Who will be the surprise packet of the WI tour?

c**k wrote:Don't write Maruma off. Playing his off season in English club cricket has done his cricket a world of good.

I checked out his stats for the UK 2012 season. He played for Lancaster in the Northern Premier League.

Batting - 574 runs @ 52.18, with 6 50s. (easily the best at his club)

Bowling - 26 wickets @ 19.34. (3rd best at his club)

In terms of the whole league, he was the 11th highest runscorer, but amongst batsmen with over 100 runs, he had the 2nd best average! As a point of comparison, at the top of both of those charts was ex-NZ international Jamie How, who scored 1060 runs @ 88.33. For bowling, he was the 30th highest wicket taker. The best performer with the ball in the league was someone called Lukman Vahaluwala, for whom Minor Counties with Cumberland is the peak of his cricket, who took 72 wickets @ 9.22...

We need to keep a closer eye on Zimbos in the UK this year. Will add some interest to what is otherwise a quiet period for Zim cricket.

hhm wrote:A lot of people will be red faced when Maruma bowls. In anticipation for the gloating exercise, I've gathered their sentiments(kidding 😂 ).

Maruma will outbowl Cremer during the Test! ;)

In your opinion, why is it that he almost never bowls in franchise cricket for the last 2 years?

Are you aware that 4/5 years ago when he was taking loads of wickets, he bowled both a leg-break and a googly, but that a couple of years ago he basically lost the orthodox leggy, so had to rely entirely on the googly, thus reducing his effectiveness?

hhm wrote:

aydee wrote:Are you aware that 4/5 years ago when he was taking loads of wickets, he bowled both a leg-break and a googly, but that a couple of years ago he basically lost the orthodox leggy, so had to rely entirely on the googly, thus reducing his effectiveness?

You don't lose an ability unless you're disabled or senile. You either have it, or you don't. You're either handsome or not, smart or not.

I didn't say he lost the ability. I said he lost the delivery. Presumably, he still has the ability, but the problem is technical or confidence related. This is not altogether uncommon with wristspinners, due to the complicated technique involved in their craft. The fact remains that he stopped bowling the leg-break, and would only bowl googlies and flat sliders. I have not seen him bowl in the last 2 years (few have!), so maybe he has been able to re-introduce it to some extent, I don't know. But this is the fundamental reason behind his decline as a bowler.

Hopefully he can "find" it again. For a while he appeared to be a very promising bowler, and still has the first class record to prove it.

hhm wrote:

aydee wrote:I didn't say he lost the ability. I said he lost the delivery. Presumably, he still has the ability, but the problem is technical or confidence related. This is not altogether uncommon with wristspinners, due to the complicated technique involved in their craft. The fact remains that he stopped bowling the leg-break, and would only bowl googlies and flat sliders. I have not seen him bowl in the last 2 years (few have!), so maybe he has been able to re-introduce it to some extent, I don't know. But this is the fundamental reason behind his decline as a bowler.

Hopefully he can "find" it again. For a while he appeared to be a very promising bowler, and still has the first class record to prove it.

Fair enough. I look forward to it. At least then you can suggest spinner-allrounders to me when speakign of Zimbabwe and Test cricket.

Nope. Can't. Utseya, Cremer and Mutombodzi don't have the batting (yet?) to make an impact at international level. Lamb might be the closest, but has had a mediocre season, and is deservedly away from the reckoning, plus he hasn't even bowled that regularly this year until Mushangwe missed a couple of games.

Zim's only allrounder worth the name is Chigumbura at this time, in my opinion.