Tales of cricketing renaissance in Africa

Arab News

10-07-2025

Six weeks ago, I reported on a Test match between England and Zimbabwe played at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. Despite brave individual performances, Zimbabwe was beaten by an innings and 45 runs.
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It was clear that the team needed to play more Test matches in order to gain experience and improve. The next chance to achieve this came against the newly crowned World Test Champions, South Africa, in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, starting on June 28.
It was my fortune to be present. Thirty-five years ago, my work in a previous career took me to most of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa. I have long promised myself a return trip to see how much has changed. This was the time. The first stop was Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania, where I recall watching cricket played on matting, mainly by middle-class Indians.
In recent years, cricket has enjoyed something of renaissance in Tanzania. This culminated in April 2025 when the men's team qualified for the ICC U-19 Men's World Cup. Having started off in Division Two of the qualifying process, three straight victories over Nigeria, Ghana and Mozambique propelled the team to the semifinal, where Rwanda was beaten, followed by a final victory over Sierra Leone. In the next stage, Tanzania overcame Uganda, Namibia, Kenya, Nigeria and Sierra Leone to finish top of the group.
The star performer was the captain, Laksh Bakrania. His team is the first national Tanzanian cricket team to achieve World Cup qualification in any format of cricket and is only the second ever Tanzanian national team in any sport to qualify for a World Cup. Dr. Balakrishnan Sreekumar, chairman of the Tanzania Cricket Association, said: 'I'm lost for words to say how monumental it is.'
As in most of Africa, football is the dominant sport. Sreekumar admitted that 'unfortunately, there is a pervasive feeling in Tanzania that cricket is only played by rich Indians,' a reality that existed three decades ago. It is no surprise that Sreekumar was at pains to point out that the World Cup squad was made up of ethnic Tanzanians, except for three Indian heritage players. For the TCA, 'this has been the biggest positive as far as we are concerned.' During 2025, both the senior men's and women's teams are playing for a World Cup spot. The pressure is upon them to emulate their juniors. The men's team is now taking part in a quadrangular tournament in Malawi, against the host, plus Bahrain and Germany.
Domestic participation in cricket is growing at the grassroots by an estimated 5 percent per year. Key drivers of this are Criio cricket festivals. These are an ICC initiative, played with a soft ball and minimal equipment, introduced into schools, communities and rural areas. The aim is to provide a link between casual participation and structured cricket. Cricket academies have also been established around the country, whilst cricket has been officially introduced as part of the school sports curriculum. This ought to leave some Full ICC Member countries blushing. Two new cricket grounds are scheduled for construction in Dar es Salaam. The TCA's ambitions are clear. Sreekumar wants 'Tanzania to be one of the leading Associate sides in cricket and crack the T20I top 15 rankings for both the men's and women's senior teams.'
It is a two-hour flight from Dar to Harare, home of the Zimbabwe Cricket Association at the verdant Harare Sports Club. A talk with one of the ground curators revealed a concern that several stalwart players are toward the end of their international careers and that more international matches are required to develop the next generation. This judgment was borne out by the two Test matches played against South Africa in Bulawayo. There, at the Queen's Sports Club, enthusiastic local support was in evidence throughout some torrid sessions for the home team.
Their hopes ran high in the first session of play when Zimbabwe claimed three South African wickets for only 23 runs. The South African team contained only four of those who played in the World Test Championship victory at Lord's in June, injuries and need for rest taking their toll. This opened the door for Test debutantes, two of whom rescued their team's fortunes. Nineteen-year-old Lhuan-dre Pretorious and Dewald Brevis together added 158 runs in a free scoring afternoon session, Pretorious going on to score 153. In doing so, he became the youngest South African to score a century in Test cricket, overtaking the legendary Graeme Pollock. Pretorious was aided by Corbin Bosch, whose calmly composed innings saw him reach a century right on the close of play, with his team totaling an impressive 418 for nine.
After losing opener Brian Bennett to a concussion injury, Sean Williams, with 137, was the main source of resistance in Zimbabwe's response of 251 all out. South Africa stretched this first innings advantage through Wiaan Mulder's 147 and some lower order acceleration, which took the total to 369 all out. Zimbabwe was set an improbable 537 to win. After subsiding to 82 for six, only some lower order hitting took the total to 206 all out, a heavy defeat of 329 runs.
In the second Test, worse was to come. Zimbabwe chose to bowl first and, again, enjoyed early success. At 24 for two, South Africa may have appeared to be in trouble. What then unfolded was nothing short of extraordinary. Wiaan Mulder, acting as captain in place of the injured Keshav Maharaj, embarked upon an innings which has entered the history books. At Lord's, he looked out of his depth with the bat, bereft of attacking shots. In Bulawayo he amassed an unbeaten 367, becoming the 29th batter to do so in Test cricket. Mulder is the first to score a triple hundred on debut as a Test captain and the second fastest, achieving the feat in 297 deliveries.
At lunch on the second day, Mulder was faced with a decision as captain — should he bat on or declare? How ironic that in his first Test as captain, and maybe his last for a while, he would put himself in a position to reach a quadruple hundred and achieve the highest ever individual score in Test history. The current holder is Brian Lara, who scored 400 not out in Antiqua against England in 2004.
Mulder took the view that 'Lara is a legend … and for someone of that stature to keep that record is pretty special.' His selfless decision has divided opinion. Some argue that records are there to be broken and he is unlikely to get another chance. Mulder stands by his decision. South Africa went on to win the match by an innings and 238 runs, extending its winning sequence to 10 Tests. It was another chastening experience for the Zimbabwean squad, which will need to learn lessons quickly if it is to compete against the leading Test playing countries.