight David and Goliath feel, but this is the first Test Match of the summer, which makes it slightly less predictable. Make no mistake, Zimbabwe are worthy of their status as a test nation. Fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani is nearing 100 wickets in this format of the game, and Ben Curran will be well known to many, as both his brothers have actually played for England. Earlier in the year they secured a creditable draw in a test series in Bangladesh, in conditions that are alien to their own.
For England, they are about to embark on a series of Test Matches that will define the reign of Ben Stokes as captain. India are in town over the summer for a five test series, and then England travel to Australia for a highly anticipated Ashes series.
But for now, that can all wait. The return of Zimbabwe to these shores is a positive story at a time when negativity emanate from every part of the world. It can only be good for the game of cricket, and for people of Zimbabwe, to see them back playing against one of the giants of the game. All eyes will turn to Thursday and let’s hope they the Chevrons do themselves proud.
