White players resisted integration of blacks

By Lee Mangena

Former Zimbabwe Cricket Captain Andy Flower has admitted some white players in the national team resented the idea of bringing in black players. Flower who is also a former England coach disclosed this through a foreword for Tatenda Taibu's auto biography, Keeper of Faith. "Looking back, l wish l had been wiser in the way l responded. l think that (former South African Captain) Graeme Smith and the people around him handled a similar situation in South Africa with more wisdom and with a better understanding of the bigger picture. It must have been difficult for youngsters such as Tatenda Taibu and his friends Hamilton Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri and Vusi Sibanda but l think they handled themselves extremely well", one of Zimbabwe's greatest cricket players wrote.

Keeper of Faith is Tatenda Taibu's autobiography that takes the reader through the life of Zimbabwe's first black cricket captain. It also touches on his religious beliefs.

Andy Flower