Streak steps down
Ashish Shukla
Zimbabwe cricket team today plunged into crisis with captain Heath Streak stepping down from his post, just ahead of the opening match of triangular one-day series against West Indies, reportedly in protest against the inclusion of black wicket-keeper Tetinda Taibu in the team.
Though there is no official word on the resignation as yet, sources in the Zimbabwe Cricket Union said Streak did not approve of the 17-year-old schoolboy's inclusion in place of wicketkeeper batsman Andy Flower who has been ruled out of the series due to a thumb injury.
Surprisingly, even vice-captain Guy Whittall refused to lead the team and it was left to Grant Flower to take over the responsibility. Whittall had earlier protested against the selection of opener Dion Ebrahim, a player of Asian descent, in the first Test against Bangladesh in April this year and had made it known that he would have preferred Gavin Rennie in the side.
In the new politically correct mileu of ZCU, equal racial representation between the whites and blacks is being seen as a necessity and a number of blacks have been given the opportunity to play for the country.
Streak and some of his collegues, it is learnt, wanted Don Campbell, younger brother of Alistair Campbell, instead of Taibu. However, Taibu justified his selection with a smart stumping of Darren Ganga, top-scorer for West Indies in today's match, and was generally very energetic and athletic behind the stumps.
Streak is the third Zimbabwe captain to resign in a row after Andy Flower and Campbell quit their jobs for one reason or the other.
Mail Cricket Editor
