Streak seen as key to Zimbabwe's Test plans

If anything Alistair Campbell is a realist about Zimbabwe?s position in the Test arena and when one of your front-line players is injured it exposes the lack of depth in a nation where there is a major gap between grass roots growth and provincial levels.

Not surprisingly the fitness of all-rounder Heath Streak and hoping to lure leg-spinner Adam Huckle out of retirement with the promise of a regular place in the senior ranks, especially at Test level, lies heavily with the Zimbabwe?s captain, Campbell, and coach Dave Houghton.

What with a refreshingly candid assessment of Zimbabwe?s defeat by an innings and 13 runs in the first Test of the home and away series with South Africa in Bloemfontein on Monday, Campbell admitted the need to bat and ``score big runs'' when put into bat was important.

But when it came to looking at the second Test, in Harare next week, there were more questions than answers as the selectors look at where they are heading with Andy Pycroft, the former Western Province batsman as the selection panel convener, delaying the announcement of the side until this weekend.

``It is likely to be more of a squad than an exact side,'' Campbell hinted when quizzed on the likely make up after the hammering received in Bloemfontein.

There is also the matter of a of warm-up game involving Sri Lanka in Bulawayo before that series starts after the second Tests against South Africa and which might affect final team selection for the game starting in Harare on Thursday.

``Our top six have not been competing at Test level and it is a worry for us,'' he admitted. ``It is something we need to seriously look at as we did not perform against Australia either. You have to have runs on the board to be competitive and we have not been doing that so we need to take serious look at where we are going wrong.''

It was his hope that Streak, Huckle and Andy Blignaut are available for the game in Harare, especially as the bowling fire power was seriously handicapped with Streak?s knee injury which cropped up in the game against Australia. Streak had a minor operation to get rid of some scar tissue before the one-off test against Steve Waugh?s visitors last month and it flared up during the Harare match.

``He needed some rest after the operation and I think he came back a little too early,'' admitted Campbell. ``I have had a talk with him and it sounds positive that he will be ready for the second match of the series.''

Which is important as Campbell said the surface in Harare gave more carry and contained better bounce than the pitch in Bloemfontein. It also gave the seam bowlers considerably more help in the first session of each day.