The modern history of Zimbabwe starts with treaties and concessions initiated by Cecil Rhodes and the British South Africa Company in 1888/9.
This was declared illegal by the UK, and 15 years of controversy and sanctions followed until finally the country gained official independence as Zimbabwe in April 1980.
[1] The first recorded match in Rhodesia took place near Fort Victoria (modern Masvingo) on 16 August 1890, on a wicket of a bare twenty two yards of earth, shortly after Cecil Rhodes' Pioneer Column had formed a settlement.
[2] The first English representative team, led by Lord Hawke, visited in 1898–99, with the match played on a matting wicket.
The Logan Cup, a weekend contest between the four provinces, Matabaleland, Mashonaland, Manicaland and Midlands was played on an annual basis, later incorporating Northern Rhodesia, while in the winter months, with the farmers in fallow, Sunday Country Districts' Cricket abounded.
Additionally in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in those winter months, the Stragglers, made up of a number of Mashonaland players, travelled to Blantyre for weekend matches on matting wickets against Nyasaland.
David Lewis was the captain of the Rhodesian team for 10 years, from 1953–54 to 1963–64, and the team included players such as Colin Bland, Chris Duckworth, Godfrey Lawrence, Percy Mansell, Joe Partridge, Tony and David Pithey, Lloyd Koch and Paul Winslow.
[9] By the 1970s, the team was captained by Mike Procter and included players such as John Traicos, Duncan Fletcher, and Robin Jackman.
The team played in 1979–80 as "Zimbabwe-Rhodesia", and left the competition for good at the close of that season after Zimbabwe officially became independent.
Zimbabwe became an associate member of the International Cricket Council on 21 July 1981, and played first-class matches on its inaugural tour of England in 1982.
Later, the team was weakened when white Zimbabweans, including Graeme Hick, left the country to pursue their careers elsewhere.
Zimbabwe's application for Test status and full membership of the ICC was again rejected at the ICC's July 1989 meeting[10] due to a veto by England,[11] although it was agreed that in the future Zimbabwe could play five-day unofficial Tests[10] against representative teams from Test-playing countries, while serving a five-year probationary period before their bid for full membership would be reconsidered in 1994.
[12] Zimbabwe was elected to full membership of the ICC in July 1992, with all full members voting in favour except for England who abstained,[13] and played its inaugural Test match versus India at the Harare Sports Club on 18–22 October 1992, under the captaincy of David Houghton.
Zimbabwe cricket has also nurtured and produced South African born Andy Flower, whose test batting average was over 80 in both 2000 and 2001 and who ranks as one of the finest wicket-keeper batsmen in the history of the game.
[15] Prior to the commencement of their 1957/58 tour of South Africa the Australian cricket team played three matches in Rhodesia.
The Commonwealth XI cricket team visited the country in February–March 1962 and played matches in Kitwe, Bulawayo and Salisbury.