It doesnt look like much, but the concrete slab at Seke One High School in Chitungwiza might just be a genesis point for Zimbabwe crickets recovery. Every weekend dozens of young cricketers gather from around the sprawling township to receive cricket coaching at Ramah Sports Academy from a few dedicated men.Some might hesitate to term it an academy, given the state of facilities. In the middle of a field a concrete strip represents the pitch, but the AstroTurf covering, installed in 2002 by Zimbabwe Cricket, has long disintegrated. The nets that were built at the same time are in a state of disrepair, and because the field has to be shared with other sports such as football and rugby, the cricketers often end up practising on the concrete slab that is meant to be the basketball court.Its not ideal, but development has to start somewhere, and there is no sign of Zimbabwe Cricket driving it. The board used to install and maintain facilities in township schools around the country, and even pay for emerging talent to attend strong cricketing schools. Tatenda Taibu, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Vusi Sibanda, Elton Chigumbura, Hamilton Masakadza and Prosper Utseya were all products of that programme, but it has fallen by the wayside over the past decade.Ramah was started in 2012 by Sylvester Mutusva and Cromen Zinyama, both of whom are residents of Chitungwiza, the high-density dormitory town just outside of Harare that 350,000 people call home.Mutusva has a long history in coaching, going back to 1994, when he began performing the role part-time. In 2000 he became a full-time coach with ZC, and rose through their development programme. At the end of the decade, as one of the most respected junior coaches in the country, he was sent to Australia by ZC to complete his Advanced Level Two coaching certificate. He went on to coach Zimbabwes womens team before leaving his post in 2011 for family and spiritual reasons.Mutusva has used his knowledge to run Level One coaching courses in Chitungwiza, where Zinyama, a former Mashonaland Eagles player, became one of his students after realising that he wasnt going to make it at the highest level. The courses dont carry an official certificate, but they are at least providing knowledge to prospective coaches who are subsequently being employed by township schools. All of which is ample evidence of a hunger for cricket.There has been no shortage of opinion in recent weeks about how Zimbabwe cricket has reached the lows that it displayed during Indias recent tour, but not enough positive discussion on how it might be revived. That is in no small part down to the negative vibe around Zimbabwe at present, where a cash crisis has pushed unemployment to an all-time high and protests against the government have flared up over the past week. With ZC crippled by mismanagement and a debt of US$19m, it is difficult to see signs of hope in an increasingly barren landscape.The revolution, it seems, might need to be privatised by those who genuinely care about the game. Mutusva and Zinyama do not rely on Ramah for their income. They both carry jobs during the week and coach on weekends. They have recently expanded their operation to the towns of Chiredzi and Ruwa, and struck a deal to rent fields at Alexandra Sports Club in Harare for the big occasions when their 150 children come from the three areas in which they operate. Although they ask for a $35 registration fee and a monthly membership of $40, they say that not many of the kids are able to pay the full amount.But we cant stop them from coming, because they have talent, says Zinyama, who is the driving force behind the academy. We want to develop that talent, so at the end of the day they just pay what they can so that theres continuation in the day-to-day running of the academy.The pair has also become an affiliate of the National Twenty20 Cricket Federation, which has enabled them to send players to India and host teams from the subcontinent. Mutusva travelled to India in 2013 and 2014, and will be taking some senior players over again this year. Ive learnt a lot in India, he says. They can play cricket anywhere, in any open field. Its not all about resources where we say that we dont have a cricket facility. In India any open space is a cricket facility.Of course that may be good enough at the lower levels of the game, but if Zimbabwe are to truly rise up as an international force once more they will need somewhere to develop their top players. Which is where Howzat Academy on the other side of Harare comes in.With the disintegration of facilities around the country, Howzat feels like a cricketing oasis. Housed at Heritage School in Borrowdale, one of the most privileged schools in the country in one of the countrys most privileged suburbs, this indoor facility has floors lined with fresh green AstroTurf, brand new nets, and an armoury of bowling machines. Although it feels a world away from Ramahs Chitungwiza headquarters, the two are linked: Howzat regularly hosts coaching sessions for Ramahs boys free of charge, and arranges matches between the two academies.Howzat has been set up by Sean Bell, who is also Zimbabwes fitness and fielding coach, and former Zimbabwe seamer Gary Brent. Both have Level Three coaching certificates from the ECB, and are