Haroon Lorgat pleased by the reinstatement of Zimbabwe's Test Status – Cricket News Update
The Chief Executive Officer of the International Cricket Council, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Haroon-Lorgat-c61719, has been pleased by Zimbabwe’s decision to reinstate its Test status.
The ICC chief executive, while talking to the media reporters on Thursday, said that Zimbabwe's coming back to the five-day game is a progressive step and hoped that the low-ranked side would make a strong comeback to the Test arena with resilient performances in the upcoming fixtures..
"To have Zimbabwe return to playing competitive Test cricket is a progressive step and I hope we will see good performances," said Lorgat, who was in Harare to witness the Test match between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. This would be the former’s first ever Test match since their self-imposed exile from the Test cricket in 2005.
The ICC CEO was encouraged by the positive signs of recovery in the Zimbabwe camp and reckoned the low-ranked side would show more improvement in the coming days.
"The future of Test cricket must be supported and I am encouraged by the positive signs of recovery we see in the game in Zimbabwe,” Lorgat was quoted as saying by an ICC media release.
The introduction of Twenty20 cricket has to some extent sidelined Test cricket internationally, and the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 top official stressed that it is incumbent on the entire cricket community to work collectively to promote the longest format of the game.
He said that he was supporting the Test match between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe only because he wanted to support the five-day format of the sport.
Lorgat insisted that ICC and its member boards have done a lot to improve the state of cricket in Zimbabwe over the past couple of years. He also praised involvement of experienced and talented individuals including former players Grant Flower, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Peter-Chingoka-c81554, and chief executive Ozias Bvute, for praise.
The Zimbabwe Cricket Board (ZCB) withdrew from Test status on January 18, 2006, citing that the national side is not of sufficient Test standard. One major reason behind the plunging form of national cricket in Zimbabwe was the political instability and lack of proper supervision.
Initially ZCB announced that they were suspending playing Test cricket for only one year and will come back to the Test arena in 2007 with a series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760, but it took them more than five years before the board decided to end the self-imposed exile and reinstate the Test status in May, earlier this year.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 as well later this year.
"There is still a long way to go before Zimbabwe can compete consistently with the very best Test nations in the world, but this is a good start," Lorgat concluded.
Tags: