by Arunabha Sengupta
Feb 10, 2003.
The match was a low-key Zimbabwe-Namibia affair in the 2003 World Cup at the Harare Sports Club. However, the action that took place was much more explosive.
Only Grant Flower had been aware of the plans of the duo. The crowd got to know what was going on only in the 22nd over. At 107 for one, Andy Flower walked out to bat wearing a black armband. There were photographs which captured Olonga sporting his armband on the players’ balcony.
But, from about an hour before the start of play, ripples of rumour had already started doing rounds, leading to a furore in the dressing room and jolting the administration with a brutal shock. Two of the senior-most cricketers of Zimbabwe, Andy Flower and Henry Olonga, had conveyed their decision to issue a media statement and wear black armbands “to mourn the death of democracy in the country”.
It had been well-planned. The two had met in a café a month earlier, with a few of their mates. Flower had laid down the cards. Both were fully aware of the consequences of such an action. Olonga even voiced that the authorities knew where he lived and could take him out if they wanted to. But, the plight of the countrymen took precedence for both the cricketers. Their joint statement summed it up eloquently.
Flower represented the White Zimbabwe, Olonga the Black.
“It is a great honour for us to take the field today to play for Zimbabwe in the World Cup… We are however deeply distressed about what is taking place in Zimbabwe in the midst of the World Cup and do not feel that we can take the field without indicating our feelings in a dignified manner and in keeping with the spirit of cricket…”
It proceeded to lay bare the evils plaguing the nation. Facts known to almost everyone but seldom voiced with this amount of bravura in front of an international audience:
“We cannot in good conscience take to the field and ignore the fact that millions of our compatriots are starving, unemployed and oppressed. We are aware that hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans may even die in the coming months through a combination of starvation, poverty and Aids. We are aware that many people have been unjustly imprisoned and tortured simply for expressing their opinions about what is happening in the country. We have heard a torrent of racist hate speech directed at minority groups. We are aware that thousands of Zimbabweans are routinely denied their right to freedom of expression. We are aware that people have been murdered, raped, beaten and had their homes destroyed because of their beliefs and that many of those responsible have not been prosecuted. We are also aware that many patriotic Zimbabweans oppose us even playing in the World Cup because of what is happening.”
It concluded with the plea: “In all the circumstances we have decided that we will each wear a black armband for the duration of the World Cup. In doing so we are mourning the death of democracy in our beloved Zimbabwe. In doing so we are making a silent plea to those responsible to stop the abuse of human rights in Zimbabwe. In doing so we pray that our small action may help to restore sanity and dignity to our Nation.”
Olonga had printed the statement, Flower had handed it to Geoffrey Dean of Daily Telegraph. In the same paper, Donald Trelford wrote that the two players “shine out like diamonds in a pile of mud”. Simon Barnes in the Times called it a “powerful blow for sanity, decency and democracy”.
It was released at 9:30 AM on the day of the match. Flower called the team together and said, “Henry and I have done something. There’s a kit bag in the corner and if anyone wants to have a read what is in there, please feel free.” There was no negative reaction among the teammates. Only admiration.
The authorities were shell-shocked. Robert Mugabe’s third world thugs had expected opposition parties attempting to demonstrate with the world focused on Zimbabwe due to the World Cup. However, the blow had come from the premier sportsmen. On the world stage.
Olonga and Flower were immediately confronted by Vince Hogg, the CEO of the Zimbabwe board. However, negotiations were futile. The two cricketers were not in a mood to back down. The official squirmed within the monumental constraints placed on him. It resulted in a deadlock. The decision had been made and there was no turning back.
Flower contributed 39 in 29 balls that day with three fours and a six. Olonga bowled three tidy overs for eight runs. Showers interrupted and Namibia lost by the Duckworth-Lewis method.
In a reaction that defied logic and belief, the Zimbabwe board reported the pair to the ICC. But, in a game of political ping-pong, the ball was expertly lobbed back to their court by the bosses of the cricketing world. ICC, as usual, expertly perched on the fence.
Dropping Andy Flower would have been the preferred course of action for the Zimbabwe Cricket board, but for the fact that he was the one and only world-class player in the country by a long, long way. Besides it was very likely that senior players would rise up in revolt if he was omitted.
Hence, Olonga had to bear the entire weight of the axe. It included directives against his being used as a 12th man under any circumstance. When he announced his retirement at the conclusion of the game against Sri Lanka, the managing director of the cricket board, Ozias Bvute, personally ensured that Olonga was not allowed to get on the team bus after the match. He was driven to the airport by security personnel.
After the Namibia game, Flower played the remaining matches wearing black sweatbands – and his attire was quickly mimicked by hundreds of protestors in the stands. His great career too came to an end with Zimbabwe’s World Cup campaign.
It was a great, great career. 4794 runs at 51.50 with 12 hundreds in 63 Tests, for one of the weakest sides one can think of. In 55 of those Tests he donned the big gloves as well.
And of course, later he became quite a successful coach of the English team.
Yet, perhaps Flower’s greatest contribution was not with the bat or the big glove, in his whites or in his coloured Zimbabwean ODI outfit … but with his pen and his black arm-bands and black sweatbands.
Andy Flower was born on April 28, 1968.