The brief: Score runs,take wickets,buy heaps of bats

It wasn’t always like that,though. “I brought three bats to India. They have all got a lot of work done on them. A couple of them had started cracking at the splice. They were really old pieces but I played on with them in the past because there wasn’t any other option,” says Geyle.

Scarce commodity

With no local manufacturers,cricket equipment is mostly imported in Zimbabwe. “Even an average imported bat will cost about $280,” he says. And while Geyle and a number of his teammates play grade cricket in the UK,prices are prohibitively high there as well. Hence it’s a no-brainer to buy them here. “Here,you can get a pretty good bat from around 75 dollars,” he says.

Indeed,the team had been advised well in advance to do their shopping in India. While some who had toured the country previously were already aware that their trip could serve a useful double purpose,others were tipped off by their seniors. “Before we came here we had gone to a function where the international players were present. Regis Chakabva (the national team’s wicketkeeper) came up to me and told me that if I was going to India,I needed to pick up as much gear as I could,” says Joylord Gumbie,who scored 60 with his shining new blade.

Shopaholics

“Rather than wasting your money on a mobile phone or something it would be better to bring back at least eight bats which you will be using for the next few years,” he adds,laughing.

And shop they did. “Right on the first day itself they asked me where they could go and buy cricket bats and kit. All of them would have gone and bought stuff. They must have shopped for at least four lakh rupees on the first day,” says P Nagendra,Zimbabwe’s liason officer on this tour.

Much like kids in a candy store,everyone has overindulged. Gumbie returned with four bats,four pairs of batting gloves,wicketkeeping gloves and a kitbag to put all of that stuff in. “It’s going to make a lot of people very jealous,” he grins. Clive Chitumba,who topscored with 83,bought every item of kit possible down to pads,guards and sneakers. Geyle already has four bats but plans to get a couple more. And the raving has just begun.

“The bats here have a really long sweet spot and the edges are really thick even in a 2-pound-8-ounce bat,” says Geyle who has bought his bats a bit heavier,however. “I plan on using these things as I get older as well.”

A few players are not just stocking up on brand new kits for themselves,but are also busy buying stuff for others at home. Three of Geyle’s old bats will find new owners right here in Visakhapatnam. The team is planning to visit a local orphanage and he plans to give them away there. Considering the amount of equipment they plan to bring back,one wonders if airline weight restrictions played a part in their calculations. Not so.

“When we came in the team had permission to carry about 1500 kg of luggage with them. We only brought in about 500kg in total so we can still carry a ton of stuff back with us,” Geyle says. Undoubtedly,as the team heads out on further shopping over the next week,they will run that number close.