Tour of  Australia 2003-04          Captain: Heath Streak

Zimbabwe’s eighteenth Test tour

First Test-playing tour of Australia by Zimbabwe

  (November  2003 -

                       January 2004)

For the first time in fifteen years there were no Flower brothers in Zimbabwe's Test squad - Andy retired after the 2003 World Cup, while Grant broke his thumb in a Logan Cup match and would be out of action for up to six weeks.  However, Grant was able to rejoin the team in time for the one-day international matches.

Zimbabwe had two Australian coaches with ample Test experience between them. Former opener Geoff Marsh was overall coach, while former fast bowler Bruce Reid worked with the bowlers. All the same the tourists were completely outclassed in the Test matches

Murray Goodwin, now living in and playing for Western Australia, was accused of breaching the code of conduct for saying that some players were included in the Zimbabwe team on the basis of colour and not on performance. Coach Geoff Marsh said all the team members were there on merit. While Andy Flower agreed that all deserved their places, he described having colour quotas as a bone of contention, saying "Some believe it's the right way forward and some disagree."

The first Test at the WACA was all about Matthew Hayden who broke Lara's record score against some wayward Zimbabwe bowling. Dropped by Gripper on 335, he went on to a score of 380. Australia declared at 735 for six, and Zimbabwe suffered its heaviest defeat. The second Test brought another defeat but a much more even contest.

A one-day squad came back to Australia two months after the Test series to compete in a tri-series with India, but again youthful talent and promise could not compete with the in-depth experience of Australia or India.

Other Zimbabwe tours

Previous tour

England 2003

Next tour

Pakistan 2004-05  cancelled

Bangladesh 2004-05

Next tour of Australia

 None scheduled

Members of the Test tour party (16) 

Opening batsmen:  Dion Ebrahim, Trevor Gripper.

Middle-order batsmen:  Stuart Carlisle, Craig Wishart,  Stuart Matsikenyeri, Craig Evans, Mark Vermeulen.

Wicket-keeper: Tatenda Taibu

Spin bowler:  Ray Price, Gavin Ewing.

Fast bowlers:  Andy Blignaut,  Heath Streak, Gary Brent, Douglas Hondo, Sean Ervine, Blessing Mahwire.

District representation  

 Logan Cup teams

CFX

Mat   Matabeleland (3)

Man  Manicaland  (3)

Msh  Mashonaland  (7)

Mid   Midlands (3)

Average age of team at time of first Test match

(9 October 2003) :

    25 years  7 months

ODI  member of the one-day squad for the VB series.

Key to type:

RHB Right-handed bat

RM  Right arm medium-paced bowler

RFM  Right-arm fast medium

OB   Off break bowler

WK  Wicket-keeper

Test Appearances made before the tour

Streak 53,  Carlisle 29,  Wishart 21,  Ebrahim 16,  Gripper 14,  Price 12,  Blignaut 10,  Taibu 8,  Brent 4,  Hondo 3,  Vermeulen 3,  Ervine 2,  Evans 2,  Mahwire 1,  Ewing 0,  Matsikenyeri 0.

Tour Officials

Selectors

Max Ebrahim (chief selector),  Ali Shah,  Geoff Marsh,  John Brent,  Steve Mangongo.

Selection

Unavailable:   Gavin Rennie retired, although only 27 years old.  The left-hand opener chose not to renew his contract with the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, and went into business.

Grant Flower broke a thumb fielding in a Logan Cup match, and was ruled out.  Thus for the first time in 15 years there would be neither of the Flower brother in Zimbabwe's Test squad.

Tour Party Announced :  Wednesday 17 September 2003.

Not selected :   Douglas Marillier,  Mluleki Nkala.

21 year-old bowler Blessing Mawhire was to travel with the squad to Australia to further his development by working with bowling coach Bruce Reid and also at the University of Western Australia.

One-day tour group announced:  15 December 2003.

Vusi Sibanda,  Stuart Matsikenyeri, Grant Flower and Travis Friend were brought in for the limited-overs internationals in January, while Gary Brent, Dion Ebrahim, Craig Evans, Gavin Ewing and Trevor Gripper were not chosen to return to Australia.

Time between selection announcement and departure from Zimbabwe  

    x days

(17 September -  23? September)

Travel

Harare   Q   Perth

Arrived in Perth on Wednesday 24 September 2003.

⋆

After playing a one-day series against West Indies in Zimbabwe at the end of November, the team flew back to Perth on December for the VB one-day internationals.

Time spent in Australia

   27 days

(24 September - 21 October)

On-tour selection panel

Ali Shah (on tour selector),  Geoff Marsh (coach),  Heath Streak  (captain).

Reinforcements

Douglas Hondo injured his thumb in the first warm-up match and then pulled a thigh muscle.  He was unable to take part in the Test matches so Blessing Mahwire was drafted in.

Dion Ebrahim was brought in to cover for Craig Wishart in the one-day squad.  Wishart tore a knee cartilage and had to return to Zimbabwe for surgery on Friday 9 January.  Ebrahim arrived in Sydney next day.

Mark Vermeulen suffered a fractured skull (for the second time in a year) in the ODI at Brisbane and underwent surgery in hospital before flying home via Perth where his family were.

Fixtures/Results

The Zimbabweans returned to Australia in December for the VB tri-series with India and Australia.

§  ODI   (VB tri-series)

† not first-class

.

Time spent in Australia before First Test:    

  15 days

(24 September - 9 October)

Test appearances on tour

2  -   Blignaut,  Carlisle,  Ebrahim,  Gripper,  Price,  Streak,  Taibu,  Vermeulen,  Wishart.

1  -   Ervine,  Evans,  Ewing,  Mahwire.

0  -   Hondo.

Highlights

•   Zimbabwe's last three wickets in the Perth Test match put on nearly 200 runs (Streak 71*).

•   Stuart Carlisle (118) scored his first Test century. It had taken him 31 Tests to pass the landmark.

•   Ray Price took career-best figures of 6 for 121 at Sydney, capturing all the middle-order wickets.

Tour Summary

Return to Zimbabwe

SydneyQ Harare  (Test tour)

PerthQ Harare  (ODI tour)

At the end of the Test series the team left from Sydney on 21 October 2003.

⋆

The national ODI cricket team arrived in Harare on Wednesday night 4 February 2004 after a seven-week tour of Australia for the VB triangular series.

Zimbabwe had lost their last match, a day/night game against India, and flew out the next day from Perth. 

Time away from Zimbabwe

    x days  

(23 September to  22 October and  x December -  4 February)

Finances

Accounts of the tour

Postscript