Random thoughts and observations
I’ve finished reading Wilbur Smith’s Ballantyne series in chronological order: A Falcon Flies, Men of Men, The Angels Weep, The Leopard Hunts in Darkness. There are similarities with the Courtney series — African setting, strong and successful pioneering characters, Arab cameos, conflict at various levels, thrilling action, etc. The series started slowly for me, but [...]
The latest news from Zimbabwe is that Australia’s cricket tour will be downgraded to three ODIs. This is obviously a defensive measure on behalf of the ZCU to prevent the embarrassment of losing test status. How long are they delaying the inevitable? No country can afford to lose 15 of its best players, especially a [...]
Zimbabwe was all out for 35 last night in the one-day international at Harare. That’s the lowest ever score in international cricket. Apparently there were only about 500 spectators present. Sponsors are threatening to pull out and there’s no immediate hope of the dispute with players being resolved. It’s a debacle that threatens the future [...]
The Zimbabwe Cricket Union seems happy to rid itself of 13 leading players, all of them white. The dispute triggered by Heath Streak played into the hands of those who want Zimbabwe to be pure black and Shona. Western countries like Australia have to take special care of ethnic minorities and pander to their interests. [...]
The circumstances surrounding Heath Streak’s dismissal as Zimbabwe captain remain cloudy, but whatever they are the outcome is disastrous for cricket and the country. Streak is a proud Zimbabwean who stuck with the team and country through years of turmoil. In my view he was braver than Andy Flower and Henry Olonga for staying, rather [...]
