2nd T20I | Zimbabwe V/s Pakistan | Harare

zimbos_05 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 23, 2021 6:54 pm

sam_ahm wrote: ↑Fri Apr 23, 2021 10:53 am

Only thing I can hope for is the more they play the better they will get. Else no positives whatsoever from this performance.

I read this post before going to bed and I was like, "nah, i've heard this excuse about playing more makes us better and I don't buy it. You can't just expect to be better without applying yourself".

I stand by that view.

sam_ahm wrote: ↑Fri Apr 23, 2021 12:26 pm

I'm pretty sure some members didn't even watch the 2nd innings assuming it's a lost cause 😂😂

I am one of those members, only because I had to be up at 4am.

Here I am at 4:52am after having checked the score wondering if I am still asleep and dreaming.

What the heck happened. Only Pakistan can do something like this.

Let's not kid ourselves though. It's great to get the win and credit where it's due, but we still have plenty to learn from this game. The ways. we got out and our ability to rotate the strike need to still be worked on.

In saying that, what a win. No idea how Pakistan screwed this up.

Credit to Zimbabwe first, I thought Taylor's captaincy was superb, he is a level above others even in captaincy, then Zimbabwe fielded brilliantly, as someone said on the forum, it looked like the Zimbabwe of 90s are fielding. Then Jongwe was brilliant with the ball along with Ryan Burl, who took 2 crucial wickets which turned the game.

Pakistan were probably a bit complacent and they have a very very fragile middle order. Also I observe, these 200+ score tracks, these top teams are so used to easy batting wickets that the moment you give them a sluggish wicket where run scoring is hard, they get frustrated so easily and make so many mistakes. Many batsmen these days have inflated averages due to flat batting decks in LOIs, they can't bat to save their lives on difficult tracks.

Jeez what a game.

Losing the game they should have won (1st T20) and then winning the one they should have lost today. A very Zimbabwe thing to do.

I think we now know why we struggling to produce decent batsman.

Our pitches are s**t!

Yea the wicket was really poor wasn't it.

Normally they're quite nippy upfront and then it flattens out in the afternoon

Rajkumar Sharma wrote: ↑Sat Apr 24, 2021 4:52 am

After watching this performance, ZC target should be to put focus on shorter formats and play more T20s & 50 over games both in international as well as domestic levels keeping in mind two back to back ICC World Cups.

Four dayers should be held formality basis as ICC has no clear views on Zimbabwe, Ireland, Afghanistan in representing Test Championship. Shorter format is the one now Zim should target, this lot can help Zim to qualify both WCs

Actually there are very strong rumours from the latest ICC meeting, this week, and reported by a lot of sources, that the ICC has agreed funding to set-up a World Test Championship Division 2 that will include Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Ireland and Netherlands and Scotland.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/icc- ... le-1260609

I agree with you though of course - we need to modernise and play more short format cricket for sure. It's not that simple though to change overnight; people in Zim still value red ball cricket a lot more, maybe a lot more so than in other countries. Coaches, players, fans, journalists place a priority on FC games. We are quite an old fashioned community. It needs to change but it will take time.

I wouldn’t be interested in that.

Whilst I don’t mind associate teams playing zim as padding, I have no interest in Zimbabwe playing an associate league outside the main teams.

I get my enjoyment seeing them play against the best

teams in the world, jagging a win against Sri Lanka, the windows , not feasting on the Netherlands.

Netherlands have 7 players currently playing County cricket. A full strength Netherlands team would give us a good red ball game. Zim should still win but it wouldn’t be one sided or anything.

We’d still be able to organise our annual series with Pakistan outside of the championship structure and hopefully occasionally with SL/Bangladesh etc.

I think it’s a good initiative but only if there is promotion.

I don’t really get excited when I see one of our players knock a big score against these s**t sides, not if they never play the big ones

They key is really what is the pathway to the first division? Will there be relegation?