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Goodwin bids adieu to Zimbabwe

Our Correspondent

Zimbabwe's Test number three batsman and one of the lynchpins of the side, Murray Goodwin announced that he will be leaving Zimbabwe to move to Perth in Western Australia at the end of the NatWest triangular series against England and the West Indies.

The 27-year-old batsman cited personal reasons for the move, saying, "I have spoken to the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, who understand my decision."

He also expressed gratitude to the Zimbabwean cricket authorities for giving him the chance to play international cricket and said he only made the decision after a great deal of thought. However, he said, "I feel the future for myself and my wife will be best served by returning to Perth."

Goodwin has played 19 Tests for Zimbabwe at an average of 42.84. He has three Test centuries under his belt, two of which came against the West Indies and Pakistan. In 64 one-day internationals, he has an average of 26.70.

As early as October of last year, Goodwin had indicated his displeasure with the cricket set-up in Zimbabwe. He was frustrated with its lack of professionalism and unhappy with the earnings made by a cricketer in Zimbabwe. Despite earning a lot of money through television rights, Zimbabwe expected its players to play for the country's honour and paid them accordingly, according to Goodwin. As a result, he was unable to plan for a secure future and thus considered moving back to Australia.

Goodwin hopes to continue a successful career with Western Australia - - that he interrupted to play international cricket for Zimbabwe, the land of his birth. In his last season there, he scored 428 runs with an excellent average of 61.14 and was a member of their Merchantile Mutual Cup-winning team.

His absence will definitely be felt as he was Zimbabwe's sole batting success on their controversial tour of England. The English bowling, not known for its ferocity, made the rest of the batting line-up look like schoolboys in the Test matches. Goodwin stood out like a beacon amidst the ruins and Zimbabwe will find it very hard to fill the huge void in the middle order that his departure creates.

In October, Murray Goodwin issued a warning to the Zimbabwe Cricket Union saying, "There are not a lot of good cricketers in this country, but they have to look after us or the game will die out.'' It seems that his prediction is beginning to come true.