The BLACKCAPS have put their extra day off between Test matches to good use, spending a night out in the Zimbabwe wilderness.
Hosted by former national cricket captain Heath Streak at his family farm an hour north of Bulawayo, the squad were taken on an afternoon game drive before watching a spectacular sunset from the highest point on the four and a half thousand acre reserve.
The evening was finished off with a traditional Braai before players and staff retired to their rustic bungalows - kitted out with full mosquito nets.
“It’s something different and a nice change from the hotel,” said paceman Trent Boult.
“It’s good to get away from the playing side of things and the rigours of touring life - training, gaming and playing. So it’s nice to unwind and get the opportunity to come out to a place like this and it’s awesome to have entire team here enjoying themselves.”
Streak knows as well as any the pit falls of being an international cricketer and felt it was important to show the tourists a slice of his country.
“It’s probably something that people don’t get to see enough of when they tour,” he said.
“As cricketers you can get into the rut of only seeing airports, hotels and cricket fields and when you do have a day off you don’t think about what you can actually do.
“So for the guys to get out and have days like this is really cool and refreshing.
“It’s probably something as cricketers we need. It helps you refresh mentally more than physically as you get your mind of cricket and have a bit of chill out time to make sure you are ready for the next game.”
The farm has been in the Streak family for over 100 years.
“It’s nice to be able to share it with these guys and hopefully it’s a memory they can take back with them and tell the boys that next time you need to visit Streaky’s pace!”
Boult and co were loaded onto three different safari trucks for the afternoon and weren’t disappointed by what they saw.
“We’ve seen monkeys, zebra, impalas, wildebeest, giraffe and even a Jack Russell so it’s been an awesome afternoon,” said the 27-year-old swing bowler.
“You come here and get onto this hill and watch the sun go down and you appreciate how big Africa really is.”
Finally, Streak took a few of the boys down to the new local school he is helping to build for the locals.
Local kids face a 10 mile walk every day to get to and from school, but a New Zealand initiative is helping to change that.
Christchurch local Andrew Coombs, who has stayed on Streak’s farm a number of times previously, has been the driving force behind building the new school called ‘Good Hope’.
Having gained fundraising from both in New Zealand and Zimbabwe, Coombs project is now well underway.
“After three weeks they’ve basically got two full classrooms up and I think overall they’re aiming for six,” said BLACKCAPS captain Kane Williamson.
“It’s a pretty cool project."
