BY SPORTSCAST WRITER
HARARE – England cricket legend Kevin Pietersen has included two Zimbabwean folk heroes among his carefully chosen list of international players he reckons represented the game’s greatest era.
The former Three Lions captain put together 39 iconic ex-internationals from different countries, naming Zimbabwean brothers Andy and Grant Flower alongside their compatriot Heath Streak among the luminaries.
South African-born Pietersen posted his fantasy selection on X on Christmas Eve, sparking nostalgic reaction from his followers.
“When was the greatest era in cricket?” asked Pietersen.
“I think it was when we had players like:
“Warne, Lee, Pigeon, Ponting, Hayden, Wasim, Waqar, Saeed Anwar, Aamir Sohail, Mushy, Sachin, Ganguly, Dravid, Srinath, Ranatunga, De Silva, Murali, Mahela, Kumar, Vaas, Fleming, Bond, Vettori, Astle, Kallis, Donald, Pollock, Kirsten, Cronje, Jonty, Ambrose, Walsh, Lara, Flintoff, Trescothick, Vaughan, Streak, Flowers.”
Being mentioned alongside such greats of the game – legendary figures who left indelible legacy on the sport – highlight the world-class talent Zimbabwe used to have in a past era as well as the high esteem with which cricket in the African country was held across the cricketing world.
It is stark contrast to the present, where a bruised and uninspiring Zimbabwean side has been reduced to the levels of smaller cricketing countries that used to look up to the once respected Southern African power for help with their cricket development.
In November, Zimbabwe failed to qualify for the 2024 T20 World Cup after losing crucial qualification matches to Namibia and Uganda, both associate member nations of the International Cricket Council.
