The Sunday Mail
Brighton Zhawi
A grounds man at Harare Sports Club reckons that the nets there have developed cracks “big enough to trap a toddler’s foot”.
Despite that, he, together with his colleagues, still do all they can to maintain the cricket field.
For more than 20 days now, Zimbabwe Cricket has endured life in the wilderness ever since the domestic game was suspended by the International Cricket Council on July 18 following the suspension of the association’s board by the Sport and Recreation Commission.
However, the SRC nullified their decision to suspend the ZC board last Thursday. Hopefully all the mayhem will be over soon.
Focus has since shifted to the ICC’s next move on Zimbabwe.
But while the consequences of the suspension received extensive media coverage, a special constituency, that of Harare Sports Club grounds men, was also reeling in uncertainty.
Amid all the madness, which spilled into the courts of law, very few people seem to have given thought to the playing field at the Harare Sports Club oval.
It is therefore no coincidence that the Zimbabwe Cricket grounds men were the first people on the ground following a release of the SRC statement last week.
“The field will be fine soon,” said one of the grounds men with a chuckle.
“Obviously it’s not in a good shape but it’s our job to get it back to its normal state,” he said.
As the grounds men assessed the impact of the long dry spell on the turf, water sprinklers could be seen spraying the precious liquid on the grass, giving it a new lease of life.
“Life has been tough, but now that the issue has been sort of resolved, we hope we can now carry on with our duties and play our role in developing Zimbabwe Cricket,’’ said one of the grounds men, who preferred anonymity.
The Chevrons will regroup in the coming weeks ahead of their September tour to Bangladesh. Before then, the diligent grounds men would have ensured that the Harare Sports Club turf is ready for on-field business.
