Tour of  Bangladesh 2001-02         Captain: Brian Murphy

Zimbabwe’s 14th Test tour

First Test-playing tour of Bangladesh by Zimbabwe

   (November -

             December 2001)

This was the first tour Zimbabwe had made under the ICC’s Future Tours Programme (FTP) agreement of May 2001.

After 9/11 the Zimbabweans' south Asian tour of Sharjah, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka went ahead, keeping a close eye on the military conflict in Afghanistan. The tour began with the Champions Trophy in Sharjah. Consistent with poor performances in one-day cricket at home against South Africa and England, Zimbabwe predictably lost all four games and failed to reach the final.

The team then went to Bangladesh where they faced easier opposition. Rain in Dhaka prevented Zimbabwe from finishing a Test match they were well-placed to win. After winning the second Test and the series at Chittagong,  Zimbabwe ‘whitewashed’ their hosts in the three one-day matches.

Note:  The tours of Bangladesh and of Sri Lanka in 2001-02 ran consecutively and are really a single tour but, to allow greater detail, are described here as two separate tours.

Other Zimbabwe tours

Previous tour

New Zealand 2000-01

Next tour

Sri Lanka 2001-02

Next tour of Bangladesh

2004-05

Members of the Test tour party (15)

Opening batsmen: Grant Flower, Dion Ebrahim,  Trevor Gripper,

Middle-order batsmen :Stuart Carlisle, Douglas Marillier, Craig Wishart.

Wicket-keeper/batsman:  Andy Flower

Spin bowlers:  Brian Murphy, Ray Price.

Fast  bowlers:  Gary Brent, Sean Ervine, Travis Friend,  Mluleki Nkala, Henry Olonga, Heath Streak.

District representation  

 Logan Cup teams

CFX Mat Matabeleland

Man  Manicaland

Msh Mashonaland

Y Msh  Young Mashonaland

CD  Country Districts

Average age of team at time of first Test match

(8 November 2001):

 26 yrs  3 months

ODI  member of the ODI series squad

Test Appearances made before the tour

A Flower 54,  G W Flower 54,  Streak 44,  Olonga 23,  Carlisle 20,  Wishart 16,  Murphy 10,  Ebrahim 8,  Gripper 7,  Nkala 6,   Price 6,   Friend 3,   Brent 2,  Marillier 1,  Ervine 0

Tour Officials

Geoff Marsh took over as coach from Carl Rackemann after the ODI series against England.

Selectors

Ali Shah (convenor of selectors),  Iain Butchart, Macsood Ebrahim, Dave Houghton, Terry Nicolle and Stephen Mangongo. 

This was a new selection panel taking over from Iain Butchart’s committee. The coach and the captain were not given a place on the panel.

Selection

Unavailable:   Andy Blignaut (ankle),  Bryan Strang (hamstring),  Brighton Watambwa (knee) all injured;   Hamilton Masakadza and Tatenda Taibu (taking A-Level examinations);  Douglas Hondo and Stuart Matsikenyire (in Australia to play grade cricket).

Champions Trophy team announced:  The selectors announced a squad of fourteen on 16 October.

Test Tour Party Announced :  16 October 2001

On 23 October the announcement came that Heath Streak had resigned the captaincy as it was affecting his personal game. Brian Murphy was elevated from the vice-captaincy. Stuart Carlisle was also considered but had asked for more time to consider the captaincy.

Not selected :   Alistair Campbell,  Paul Strang,  Guy Whittall.

Campbell had complained about Zimbabwe's policy of selecting players on a quota of colour rather than merit, and was later obliged to apologise for his remarks.

Time between selection and departure from Zimbabwe

  6 days

(16 October to 22? October)

Travel

Harare  Q  Dubai  Q   Dhaka

To Sharjah -  the fourteen players arrived on 23 ? October to play in the Champions Trophy tournament.   After losing the fourth match and being excluded from the final, the team planned to fly from Sharjah to Bangladesh on the morning of Thursday 1 November for extra acclimatisation, but made time for practice and relaxation in Dubai before flying to Dhaka.

Now fifteen in number, the Zimbabwe cricketers, led by Brian Murphy, arrived in Dhaka on Monday 5 November 2001. Ray Price had flown to Bangladesh to join the team after playing in a match for the ZCU Board XI against North West.

Time spent in Bangladesh

   23 days

(5 November- 28 November)

On-tour selection panel

....

Reinforcements

Leg-spinner Paul Strang was flown in before the 2nd Test to play in the one-day series. He was a replacement for Brian Murphy who broke a bone in his left hand batting in the nets before the third day's play of the Dhaka Test.

On 14 November it was announced that Stuart Carlisle would be the new captain, with Heath Streak as his vice-captain, because Brian Murphy had to return home to receive specialist treatment.

Fixtures/Results

§  ODI

† not first-class

.

Time spent in Sharjah / Bangladesh before First Test: 

    18 / 3 days

(23 October / 5  November - 8 November)

Test appearances on tour

2  -   Carlisle,  Ebrahim,  A Flower,  G Flower,  Friend,  Gripper,  Marillier,  Olonga,  Streak,  Wishart

1  -   Brent,  Murphy.

0  -   Ervine,  Nkala,  Price,  P Strang.

Match appearances

                   [s : Paul Strang was a substitute fielder in the 2nd Test]

Highlights

•   Travis Friend took five wickets for 31 runs in the first innings of the series.

•   Zimbabwe recovered from 89-5 to a total of 431 at Dhaka, including four individual half-centuries

•   Trevor Gripper scored his first Test century in the Chittagong Test, as did Craig Wishart.

•   With 114 not out from Andy Flower as well, Zimbabwe’s first innings total was 542 for 7 declared.

•   Grant Flower, in the absence of a specialist spinner, bowled 54 overs, taking 4-41 and 4-63.

Tour Summary

Return to Zimbabwe

Dhaka     Q   Colombo

Brian Murphy returned home at the end of the first Test in Dhaka.

Paul Strang and Ray Price returned home to Zimbabwe at the end of the one-day series.

On 28 November the Zimbabwe team left for Colombo and their tour of Sri Lanka.

Time away from Zimbabwe

    58 ? days  

(22 October to 18? January)

Finances

Accounts of the tour

Postscript