s**t! Zimbabwe lost to Singapore

Googly wrote: ↑Mon Oct 07, 2019 4:49 am

https://www.icc-cricket.com/video/604154

Here’s Matt Breetzke, the kid you don’t think is very good. 😂 Don’t worry you’re not alone, he’d be overlooked here as well.

encore wrote: ↑Mon Oct 07, 2019 8:26 am

Googly wrote: ↑Mon Oct 07, 2019 7:34 am

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/201 ... ssion=true

And Kirsten loses the ECB job!

Kirsten is overrated!

This man had: Sehwag, Dravid, Sachin, Ganguly, Laxman, Dhoni, Gamhir, Bhaji, Khan, Vijay, Ishant and to a lesser extent Kumble, plus Yuvraj and Raina at their best. And yet, he somehow still managed to make all that talent the 2nd best side in the subcontintent. Sri Lanka were number 1!

Not even John Buchanan turned that Australia side into New Zealand's whipping boys.

With South Africa Kirsten continued to be Sri Lanka's bunny! Imagine the talent he had: Amla, Kallis, Smith, AB, Duminy , Alviro, Philander, Steyn, Morkel.

How does Buchanan get so much disrespect, yet Kirsten gets respect for all his failures? Pound for pound, those IND and SA sides were not far below those great AUS sides, but Kirsten underwhelmed with both at a time when AUS were arguably in decline.

England dodged a bullett. They have an unsettled Test side and lots of rebuilding to do. Kirsten has zero experience in that. He's cricket's version of a Carlo Ancelotti, a Pep Guardiola. He either inherits or buys success.

encore wrote: ↑Tue Oct 01, 2019 11:59 am

sloandog wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2019 10:19 am
I think Regis has some potential in T20 Cricket, from what I saw during his explosive 48. Same with Mutombodzi. Clearly an underrated leg spinner and in some of the games he's played of late, he's illustrated how hard he can thump a ball.

Ryan Murray, Carl Mumba and Mashinge need to be playing regularly, end of.

I agree entirely with the bold part. That's common sense.

However, I disagree completely in that Regis and Mutombodzi(and Mutumbami) do not belong in T20Is. ZIM have other options. ODIs yes they are ok, not good, but in the top 4, not lower at that.

We all speak past each other sometimes, but that's because player and succession management is not something everyone here understands professionally, particularly around team balance. eg, can you replace Jacques Kallis? NO, so effectively you'll need two players. You have a budget, and a number fo contracted players to carry you through the season. Money and resources are involved. Be diligent and deliberate.

In ZIM defined roles have been lacking, hence the problems. Hami and Mire left, so openers have to be replaced, except Mire was batting low when he left. So who/what exactly are we replacing? This is why I say this now has to change. I'm not saying bracket players, but International Cricket is the highest form of the game, so have specific roles and suitable candidates filling them.

In Hami I had lot a lot of experience lost. Taylor has moved up one spot, which sorts out my on eopener issue. Except, he's not a blistering batsman. There is Kamunhukamwe, but a reserved batsmen and a youngster who can be tied do is not ideal, unless I drop Taylor down the order which is also not ideal. So I bring back Zhuwao. Kamunhukamwe will be in the squad and get a few games along the way. Good. Solved! Give it a few Series!

Taylor can keep, but I have spinners and medium pacers to stand up to. So I can't afford to be desperate and and turn to him(except in a T20I emergency. Regis and Mutumbami are there? Tests and ODIs they're ok. But definitely not T20I batting material. There is Murray, except he's in school. Let me use Sauramba - he's aggressive, more mature now has played handy knocks plus has potential. Good! Solved. Give it a few Series.

Elton is there(but not bowling). Which of Jongwe or Mashinge is best/able to replace him? But hang on, they are both seamer-bowling allrounders not solid batters yet. So no they can't replace him. Instead they should now compete with Chatara, Jarvis, Mumba, Mpofu etc. So I'm forced to fork out a lot to bring in Mire. Good. Solved. But now I've turned Mire into an opener, who's not bowling, and I've got both Elton and Mire??? Anyway Mire is back batting low and bowling, but has now left again. Back to square one. Years and money "wasted". Agreed! Why, you're ranked 15th inT20s and 12/13th in ODIs - with neither Jongwe/Mashinge developed, and Masvaure overweight.

