Test Cricket Tours - Zimbabwe to South Africa 2004

Test Cricket Tours - Zimbabwe to South Africa 2004-05

Tour of South Africa 2004-05 Captain: Tatenda Taibu

Zimbabwe’s twentieth Test tour

Second Test-playing tour of South Africaby Zimbabwe

(February -March 2005 )

As the white players' rebellion against the Zimbabwe Board ended, Heath Streak and Andy Blignaut were flown down in time to play in the Test series. Without Streak and Blignaut, the average age would have been 20 yrs 9 months - the youngest of any tour party.

Streak was virtually coerced into making himself available for Zimbabwe by threats to confiscate the family farm in the Turk Mine district. Blignaut had also agreed to play again for Zimbabwe but, due to his lack of fitness, he would not be going on the tour of South Africa, and instead joined the Zimbabwe A side hosting Bangladesh A.

From being dismissed for a total of only 54 in the first innings at Cape Town, to conceding runs at a rate of more than 5 an over during the series, Zimbabwe simply did not reach the standards required for Test matches. As former coach David Houghton said, they lacked credibility as a Test nation. Before the ICC could inflict a suspension from Test cricket upon them, the Board announced it was suspending itself.

Other Zimbabwe tours

Previous tour

Bangladesh 2004-05

Next tour

West Indies 2005-06 cancelled

New Zealand 2011-12

Next tour of South Africa

None scheduled

Members of the Test tour party (16)

Opening batsmen: Brendon Taylor, Dion Ebrahim

Middle-order batsmen: Stuart Matsikenyeri, Sean Williams. Elton Chigumbura, Hamilton Masakadza, Alaster Maregwede, Barney Rogers

Wicket-keeper: Tatenda Taibu

Spin bowler: Graeme Cremer, Prosper Utseya

Fast bowlers: Andy Blignaut, Heath Streak, Douglas Hondo, Tawanda Mupariwa, Christopher Mpofu.

A M Blignaut	26	Msh	LHB RFM

E Chigumbura	18	Msh	RHB RM	ODI

A G Cremer	18	Msh	LBG	ODI

D D Ebrahim	24	Man	RHB

D T Hondo	25	Msh	RFM	ODI

A Maregwede	23	Mid	RHB

H Masakadza	21	Man	RHB	ODI

S Matsikenyeri	21	Man	RHB	ODI

C B Mpofu	19	Mat	RM	ODI

T Mupariwa	19	Mat	RM	ODI

B G Rogers	22	Msh	LHB	ODI

H H Streak	31	Mat	RHB RFM

Tatenda Taibu	19	Msh	WK captain	ODI

B R M Taylor	18	Msh	RHB opener reserve WK	ODI

P Utseya	19	Mid	OB	ODI

S C Williams	18	Mat	LHB	ODI

In one day international series			G M Ewing (Mat)
	only		T Panyangara (Man)

District representation

Logan Cup teams

Msh - Mashonaland (6)

Mat - Matabeleland (4)

Man - Manicaland (3)

Mid - Midlands (2)

Average age of players (including Streak and Blignaut) at time of first Test match

(4March 2005) :

23 years 1 month

Test Appearances made before the tour

Streak 59, Ebrahim 23, Taibu 18, Blignaut 15, Hondo 9, H Masakadza 9, Matsikenyeri 6, Chigumbura 4, Taylor 4, Cremer 2, Maregwede 2, Mpofu 2, Rogers 2, Mupariwa 1, Utseya 1, Williams 0

Tour Officials

M A 'Babu' Meman	Tour Manager
Phil Simmons	Coach
Amato Machikicho	Physiotherapist
Dean Woodford	Fitness Trainer
Tinashe Ruswa	Analyst

In January 2006 Meman was sacked after fifteen years as Zimbabwe's national cricket manager.

Selectors

Maqsood Ebrahim, convenor of selectors, Richie Kaschula, Ethan Dube.

Ebrahim and Dube were volunteers. They stood down later in the year as there was no resolution to the players’ strike. Kaschula, the only full-time, paid selector, was fired in January 2006.

Selection

Unavailable: Andy Blignaut (at first).

Tour Party Announced : 6 Feb 2005

Dion Ebrahim was left out of the squad and put into the Zimbabwe A team with the incentive that he might yet be called up for the Tests if his form was good - which is what happened. Andy Blignaut, too, joined the Zimbabwe A side (owing to his lack of fitness) but subsequently was available for the Test matches.

Not selected Vusumuzi Sibanda, and Mluleki Nkala,

Time between selection and departure from Zimbabwe

9 days

(6 February - 15 February)

Travel

Harare Q Johannesburg

The team went into a week's preparation camp on 7 February 2005.

Their captain Tatenda Taibu and the pace bowler Douglas Hondo are still recovering from injuries picked up in Bangladesh, but they were passed as fit before the team's departure.

The Zimbabwe team flew from Harare, and arrived at the Johannesburg's international airport on Tuesday morning 15 February 2005.

Time spent in South Africa

53 days

(15 February -

On-tour selection panel

Richie Kaschula (full-time selector), Phil Simmons (coach).

Reinforcements

The original selection arranged that Dion Ebrahim and Graeme Cremer were to replace Gavin Ewing and Tinashe Panyangara after the one-day series.

Sean Williams was also supposed to return after the limited-overs series but was retained.

Heath Streak and Andy Blignaut were flown to South Africa on Tuesday 1 March.

Fixtures/Results

a	† Potchefstroom	Gauteng / North-West XI	Won 7 w
b	Benoni	Northerns / Easterns	Drawn
c	§ Johannesburg	South Africa (1st ODI)	Lost 165 r
d	§ Durban	South Africa (2nd ODI)	Lost 131 r
e	§ Port Elizabeth	South Africa (3rd ODI)	Lost 5 w
f	CAPE TOWN	SOUTH AFRICA First Test	LOST inns 21 r
g	CENTURION	SOUTH AFRICA Second Test	LOST inns 62 r

§ ODI Series

† not first-class

Time spent in South Africa before First Test: 17 days

(15 February - 4 March 2005)

Test appearances on tour

2 - Blignaut, Chigumbura, Cremer, Ebrahim, Masakadza, Matsikenyeri, Mpofu, Rogers, Streak, Taibu, Taylor.

0 - Hondo, Maregwede, Mupariwa, Utseya, Williams.

Highlights

•

• While at the wicket Heath Streak (85) added 150 runs with Andy Blignaut (52) and Graeme Cremer (12) in the second Test.

Tour Summary

	P	W	L	D	Aban
Test Matches	2	0	2	0	-
Other first-class matches	1	0	0	1	-
ϯ Minor matches	1	1	0	0	-
§ One-day internationals	3	0	3	0	-
All Matches	7	1	5	1	-

Return to Zimbabwe

Johannesburg Q Harare

Gavin Ewing and Panyangara went home after the one-day series on 3 March.

Time away from Zimbabwe

x days

(15 February to 31 March?)

Finances

Accounts of the tour

Postscript

This was the last Zimbabwean Test tour until January 2012 - a seven-year gap.

On Wednesday January 2006 Zimbabwe Cricket suspended its own participation in Test matches. The decision was made by a government-appointed interim committee after consideration of recent performances by the national team.