By beating Australia at T20 world cup, Zimbabwe shows that in cricket, it still counts

Some victories in sport have the power to shape destinies. Like Zimbabwe’s upset of Australia in  the T20 World Cup. It is undoubtedly Zimbabwe’s sweetest moment since their reintegration into international cricket after the despotic regime of Robert Mugabe nipped a promising era and forced a majority of cricketers to leave the country or quit the sport. The return has been rocky; the standard has been low, and the crop of youngsters has been so inconsistent that the selectors had to recall ageing veterans. The big three teams have rarely bothered to stop by for a whistle-stop tour or play the dutiful hosts. From a team that could challenge the top nations at the turn of the century, Zimbabwe became a ragtag group that could lose to teams considerably ranked lower than them.

Before Friday’s win, Zimbabwe’s cricket was defined by past glories — the team that beat Australia in the 1983 Prudential World Cup, the reverse-sweeping mastery of Andy Flower, the all-round skills of the late Heath Streak, the heartwarming journey of Tatenda Taibu from captain to pastor, the dreadlocked Henry Olonga swapping the leather ball for a guitar. Now, there are signs of resurgence in 22-year-old opening batsman Brian Bennett, the hard-hitting wicket-keeper batsman Tadiwanashe Marumani, the industrious medium pacer Blessing Muzarabani, and the slippery pace of Brad Evans.

Cricket could easily have been a lost sport in Zimbabwe, but the players displayed resolve without making much noise. Friday’s victory is a significant step in the team’s quest to become a competitive force.  It reminds the cricketing world that Zimbabwe is not yet the forgotten nation.