Playing Tests when you can’t even pay the rent

THERE will be cricket to watch on television in the coming weeks — and it won’t be the Indian Premier League. Officially, it has a higher status, too, being international as opposed to “domestic”, but in reality it could not be more different.

Zimbabwe against Bangladesh has become Test cricket’s perennial relegation battle — except nobody actually goes down. There is no division two. The rest of the Test-playing world largely ignores the two minnows and fulfil the bare minimum of fixtures and tours as required by the International Cricket Council’s (ICC’s) Future Tours programme.

Bangladesh is able to survive on the economic axis provided by a cricket-mad population of 155-million and the loyal support of its three Test-playing neighbours.

Every two or three years India and the other Asian bloc countries send a team to tour Zimbabwe, too. Three years ago India sent what was effectively an “A” team without superstars to compete in a triangular one-day series with Sri Lanka.

It generated enough money to keep the game alive up until now. But it is on its knees.

Fortunately, India arrive again in a couple of months to play five one-day internationals and the television income will, once again, keep Zimbabwe afloat. After that, in August, Sri Lanka will tour, with Pakistan a couple of months later. A full winter of cricket for the game’s poorest family member. What could be better than that?

Some help with hosting the tours, that’s what. The cost of the Bangladesh tour, which features two Test matches, three one-day internationals and two Twenty20s, is well over $1m.

Well, you can’t invite an international team and then ask them to share a dormitory and eat pap, can you?

The cost, at this stage, exceeds the projected income unless a Bangladeshi sponsor comes on board at the last minute. If that happens, Zimbabwe Cricket can hope to break even, at best.

India will be in the country for exactly 14 days in the second half of July, so at least their costs will be kept to a minimum. Each of the five matches they play will generate in the region of $1m for Zimbabwe Cricket, which will be enough to pay a few months’ interest on their cumulative debt of about $25m.

It isn’t even worth thinking in too much detail about the Sri Lankan and Pakistan tours at this stage. They are a long way into the future and a lot may happen between now and then.

A lot is already happening, and it’s not good.

There is a major cash-flow problem. Zimbabwe Cricket has run out of money — completely. Players and coaches were either paid or offered 10%-20% of their salaries this month, leaving the majority of them unable to buy food, let alone pay rent or travel. Only 10 players have national contracts and the noncontracted players invited to the pretour camp in Harare have been unable to attend.

Sceptics may question where the ICC’s money has “disappeared” to, but the game’s global body has already conducted one forensic audit (some called it a witch hunt) into Zimbabwe Cricket’s finances and found no evidence of fraud or corruption and they have kept an extremely close eye on all revenue-share monies.

Zimbabwe Cricket was told by the ICC to organise a credible domestic structure and competition. They did that.

They were told to organise series against other nations’ “A” teams. They did that (at great cost — New Zealand “A” cost almost $1m two years ago.) Now they are expected to fight their way back to full, credible, active international status with the barest and feeblest of support.

So if you do catch a glimpse of the Zimbos in action this month, you may care to bear one thing in mind.

Those players from outside Harare really are sleeping in a dormitory and eating pap.