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Top 20

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ZCF OriginalZCF Hall of Famer

Opening post

My top 20 is what order I believe batsmen (and allrounders) should be considered for selection. It is not necessarily as uncomplicated as who is the best, but a mixture of natural talent, past performances, and potential for the future.

1. Brendan Taylor

2. Sean Williams

3. Vusi Sibanda

4. Hamilton Masakadza

5. Craig Ervine

6. Malcolm Waller

7. Tino Mawoyo

8. Elton Chigumbura

9. Richmond Mutumbami

10. Sikandar Raza Butt

11. PJ Moor

12. Charles Coventry

13. Kevin Kasuza

14. Malcolm Lake

15. Chamu Chibhabha

16. Mark Vermeulen

17. Timycen Maruma

18. Regis Chakabva

19. Foster Mutizwa

20. Graeme Cremer
My All-time Zimbabwe XI
Neil Johnson, Brendan Taylor, Murray Goodwin, Andy Flower (w), David Houghton, Sean Williams, Heath Streak (c), Andy Blignaut, Paul Strang, Eddo Brandes, Blessing Muzarabani
Funny that noone has mentioned Ewing. Surely, he's one of the best 30 batters in the country.
Veteran

foreignfield wrote: I would agree that he often looks good ...


I have been thinking about this a bit. Talent and Technique are, for me, a very small part of the performance pie!

I, sadly really, was wondering (and I was recently reminded of him in a post about openers) how Vaughan's career would've turned out if he'd not been dropped in his first ashes tour game down under and went on to score 170 (?), as I used to wonder how KP's would've if he'd not been dropped umpteen times in his 150 run ashes winning innings - or, on the flipside, if Bracken had caught Gibbs off Lewis's bowling (he creamed him for 18 off the next over ... and he'd been bowling pretty well to that point - which raises more questions) in SAs 440 ODI chase down!? It seems to me luck plays a part in success, but so does management (or at least 'playing environment' both of which influence 'bottle/courage' of which no current Zim player bar Taylor (and the Masakadza bro's to some degree) show any. I mean the difference in pure ability of the current players in the franchises is simply much of a muchness. A few stand out - but it really is a handful...maybe two in our whole test line-up but even then the 'talented' Taylor hit 140* against an SA attack that boasted not a single frontline player while the 'derided' Matsi hit 80odd against a full (if not overloaded) strength SA attack away from home. I feel like takleg ... Mawoyo, Hami and Taylor make my FC team (probably Vusi and Williams too) but what I really would love to see would be some bottle ... like we saw in Shingi when he came in as 'nightwatchman'. as for LO ... well, I am happy with most people's selections though I really have to look into this PJ Moor who I can't recall doing anything at all...
Legend

takleg wrote:Funny that noone has mentioned Ewing. Surely, he's one of the best 30 batters in the country.


:oops:

I must admit I completely fortgot about Ewing. He played so little cricket last season I might have bracketed him with the retirees ... He should knock Priestley Jaymoor off the list.
ZCF OriginalZCF Hall of Famer
I thought Ewing had retired? Same with Lamb.
My All-time Zimbabwe XI
Neil Johnson, Brendan Taylor, Murray Goodwin, Andy Flower (w), David Houghton, Sean Williams, Heath Streak (c), Andy Blignaut, Paul Strang, Eddo Brandes, Blessing Muzarabani
Legend

betterdays wrote:

foreignfield wrote: I would agree that he often looks good ...


I have been thinking about this a bit. Talent and Technique are, for me, a very small part of the performance pie!

... It seems to me luck plays a part in success, but so does management (or at least 'playing environment' both of which influence 'bottle/courage' of which no current Zim player bar Taylor (and the Masakadza bro's to some degree) show any.


Some very valid points there, betterdays. Of course any list of that sort is pretty arbitrary beyond the top 4 or 5 bats, as takleg has also pointed out ... much of a muchness really. I just thought it an entertaining idea to put them in some sort of order.

One thing I would highlight is the 'playing enviroment" point. The only other side apart from Zim which I have followed closely enough over the years to form some sort of informed opinion about, is England. And the the radical improvement of that aspect alone has changed England's fortunes dramatically since the Nasser Hussain/Duncan Fletcher era. Now for the playing enviroment of ZC ...

The other question is of course, how to identify 'bottle' in a player if you can't bottle the very essence of it and serve it to all and sundry.

Did I mention that I miss Taibu?
Legend

eugene wrote:I thought Ewing had retired? Same with Lamb.


We need a thread to keep track of all that.
Veteran

betterdays wrote:...but what I really would love to see would be some bottle ...


He's still unproven at the highest level, but Mutumbami has had an exceptional FC season from that persepctive, showing a determination beyond his years in almost single-handedly keeping the Rocks afloat. A lot of promise, and we definitely have to make sure he doesn't slip back off the radar. In the tests, he did OK, and didn't look as if he was pooing in his pants, which is a good starting point for a Zim batsman!
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