He was absent in 2003, and in 2007 was
controversially dropped for being out of form.
With scores of zero, 42 (in a match where the
entire team was bowled out for 99), zero and
28 in the four Test innings of the summer
preceding the announcement of the
squad against New Zealand at home, he was
in admittedly middling form.
But Masakadza certainly performed no less
than any of five batsmen who went to the
World Cup in that squad among them Friday
Kasteni, Keith Dabengwa and Stuart
Matsikenyeri, who infamously went for a big
hit in the final match of a ball against Ireland
when all they needed was a single to win.
It was a puzzling call to drop him, and worse
was to come four years later in 2011. The
latter was a spectacularly foolish decision,
only eclipsed in its hopelessness by
Coventry’s failures in that World Cup, on flat
pitches in which the historically uncertain
Brendan Taylor prospered away from home.
More about that later.
Masakadza has been picked finally and
should do justice to the overdue call. So too
should Tawanda Mpariwa, the fastest bowler
to reach 50 ODI wickets since Eddo Brandes
and yet for six years left in the wilderness
despite Heath Streak’s call for out and out fast
bowlers to be utilized in 2008. Campbell was
also reported saying Mpariwa needed “to bat
like Paul Collingwood” to be selected again.
Collingwood has since retired, and Mpariwa is
yet to bat like the stolid Englishman.
It remains to be seen if he will cope in the
hard and fast pitches of Australia where his
medium pacers might yet turn out to be
cannon fodder for run hungry batsmen used
to modern day T20, but his selection can
hardly be faulted after an impressive season
in domestic cricket.