Zimbabwe Returns to International Test Cricket

(Harare, Zimbabwe) - - The Bangladeshi are coming to town, and Zimbabwe cricket fans are salivating with delight.

Bangladesh's cricket team arrived in Harare, Zimbabwe on July 28 to start a series of test matches to mark this land-locked southern African country's return to test cricket after a nearly eight year absence when it voluntarily withdrew after internal disputes caused several of its top players to quit.

On the schedule are one test and five one-day matches. Zimbabwe recently played a modified four-day match against the Australian team; the first time Australia has played here in eight years.

Many of the top players, like Ray Price, nephew of renowned Zimbabwean golfer Nick Price, is one of the veteran players who has returned to the squad, but he and other seasoned players, Elton Chigumbura, Hamilton Masakadza, and team captain Brendan Taylor will sit out the warm-up match. They will surely, though, feature prominently when Zimbabwe plays its main event in November in the southern city of Bulawayo.

The Zimbabwe national cricket team played in the International Cricket World Cup matches in India and Bangladesh earlier this year, and while the team did not win, it won accolades for its gutsy performance against teams who have been continuously involved in international play for all the years that Zimbabwe was isolated due to the management difficulties and the unsettled political situation in the country.

The return to international cricket began in 2010 with games in South Asia, Europe, Canada, and at home, with the team winning one of five matches against Bangladesh in Chittagong and Dhaka, defeating the Netherlands in Amstelveen, Canada in Toronto, and at home forfeiting to Scotland whose team did not come to Zimbabwe to play, and a draw against Ireland.

While Zimbabwe's political situation remains uncertain, the Zimbabwe Cricket Association has endeavored to reintegrate the country's team into the world of international cricket. According to Zimbabwe Cricket board chairman Peter Chingoka the upcoming match is part of the phased resumption of regular test play. Ozias Bvute, managing director of Zimbabwe Cricket said, while human nature causes us to gravitate to those who think, act, and feel the same as we do, promoting a climate of change and growth requires dialogue. His objective is to get all those involved in cricket to 'walk alongside each other and come to a meeting of the minds.'

The first seven months of 2011 has seen a gradual change in international attitudes toward Zimbabwe, at least insofar as cricket is concerned.