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FORMER Zimbabwe cricket captain Brendan Taylor’s announcement, two years ago, that he was walking away from the international game to sign for English county side Nottinghamshire was greeted with the usual chorus by those who have been in the trenches, for years now, fighting their political battles.

Their domestic and international media allies pumped up the volume and described Taylor’s move as another sign that things were falling apart in this country and our best cricketer, by a considerable mile, had decided to jump ship and look for opportunities elsewhere. They said the centre could not hold anymore and things would soon collapse, using Taylor as their reference point, and twisting what was merely a search for greener pastures by an athlete into a political story full of the usual sounds of doom.

They even predicted that a number of our good cricketers will follow Taylor and dump the Chevrons, because the country was disintegrating, in search for pastures elsewhere. After all, they said Taylor was just following in the footsteps of another local cricket star, seamer Kyle Jarvis, who had also earlier turned his back on international cricket to play for Lancashire on the English county scene.

Ironically, the same noises had not greeted Chris Gayle’s decision to turn his back on international cricket, two years ago, and become a freelance player who would play around the world for franchises that could afford to pay his huge bill. They never said it was a sign that Jamaica, his country, was falling apart and the West Indies, as a cricket team, were disintegrating because in their world there is one rule for Zimbabwe and another rule for others.

And that Gayle was not the only one who had turned his back on international cricket from the Caribbean during that time — with Dwayne Bravo, Sunil Narine, Marlon Samuels and Kieron Pollard part of this group — didn’t seem to matter at all to these people. Zimbabwe has to be demonised, at every given opportunity, and anything that appears to help their cause, including a cricketer who has decided he needs a break from international cricket, has to be used as a weapon of their propaganda war.

What a shame!

Now, that Taylor and Jarvis are back to play for their country, having signed deals with Zimbabwe Cricket, the same prophets of doom — who were saying their departure signalled the beginning of the end of the game here and the disintegration of the country — have suddenly gone into silent mode.

“Just to clear the air, I am returning to represent my country again after 3 (two) years and this time I plan to finish my career with @ZimCrickettv. I believe my decision to go away has helped me grow as a player and I’m sure I will come back a better player. I’m really excited to get stuck in and work with the guys again and I feel that Zimbabwe Cricket is heading in a positive direction again and if I can add some value here and there; that will be great. I’m really looking to get back into the field and representing my country in international cricket, which is the pinnacle for every player and hopefully I can win matches for Zimbabwe again. The goal will be to play in the upcoming Test series against West Indies and obviously the World Cup qualifiers early next year. I believe the team already has some experienced players, there are guys who are coming up to 200 ODIs and the other guys with less experience are really starting to gel. I think we are starting to find the right balance due to the fact that the team is now starting to play more matches, so there’s some momentum on their side,’’ Taylor said.

Those who were preaching the gospel that Taylor’s departure for county cricket in England was a signal that things were falling apart in Zimbabwe have conveniently chosen to go into silent mode. Instead, it has been left to foreigners, including Indian cricket legend Mahendra Singh Donhi, to heap praises on Taylor for making the decision to return to international cricket.

They find themselves failing to understand the resilience of this country, a nation which Taylor always said remained dear to his heart even when he made that decision to go and play in England, because they have always underrated our greatness to defy the odds. They have always lived in denial that we are a country that is falling apart, feasting on their falsehoods, while we are a country that is on the march.

Like every nation, we have our own challenges, but we are not a country that is on the edge of the cliff, about to plunge into a gorge, and if internationally celebrated sports stars like Taylor and Jarvis can decide to come back and make a living here, who else can suggest otherwise?

Welcome home Brendan and Kyle because, after all, there is no better place like home.