NEW DELHI — Cricket has become the biggest unifier of blacks and whites in Zimbabwe, a country that had seen the two races occupying different corners. The mingling of fans and teamwork by the players — both blacks and whites — has shown that, after all, Zimbabwe could be one big happy family if all the people were to forget their political differences and rally behind the success of the nation, Xinhua reported.
Having been a predominantly all-white game when Zimbabwe gained recognised independence in 1980, cricket has transformed a great deal and blacks now also don the predominantly red and white colours of the national team.
And a strong cricket culture in most schools, starting at the lower levels in primary school, has seen many blacks developing an interest in what is dubbed “the gentlemen’s game”.
Even though President Mugabe has not attended a cricket match in a very long time, he is known as “the country’s No. 1 cricket fan" as he made sure in the past that he watched a number of international matches played on home soil.
Pictures that appeared in The Herald on Monday showing Zimbabwe's winning of the Pran AFL Twenty20 tri-series showed blacks and whites coming together in harmony, celebrating the victory of a nation which has not done very well on the international stage. — IANS.