Umpire Aleem Dar lists ills of Zimbabwean cricket

HARARE - International Cricket Council (ICC) Elite Panel umpire Aleem Dar believes the lack of four-day cricket at the under-19 age level will have a negative impact on the future of the game in Zimbabwe.

The Zimbabwe team only plays the one-day and the Twenty20 formats of game and Zimbabwe Cricket should encourage its players to play three or four-day version of the game, Dar was quoted as saying by The Herald.

Dar said unless the players at junior level play longer version of the game they will not develop skills needed for them to build their innings when they graduate into senior ranks.

“Zimbabwean officials tell me that their cricket is confined to playing only 50-over games,” said Dar.

Dar also noted that the migration of Zimbabwean students to other countries also has an effect on the game.

Dar said cricket at school level in Zimbabwe was vibrant but it was losing good players because of the large-scale relocation of students to other countries to pursue higher and better education.