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Streak sees dark times ahead for Zimbabwe unless the players are treated with more respect
Former Zimbabwe pace bowler Heath Streak has admitted that Kyle Jarvis’ decision to retire from international cricket in order to seek more lucrative contracts elsewhere in the world does not come as a big surprise to him.
Streak added that the loss of the 24-year-old seamer would be devastating to the national team.
Jarvis recently announced that he was signing with English county side Lancashire and wanted to become a Twenty20 specialist.
“I think it’s a big loss for Zimbabwean cricket,” Streak told Cricketworld.com. “We invested a lot in some of these players and its sad to see them just walk away.
“Again it’s not surprising especially with the way these players have been treated. They are not valued as professionals, if you look at the late payments issues.”
Jarvis opted out of Zimbabwe’s ongoing home series against Pakistan after a heated dispute with the country’s cricket board over delayed payments.
Streak noted that he did not blame Jarvis for his decision and added that this trend could continue unless Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) start treating their players with more respect.
“You can’t blame some of these players on the decisions they make,” Streak said. “We see people like Gary Ballance decide to play county; you better ask the question ‘Why?’ The way these guys have been treated is like they are not professionals. That’s why Tatenda (Taibu), Dougie (Hondo), Andy (Blignaut), Pommie (Mbangwa), Dougie Marillier have ended their careers prematurely,” Streak said. “A lot of these guys could have still been around, they could be still playing but they are not. What’s the problem? Until the players are treated as valuable products, this trend will continue.”
The former pace bowler also stated that Jarvis would gain a lot of valuable experience by playing county cricket in England.
“I can’t doubt that he will make an impact because you are judged according to your performances and you get treatment like you are a professional,” Streak said. “Everything is perfect for one as a player.”