Zimbabwe

History

The first cricket match staged in Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) took place on 16 August 1890 near Masvingo (then Fort Victoria). Touring sides gradually began to filter over to Rhodesia in the 1900s and the standards of the game further improved when they entered the South African domestic competition (the Currie Cup). After independence Zimbabwe was elected as an Associate Member of the ICC in 1981 and eventually played its inaugural Test match in October 1992 (against India in Harare) having already competed in three one-day World Cup tournaments.

International Competition

Zimbabwe's first ever World Cup match suggested the birth of a welcome new entrant onto the international scene, when they beat Australia by 13 runs at Trent Bridge in 1983. Sadly not everything has run smoothly in Zimbabwean cricket since then. Zimbabwe has not played a Test since September 2005, officially withdrawing in January 2006, although they do continue to play one-day internationals. For a while in the late nineties they were among the toughest sides to beat in Test cricket (their peak coming in 1998-99 when they won a home series against India and went to Pakistan and won there). Zimbabwe last made their mark on the international stage in September 2007 when they beat Australia in the ICC World Twenty20.

Domestic Cricket

The first-class competition in Zimbabwe is called the Logan Cup (named after the honourable JD Logan), which was first presented in 1899 to commemorate the visit of Lord Hawke's English team to Rhodesia. The competition was re-vamped in 2006-07 with provinces being merged to form Northerns, Westerns, Southerns and Easterns. There is also a one-day tournament that was introduced in 2003, although the structure changes on a regular basis, and a domestic Twenty20 competition started up in 2007.

All-time Great

A Test batting average of over-50 would put any player among the elite of their nation's cricketers. When that achievement comes for the one of the minnows of the game there is little doubt that Andy Flower stands head and shoulders above any of his compatriots in Zimbabwe's hall of fame. The left-handed batsman's record matches up with any of his contemporaries around the world and his ability to play spin, in particular, was peerless. Add in his credentials as a wicketkeeper for a large chunk of his international career, as well as a period as a captain, and it is fair to say he WAS Zimbabwe cricket for a period. Flower's leadership qualities have now taken him to the position of England Team Director just two years after retiring from playing (May 2007).

Women's Cricket

Zimbabwe women is one of the newest international teams. In fact, its first international matches came in 2006, in the regional qualifiers for the 2009 World Cup. It won all three matches against Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to head through to the qualifiers, where it came a respectable fifth out of eight teams.