Cremer left. He was a good LOI spinner, and you need good spinners in those formats. My seamers are not world class, so that means two spinners - attacking(Rashid) and defensive(Mujeeb) - which also effectively leaves Madziva out in the cold. So I invest in Mavuta and Wellington. Plus Mavuta can hold a bat and is a big hitter. Good. Solved! Give it a few Series.

I need at least two frontline seamers in LOIs. Neither Jarvis nor Chatara have the pace to develop into complete death bowlers, so I can't afford to have both in the XI, especially if they can't bat. So they compete directly, and I turn to Mumba and Ngarava. Good. Solved! Give it a few Series.

I failed to replace Elton/Mire, so I have an excellent T20I batsman but I'm short a bowler. I can't compromise on the quality of my bowling. Do I have any batsman who is competent enough to bowl spin consistently at this level, since I don't have one who bowls seam? I like Mutombodzi and Burl. Can they do it? No! They'll be taken apart, and are not options if one of my main bowlers is struggles and can't bow at the death. But I do have Milton Shumba, Liam Roche and Wesley Madhevere. They bring the same skill set - spinners who can bat, but are more polished as spinners. The former two already have a lot of u19 experience and have played a few FC games doing very well. But all 3 are not ready, so we arrange preferences for them in a lot more FC first team exposure, plus priority A/XI exposure batting top 6 and no lower than 5th change. We still have Chisoro and he remains Zimbabwe's best option as a spinner who can bat a bit - having won games for ZIM already. Those guys will be ready by the time Chisoro leaves in a season or two. Good. Solved!

Now, I still need batsmen. In Zhuwao and Elton(and Sauramba) only I'm still very very light for T20Is hitting. 3 of my batsmen are all over 30, so I can't afford to bring in another one. Kasuza and Musakanda have delivered in Domestic T20s and Africa Cup. Against top quality bowlers Musakanda may battle to hit from ball one if a Zhuwao falls early, so Kasuza goes in ahead of him.

T20Is: Taylor, Zhuwao, Kasuza, Musakanda, Elton, Sauramba(wk), Chisoro, Mavuta, Mumba, Chatara, Wellington (Kamunhukamwe, Mutombodzi, Ngarava, Roche, Jongwe)

In ODIs Zhuwao might not do, I've got a Championship to impress in so no need for that risk. Taylor is the best batsman remaining so again I can't risk him opening. That's means I've got 2 vacancies to open. Burl and Kamunhukamwe are good fits, and I get a decent left-right combo out of them. Craig can continue to deliver for me from 3, and Taylor my security. Sauramba might comeshort in ODIs, so I turn to Regis and Mutumbami. With Taylor in the middle order and as immobile as Kasuza, Musakanda will keep the scoreboard ticking better. I'm not confident in Chatara lasting 5 days, and I don't have an attacking spinner I can trust to balance run-rate and striking so I yield to control.

ODIs: Burl, Kamunhukamwe, Craig, Taylor, Musakanda, Regis(wk), Chisoro, Mavuta, Mumba, Chatara, Wellington (Kasuza, Roche, Jongwe, Ngarava, Mutumbami(wk))

Hami, Vusi and Mawoyo are no longer options to open for me in Tests.

TESTs: Burl, Moor, Craig, Taylor, Kasuza, Musakanda, Chakabva(wk), Jongwe, Jarvis, Mumba, Wellington (Chari, Roy Kaia, Mashinge, Ndlovu, Ngarava, Mutumbami(wk))

NB: I know some will be swift to note the absence of Raza and Williams. You know I always say Williams is a decent player across all formats, but a 33yr old failure under pressure who will never win ZIM meaningful games. While Raza is poor in T20s, he is a decent ODI player. However, he's not worth investing in as an opener in Tests & ODIs ahead of the youngsters, since he hasn't been doing it anyway, and middle order is needed for younger batsmen.

The key here is to pick and choose whom you want(even Williams and Raza), but factor in everything - role, succession, development, specialisation, balance, contracts etc. Eg you can't be picking and giving an unproven 29 year Jakiel a contract when you have a young competent Mashinge. Or saying Regis is a T20 batsman because he smashed UAE/NEP/SIN so he can open the batting and Kamunhukamwe in reserve. What is the point of having all 3 of Chatara, Madziva and Jarvis who bowl medium in an XI simply because Burl, Williams and Raza cover the spin, then you expect to win a cricket match at this level? Be professional in approach. It has always been known that Mutombodzi can bowl great leg spin, since long back in the West Indies tour in 2013. But Mavuta, at that young age has grown so much that he can genuinely develop into a competent balanced allround LOI & Test spinner.