22-05-2025
Weak Zimbabwe side against England is a sign that we need two divisions in Test cricket, writes NASSER HUSSAIN
If you take yesterday in isolation, this Test is a complete mismatch. But am I surprised? No.
You feared it would be this way from watching Zimbabwe lose last week against a Professional County Club Select XI, a team made up of young players who can't get into their county sides.
A day like this only serves to open the debate of whether Zimbabwe should even be playing this format.
Their former captain Alistair Campbell, who is here working for Sky, is a realist and argues they are better off focusing on white-ball cricket and World Cups.
They have got 11 Test matches this year and he feels they should have three less and spend the money they save on improving their domestic structure.
Personally, I am of the opinion that every nation should have the opportunity to play Test cricket and you improve by playing more red-ball cricket, not less. But maybe yesterday is a sign that we do need two divisions in Test cricket.
Yes, you would then miss some great moments, like Sri Lanka beating England at the Oval last year, or West Indies beating Australia in Brisbane. And be careful what you wish for, because if England slipped up and had a bad few months, you then don't get an Ashes series.
But in any contest, you want to turn up feeling that both sides have an opportunity to win and you didn't feel like that at Trent Bridge yesterday.
That is why I would be in favour of two divisions, as long as it is not a closed shop, and teams have the chance to win promotion to the top division.
I want to see Zimbabwe get back to being the great cricketing nation they once were and all they are learning here is how far they have got to go.
As for England, at least the batters who need runs have gained some confidence.
No matter the quality of the opposition, nothing improves your mood more than getting a score and feeling comfortable in the middle again – and that's what this will have done for Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope.
It is sad to see how Zimbabwe have fallen away from the tough, streetwise side I played against all those years ago, when they had top players like Andy and Grant Flower, Campbell and Heath Streak.
How has that happened? Some of it is self-inflicted by political interference and financial issues, which led to them being banned from Test cricket for so many years.
But it is also the direction of travel of cricket and its finances, with the top sides holding all the money and the power.
A huge gulf has opened up between the haves and have-nots in world cricket.
I am very pleased the ECB have paid Zimbabwe a touring fee of £150,000 to come here and I think more nations need to do that. It would be very dull if it was only England, India and Australia playing each other in Tests, and the other nations only focused on white-ball cricket.
So the real question is not should this match be happening, but how have we let it get to this stage and do we really want to something about it? If we do, what are we going to do?
There is a lot of work to be done, not only by Zimbabwe cricket, but also the ICC.
