Tour of  Pakistan 1993-94        Captain: Andy Flower

Zimbabwe’s second Test tour

First Test-playing tour of Pakistan by Zimbabwe

 (November  -  December 1993)

Having won Test status, Zimbabwe's cricket board encountered difficulties persuading other countries to visit them for a Test series. The three matches in Pakistan were the only Tests played in the 93-94 season, and even this series was only agreed to as a substitute for Pakistan's cancelled tour of India (Pakistan withdrew from the Hero Cup and a three Test series).

Although there was time for no more than one warm-up match before the Test series began,  the team had become acclimatised to south Asian conditions through a brief visit to Bangladesh and then a month-long limited overs tournament, the Hero Cup, in India.

Zimbabwe were very short on experience once several leading players (none of whom were professional cricketers) had made themselves unavailable.  In the first Test match, six of the team were making Test debuts.  However, the reason why Pakistan won the Test series 2-0 was because Zimbabwe could not build upon a good position, as at Rawalpindi when Zimbabwe were 135 for one wicket chasing 240 to win before the batting collapsed.  In the final Test Zimbabwe was probably in a stronger position than Pakistan when cool season fog and gloom cost eight hours of playing time and the match was drawn.

In the one-day international series Zimbabwe lost all three matches by wide margins. Yet Zimbabwe could take positives from the tour and showed it was progressing towards parity with the other Test nations.

Other Zimbabwe tours

Previous tour

India 1992-93

Next tour

New Zealand 1995-96

Next Test tour of Pakistan

1996-97

Members of the Test tour party   (15)

Opening batsmen : Mark Dekker, Andy Flower, Grant Flower.

Middle order: Guy Whittall, Alastair Campbell, David Houghton, Guy Bruk-Jackson.

Wicket-keeper Wayne James.

Fast bowlers David Brain, Eddo Brandes, John Rennie, Heath Streak.

Spin bowlers:Stephen Peall,  Ujesh Ranchod,  Paul Strang.

Representation of  teams

Msh   Mashonaland (4)

Msh u-24  Mashonaland under-24 XI  (1)

CD  Country Districts (5)

Mat   Matabeleland (5)

Average age of team at time of first Test match

(1 December 1993) :

  25  yrs   8 months

ODI :  Part of Hero Cup squad.

In addition Bruk-Jackson and James played ODIs against Pakistan.

Key to type:

RHB Right-handed bat

RM  Right arm medium-paced bowler

RFM  Right-arm fast medium

OB   Off break

WK  Wicket-keeper

Test Appearances made before the tour

Campbell 4,   A Flower 4,  G W Flower 4,  Houghton 4,  Brandes 3,  Brain 2,  Ranchod 1,  Bruk-Jackson 0,  Dekker  0,  James 0,  Peall 0,  J A Rennie 0,  P A Strang 0,  Streak 0,  G J Whittall 0.

Tour Officials

On 15 October it was announced that John Hampshire was being retained as coach for the tour of India.

Rob Whiley was Chairman of Matabeleland’s  Cricket Association.

Selectors

………….  David Lake, John Hampshire,  

Selection

Unavailable :  Andy Pycroft retired from cricket after the New Zealand series;  Kevin Arnott and John Traicos were not able to tour for business reasons - they were not selected for Zimbabwe again.

The demands of business also prevented Andy Waller (farming), Iain Butchart and Ali Shah (retail) from going to Pakistan after participating in the Hero Cup.

David Houghton, who relinquished the captaincy in May, retired at the beginning of October 1993, saying that he wanted to spend more time with his family and to concentrate on business interests abroad, i.e. coaching Worcestershire. But 12 days later he was picked for the Hero Cup series in India - it is supposed that the Zimbabwe Cricket Union gave him an improved financial deal.

Team announced:  18 October 1993.

Five non-travelling reserves for the Hero Cup were Glen Bruk-Jackson, Gary Crocker, Craig Wishart, Danie Erasmus and Ujesh Ranchod.  

Also not selected:  bowlers Gary Brent and Daniel Rowett (who had been on the 1993 tour of England).

For the Pakistan leg of the tour two more players and a different physiotherapist were added.

Ranchod and Strang were taken mainly for the experience and to give help as a net bowler, the Zimbabwean batsmen particularly needing to practice against a leg-spinner.

Time between selection and departure from Zimbabwe

     13 days

(18 October to 31 October)

Travel

Harare   Q  Dhaka

Bombay?   Q  Karachi

The Zimbabwe squad for the one-day tournament in India left Harare on 31 October 1993. But of the thirteen players, only eleven were on the plane: Eddo Brandes needed to undergo a late fitness test on his knee, and John Traicos was delayed owing to business commitments. Traicos would follow later on  4 November, accompanied by physio Sandy Flanagan.

Firstly, the team played Bangladesh twice in Dhaka before going on to India, but their first match in Madras was cancelled as Pakistan withdrew.

Brandes was delayed further with a muscle strain at the back of his thigh and finally left Zimbabwe on 17 November after passing a medical.

The team arrived in Pakistan on 23 November.

Time spent in Pakistan

   x days

(23 November-  December)

On-tour selection

Reinforcements

Ujesh Ranchod left for India on 16 November to replace John Traicos who withdrew because of business. It was hoped Traicos might re-join the team in time for the second Test.

Business commitments also meant an early return for vice-captain Andy Waller, Ali Shah and Iain Butchart as well as manager Babu Meman, after the tournament in India. They returned home from India on Tuesday 23 November.

Therefore Glen Bruk-Jackson and Wayne James were added to the tour party, leaving for India along with the new manager Rob Whiley on Sunday 21 November, and meeting up with the Test squad in Bombay just before they flew to Pakistan. Paul Strang was brought in mainly for the experience and to give help as a net bowler, the Zimbabwean batsmen particularly needing to practice against a leg-spinner.

Fixtures/results

§  ODI  Series

ϯ not first-class

Time spent in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan before First Test:

      31 days

(31 October  - 1 December )

Test appearances on tour

3  -  Brandes,  Campbell,  Dekker,  A Flower, G W Flower,  Houghton,  Streak,  Whittall.

2  -  Brain,  Bruk-Jackson,  Peall,  Rennie.

1  -  James.

0  -  Ranchod,  Strang.

Match appearances

Highlights

•    Alistair Campbell played two innings of 63 (off 55 balls) and 75 in the Second Test at Rawalpindi.

•    Mark Dekker, opening the batting in the same match, scored 68 not out, becoming the first batsman in Zimbabwe's first-class history to carry his bat through a completed innings.

Tour Summary

Return to Zimbabwe

Karachi   Q    Harare

last match ends 27 Dec

Time away from Zimbabwe

    x days  

(31 October - 31? December )

Finances

Zimbabwe Cricket Union would get $75 000 from competing in the one-day competition in India.

Accounts of the tour

Postscript

Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) introduced a three-day first-class competition beginning on 22 October, to be contested by Mashonaland, Mashonaland under-24 XI, Mashonaland Country Districts and Matabeleland.