A look back: 5th ODI vs Sri Lanka, 2008

I read a post a few weeks ago that made me think about doing a topic like this. I'm not really sure if the idea will take off, but let's see...

I was thinking, to pass the time seeing there's zero cricket on, maybe we should look back at past games - games that maybe we should have won - and analyse what went wrong.

This is the game: http://www.espncricinfo.com/zimvsl2008- ... 75462.html

Zimbabwe vs Sri Lanka, 5th ODI

Played at Harare Sports Club

30 November 2008 (50-over match)

Result

Sri Lanka (10/152) def Zimbabwe (10/133) by 19 runs

How did we let that game slip away?

Rainsford and Mupariwa had great games with 3/22 and 2/17 respectively. I guess it's pretty hard to fault the bowling effort when you restrict a team to 152, but one of the main criticism of Utseya's captaincy probably held true in this match - his bowling changes weren't aggressive enough. Rainsford wasn't brought back into the attack until the 47th over, Mupariwa didn't bowl again after the 14th. Had the game gone the full 50 overs, both would have had overs remaining - while Matsikenyeri bowled his full allotment. Not that Matsikenyeri bowled badly, but had Rainsford and Mupariwa been brought back during the middle overs maybe Sri Lanka would have been rolled for 125 instead of 152.

Either way, it was the batting that was the huge let down. The pitch was difficult, no doubt, but 153 was chaseable. There was some talent missing - no Taylor, no Williams - so that put Zimbabwe at a disadvantage right away. But despite that, 153 was no mountainous target. It was probably a risk worth taking to play the best batsman, Taibu, at number three to anchor the innings and tie up an end against Murali. It didn't work out that way, but you probably can't fault the strategy even though traditionally Chibhabha performed pretty well at three with Taibu a more natural number four.

The middle order was hopeless. Chibhabha, Matsikenyeri and Chigumbura needed to perform. That all three of them were either leg before or bowled by Murali is disappointing. Matsikenyeri was the senior-most of that lot and if ever a 50 ball 20 was needed it was then. But it wasn't to be. It was the unlikely partnership of this forums favourite player, Keith Dabengwa, with Prosper Utseya which almost salvaged the match. Would we have a newfound respect for Dabengwa if he had managed to bat for another 10 or 15 minutes and bring up a match winning half century? Sadly when he went, the rest went down like flies. Even Price, who could normally be relied on for cameo of 10 or so runs didn't make an impact.

I place this loss firmly in the hands of the batsmen, namely the middle order and their poor performance against Murali. That we got within 20 runs is no saving grace given the paucity of the target.