probably the only Zimbabweans in the country with such a qualification. Zimbabwe used to have an army of well-trained coaches in its schools, providing the foundation for a national team that rose above its station. But that is no longer the case. Id guess that 80% of our coaches in the school system are unqualified, says Bell.Earlier this year Howzat got in touch with the ICC Academy in Dubai to see if they could send Zimbabwe seamer Donald Tiripano over for a coaching course, after Tiripano and Sean Williams got involved in some coaching sessions. The ICC Academys response was that, given Howzats facilities, it might make sense to send some facilitators to them to run Level One and Two courses. All Howzat need is a letter of approval from ZC, which the board is yet to provide, despite numerous requests. Bell remains optimistic, though, and says that up to 60 coaches could go through ICC programmes at Howzat this year if it comes off. Thats our big scheme - to develop coaches and send them back into the schools, he says. If the letter is not forthcoming, he intends to bus a load of coaches up to Zambia to hold the ICC course there. Howzat, which opened its doors last year, has other big plans. We dont just want to be coaching Little Johnny, says Bell, although that will still be part of it. With ZCs academy at Country Club in Harare now effectively dismantled, it makes sense for Howzat to become the new high-performance centre.Bell suggests that in time the academy could incorporate some of the promising Under-19s and form a fifth franchise. Proposals have been put to ZC, and one imagines that Taibu will be an interested visitor - to both Howzat and Ramah - once he returns from England to begin his role as a development officer. ZC chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani and director of development Givemore Makoni have toured the facility, although attempts by ESPNcricinfo to gain Mukuhlanis thoughts on Howzats proposals - or his plans for the Country Club academy - were unsuccessful.An outdoor net facility is also being established at Howzat, and the school where it is situated recently built dormitories that the academy could use in school holidays. Walking through the accommodation, its strikingly unlike the usual Zimbabwean boarding schools. There are four beds per room, each with en suite bathroom, and communal areas with huge flatscreen TVs. Howzat hopes to lure touring teams from abroad - including counties looking for pre-season venues - which would give Zimbabwes cricketers some fresh opposition.It all sounds positive and possible, especially if ZC comes to the party. Ramah say that with additional funding they want to take their programme to the rural areas.It is also worth noting that Bulawayo has two academies of its own - one operating in the high-density areas and the other, which was set up by Heath Streak, servicing the higher end of the market.Lets look at where were at and how weve just performed against India, says Bell. You go on social media and everyone is cussing us, 100%, but what are guys doing about it? I see it as a bad series, very disappointing, but I still see talent there. There are some guys who have played a lot of games, and there are still some good brains in that changing room. But wheres the next generation? Where are they going to come from?Weve got to rebuild from somewhere, adds Brent. Weve got to rebuild from the bottom. Air Max Wholesale Free Shipping . 4 Villanova with a 96-68 drubbing on Monday. Wragge hit 9-of-14 from behind the arc, matching Kyle Korvers school record for 3-pointers in a game set in 2003, as Creighton (16-3, 6-1 Big East broke a conference record with 21 treys in the rout. Cheap Air Max Free Shipping . Deulofeu injured a muscle in his right leg in Evertons 4-1 win over Fulham in the English Premier League on Saturday. Barcelona says that its team doctors will "co-ordinate" with Evertons medical staff as Deulofeu recovers. http://www.airmaxcheapwholesale.com/ . 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Now the Pacers have a fighting chance to pull off a stunning playoff upset. Roy Hibbert did everything but pull out the boxing gloves in Game 6, finishing with 24 points and 11 rebounds, and continually contesting Miamis shots to help Indiana stave off elimination with an emphatic 91-77 victory over the defending champs. Paul George scored 28 points, had eight rebounds and five assists, and the Pacers held Miami to 36.1 per cent shooting as they booked a trip back to Miami for Game 7 on Monday night. "Myself and David (West), we throw ourselves in the fray, in the paint. We like to muck it up," Hibbert said. "Paul and myself, we wanted to make sure we got this for him as well. We didnt want this to be our last game." It wasnt. Instead, after winning their first division crown since 2004, the Pacers are one win away from advancing to the NBA Finals for only the second time in franchise history. They lost to the Lakers 4-2 in 2000. They havent played a decisive seventh game in the conference finals since losing to Chicago in 1998. And amazingly, theyve done it this time against the defending champions who many considered virtually invincible after winning 27 straight during the regular season, finishing with a franchise-record 66 wins and having won 23 of their