HARARE —
The Zimbabwe national soccer team has moved a massive 15 places up the FIFA Coca Cola World Rankings.
The rankings released Thursday by the world football controlling body FIFA have seen the Warriors move up to 101 in the world up from 116 when the rankings were last updated on August 7.
This follows their impressive showing over the period in which they beat Zambia 1-0 in the Africa Nations Championships and the memorable 2-1 win over South Africa’s Bafana Bafana in an international friendly played on a FIFA date Tuesday.
Prior to that, the Zimbabweans had also hammered Mauritius 3-0 before a draw against the same side and another draw at home to Zambia. Only last week the Warriors also drew with Mozambique in a World Cup qualifier.
That has been enough to see the Warriors make huge strides up the ladder but sports follower Maxwell Gwasira thinks the Warriors are way off the perking order.
In another development in sport, the Zimbabwe cricket national team is set to return to the International Cricket Council’s Test Rankings table after six years on the sidelines.
By the end of the two Tests against Pakistan on Saturday, Zimbabwe will return to the ICC Test Ranking table for the first time since May 2007 when they were ranked seventh in the world.
The southern African nation will have played the required minimum eight Tests to qualify for Test Ranking and will return in ninth position just above Bangladesh.
Since their return to Test cricket in August 2011, Zimbabwe have managed to accumulate more points that Bangladesh have managed over the same period.
At the moment, Zimbabwe have 26 rating points while Bangladesh have 10. New Zealand, who will be ranked just above Zimbabwe in eighth position, have 29 rating points.
However, the Zimbabwe cricket family sees no benefit in the team’s ranking as this does not guarantee an improvement on the field of play.
But Gwasira says returning to the Test Rankings is meaningless for the team. He adds there could have been excitement had Zimbabwe beaten a team with a reputation.
The Zimbabwean team has been performing dismally on the international scene. Following the whitewash 5-0 against India, the Zimbabwean team has already lost the Twenty 20 Series, the One Day Internationals and are trailing 1-0 in the two Tests to visiting Pakistan.
The rankings released Thursday by the world football controlling body FIFA have seen the Warriors move up to 101 in the world up from 116 when the rankings were last updated on August 7.
This follows their impressive showing over the period in which they beat Zambia 1-0 in the Africa Nations Championships and the memorable 2-1 win over South Africa’s Bafana Bafana in an international friendly played on a FIFA date Tuesday.
Prior to that, the Zimbabweans had also hammered Mauritius 3-0 before a draw against the same side and another draw at home to Zambia. Only last week the Warriors also drew with Mozambique in a World Cup qualifier.
That has been enough to see the Warriors make huge strides up the ladder but sports follower Maxwell Gwasira thinks the Warriors are way off the perking order.
In another development in sport, the Zimbabwe cricket national team is set to return to the International Cricket Council’s Test Rankings table after six years on the sidelines.
By the end of the two Tests against Pakistan on Saturday, Zimbabwe will return to the ICC Test Ranking table for the first time since May 2007 when they were ranked seventh in the world.
The southern African nation will have played the required minimum eight Tests to qualify for Test Ranking and will return in ninth position just above Bangladesh.
Since their return to Test cricket in August 2011, Zimbabwe have managed to accumulate more points that Bangladesh have managed over the same period.
At the moment, Zimbabwe have 26 rating points while Bangladesh have 10. New Zealand, who will be ranked just above Zimbabwe in eighth position, have 29 rating points.
However, the Zimbabwe cricket family sees no benefit in the team’s ranking as this does not guarantee an improvement on the field of play.
But Gwasira says returning to the Test Rankings is meaningless for the team. He adds there could have been excitement had Zimbabwe beaten a team with a reputation.
The Zimbabwean team has been performing dismally on the international scene. Following the whitewash 5-0 against India, the Zimbabwean team has already lost the Twenty 20 Series, the One Day Internationals and are trailing 1-0 in the two Tests to visiting Pakistan.