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Jeffrey Murimbechi Sports Correspondent
ZIMBABWE Cricket convener of selectors Givemore Makoni  says the disappointing results by the Zimbabwe team at the Under-19 World Cup in India was because of the lack of exposure for the players to that level of the game.
The Zimbabweans lost five matches while their encounter against South Africa was abandoned.
“At the moment very few people if none have first class experience so you cannot really expect those guys to go and compete against India, South Africa and all these other guys,” said Makoni.

“Those guys are regarded as men.
“Even by their associations treat them as a professional side, that’s the difference between us and them.
“The moment the Under-19s are looked at as a schoolboy side we will be losing it, it’s actually supposed be looked at as a men’s side and that is the different between us and all the other sides.

“The only cricket that they play is schools cricket so when they go and compete at the highest level they are competing against people who are already playing first class,” he said.

Ten years ago a Zimbabwe team at the 2003 Under-19 World Cup finished fifth after beating Australia and New Zealand.
That team featured the likes of Brendan Taylor, Tinotenda Mawoyo, Prosper Utseya and Elton Chigumbura.

“If you look at Elton Chigumbura’s Under-19 team, which had guys like Tinashe Panyangara, those boys were used to playing club cricket, very few of our Under-19s are playing club cricket right now,” said Makoni.

“Chigumbura made the Under-19 squad when he was 16 because he had played a lot of club games for Takashinga Cricket Club and he had played against men because Takashinga was playing in the first league.

“During that time he was rubbing shoulders with the likes of Andy Flower and guys like that, at 17 he was a debutant for Mashonaland Cricket (now Mash Eagles) which was playing first class cricket meaning that when we went for the World Cup he had first class experience.”

Zimbabwean results:
1. v India lost by 148 runs
2.  v Australia lost by 147 runs
3 v South Africa lost by 7 wickets
4. v India lost by 9 wickets
5. v Australia lost by 8 wickets
6. v South Africa match abandoned.