last 24 road games before losing Games 4 and 6 in Indianapolis. But the Pacers have pushed four-time MVP LeBron James and his high-scoring, high-profile teammates to the brink of elimination by punching back, and Game 6 followed a familiar story line. The Pacers had a 53-33 rebounding advantage, outscored Miami 44-22 in the paint and limited Miamis shooters to 16 of 54, 29.6 per cent, from inside the arc. James led the Heat with 29 points on 10-of-21 shooting. Nobody else scored more than 10. How have the Pacers done it? With Hibbert controlling the inside after adding MMA training to his off-season regiment. "Roy Hibbert is making extraordinary plays in the pocket, poise in the pocket we call it," coach Frank Vogel said. "Hes getting paint catches and just having great poise, great reads. Hes not plowing over guys. He had a charge in Game 5, but has been under control." It was everything an elimination game should be. The teams traded baskets and jabs, sometimes literally, and players ignored the bumps and bruises of yet another wrestling match that has made this tough-guy series compelling. Both teams attacked the basket, sometimes with problematic results. Indiana missed about five dunk attempts in the first half and a series of short jumpers, too, costing them precious points. The Heat struggled, meanwhile, starting the game just 3 of 22 from inside the 3-point line. Miamis Big Three -- James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh -- went just 14 of 40. Excluding James, Miami managed only 16 baskets -- eight 3s and eight 2s. With Chris "Birdman" Andersen suspended for the game because of a shoving incident with Indiana forward Tyler Hansbrough on Thursday, the Heat couldnt keep up with Indianas big rebounders inside. Even Lance Stephenson, who was not effective at Miami, finished with four points, 12 rebounds and four assists. Indianas loud crowd created a hostile atmosphere, too. Fans chanted ";Heat Are Floppers!" sporadically throughout the second half, urging the Pacers to play harder, to defend better and to make another trip home.dddddddddddd The only way to do that is to win Game 7 and avoid a second straight playoff elimination at the hands of the Heat. For Miami, the stakes were so high that when James was called for an offensive foul midway through the fourth quarter, he lost his cool. James protested by running from one end of the court to the other, drawing a technical foul, and when Miami assistant coach David Fizdale showed his support for the leagues four-time MVP, it drew another technical. George Hill answered by making free throws and Hibbert followed that with a layup, ending any chance of Miami making a late comeback. James said he was trying to avoid an ejection and would up spending the last 66 seconds sitting a few seats down from the Heat bench cheering on his teammates. "Explain it? You seen it. It was total domination by the Pacers in the third," James said when asked what happened to the leagues most dominant team on Saturday. "They made a lot of shots, we didnt get too many stops and we missed some very, very easy shots." It was a complete reversal from Game 5, when Miami took control by outscoring the Pacers 30-13 in the third. This time, against one of the leagues top offensive teams, the Pacers gave up only six points in the first eight minutes of the quarter, using a 14-2 run to turn a 40-39 halftime deficit into a 66-49 lead with 1:15 left in the quarter. Hibbert scored nine in the quarter. Miami did close to within 68-55 after three, but it was too big a deficit to overcome -- even with James running the show. "They just flat-out beat us in every facet of the game. They just outclassed us in that (third) quarter," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. The Heat rallied early in the fourth, taking advantage of Indianas 1 for 6 start from the field. When Mike Miller hit back-to-back 3s, the Pacers lead was down to 70-64 and when James scored on a layup with 5:54 to play, the Heat were within 72-68. But the run ended abruptly when George hit a 3, Miamis Joel Anthony was called for a loose ball foul on the offensive end and David West grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a dunk to extend the lead to 77-68. Then came the technical flurry that finished it off. West scored 11 points and had 14 rebounds despite playing with an upper respiratory infection that prompted Vogel to send him home early from the Pacers morning shootaround. He played with a fighters mentality and gave the Pacers one more shot at the champs. "Weve come too far not to play," West said. "Im not feeling good now although this win helps. Im sure Ill be better tomorrow and Ill be ready for Monday." Notes: Miami matched its season-low point total (77), which also occurred against the Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Jan. 8. ... Miami finished the season 1-4 at Indiana, losing twice in the regular season and twice in the playoffs. ... After the game, Hibbert criticized the media for not recognizing the Pacers as a good team -- using a foul two-word expletive that will almost certainly draw a fine from the league. ... Former Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Carl Erskine performed the National Anthem on a harmonica. 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