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Blessing muzarabani

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Watch Dustin Melton from Derbyshire, yet another lost Zimbabwean, bowls around 150 when he bends his back and can bat. He’s not in their starting line up either 😂
There's rumors on twitter that Durham are coming over as well.
Legend

Googly wrote: ↑Mon Dec 30, 2019 10:35 am

Watch Dustin Melton from Derbyshire, yet another lost Zimbabwean, bowls around 150 when he bends his back and can bat. He’s not in their starting line up either 😂


Let's do some reverse poaching while they are in Zim 😂
ZCF OriginalZCF Hall of Famer

foreignfield wrote: ↑Mon Dec 30, 2019 9:34 pm


Googly wrote: ↑Mon Dec 30, 2019 10:35 am

Watch Dustin Melton from Derbyshire, yet another lost Zimbabwean, bowls around 150 when he bends his back and can bat. He’s not in their starting line up either 😂


Let's do some reverse poaching while they are in Zim 😂


Exactly my thoughts too :D
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He was living in SA and some years ago felt he’d missed out on their U19 squad. I think they picked Ngidi instead?

Anyway he’s done his time in the UK and became eligible recently. He had to bowl on a speed gun before Derbyshire would even look at him and his quickest ball was 153. I believe he’s a bit injury prone though. Derbyshire have very limited money, but I believe Houghton has been able to get together a good squad within his budget, the bowling attack in particular is decent. I don’t know whether all their games will be in Bulawayo or whether we’ll get to see him in Harare.

It’s not much fun facing anything over 140 for a batsman of any caliber and he will be steaming in if he gets a game. A disciplined and fast seam attack will be too much for our franchise line-ups who overly rely on a few loose deliveries. That’s my prediction.

I heard they’ve been practicing hard and they’re determined to make some waves this season.
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I was just looking at a couple of the county squads. Derbyshire look to have 18 players, perhaps the least. Surrey have 30, including 5 overseas. They had a s**t season last year and look to have shaken that piggy bank, hard to compete with that on paper. They surprisingly have a couple of marginal players- Harinath has not performed for a while (good technique though) and Freddie Van Den Bergh, who’s an average club player at best.
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There are always some surprising selections. I’ve just been through the latest squads and see that Don Butchart has been signed by Leicestershire, another ex Zimbo. I’ve seen him play, he’s ok, but I think he’ll struggle at this level.

If Durham come out we’ll get to see Cameron Bancroft in action and one of my favorite players- Gareth Harte. This guy is a serious batsman. I watched him many times and he’s fantastic. He inexplicably played in Twos cricket for many years (and absolutely plundered, and an absolute gun fielder) before being offered a contract. This guy would make runs on the international stage. I had to physically restrain myself from shaking some of these county coaches and scream “give this guy a contract, can you not see how good he is?!!”

My point being he would have accepted a contract from anyone so why would a struggling side like Derbyshire or Leicestershire ignore him and then sign a lesser player like Butchart? It’s hard to fathom.
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A full strength Surrey line-up will be tough to beat. They’ve got about 18 bowlers in their squad. There will be some guys warming that bench this next season 😂

5 overseas, 18 bowlers?

Maybe they’ve looked at their schedule and figured on such and such a week 4 guys will be playing for England, 3 guys for Lions, 12 guys in the hundred, 12 guys in white ball, maybe we need even more guys?

Batty and Meaker nearly lost their contracts a couple of times I believe. It can’t be much fun towards the end of the season for these lads. They’re watching (and mentoring) their young replacements and wondering if this is their last year, and probably too old to be considered by another county. Cricket is an ugly game for sure.

Young Ryan Higgins is obviously a smart guy, he’s still young and had a cracking season last year, but appears to have invested in his own coaching setting up. I always see him advertising on social media.

So have the other Higgins boys (different family).
ZCF OriginalVeteran

Googly wrote: ↑Tue Dec 31, 2019 4:09 am

He was living in SA and some years ago felt he’d missed out on their U19 squad. I think they picked Ngidi instead?

Anyway he’s done his time in the UK and became eligible recently. He had to bowl on a speed gun before Derbyshire would even look at him and his quickest ball was 153. I believe he’s a bit injury prone though. Derbyshire have very limited money, but I believe Houghton has been able to get together a good squad within his budget, the bowling attack in particular is decent. I don’t know whether all their games will be in Bulawayo or whether we’ll get to see him in Harare.

It’s not much fun facing anything over 140 for a batsman of any caliber and he will be steaming in if he gets a game. A disciplined and fast seam attack will be too much for our franchise line-ups who overly rely on a few loose deliveries. That’s my prediction.

I heard they’ve been practicing hard and they’re determined to make some waves this season.


Well he is 24, only has 1 year left on his contract and has only managed 2 FC games so far. We are talking about a young Rangers opener who scored a 100 and a 50 in his first 2 games and we suspect he will be in the national team in a couple of months. If I was him I would come here on that tour, throw some 150kph bullets and tell them I want 20k a month and I will stay.I honestly doubt he will crack the England team but he could be bowling against the Aussies in Australia by June if he plays his cards right.
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I watched one of those games, it was against Australia in fact. He bowled well for no return, tried too hard, lost his rhythm a bit.

He’s had a dodgy ankle and knee.

Quick seamers will always get a second bite, it’s the batters that have to impress early on or they’re gone.
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