[Match Thread] West Indies v Zimbabwe (World Cup Pool B)

[Flower power]

I don't know but I see a big miracle chase today , a fifty more from Craig , Matsi with another fifty , Elton Fifty .........the impossible is possible juss saying

[grant]

darn! ervine gone....

[Googly]

That hawk eye decision cost us dearly. Still don't see that only clipping, to me it was smashing into the top of middle. And Taylor's wicket was another rubbish one. I'm not Happy, I'm Grumpy!

[Googly]

We have a knack of bowling opposition batsmen back into form
Gayle so lucky to survive that lbw shout. He'll probably make 150 now.

A conservative guess

[grant]

so we can't handle gayle's gentle offspin

[Googly]

That last review proves to me that hawk eye is flawed. That was clearly missing leg and hawk eye showed it hitting?

[ZIMDOGGY]

hawkeye doesnt take angle into accountive noriced, and have since day one

[zimlover]

Good decision not to drive there , i would have hated the drive back with Chris gayle
Going nuts on our bolwers, good decision there give myself a pat on the back

[jaybro]

Worked back late today and recorded the whole the match, wow this game is one of millimetres if Gayke is out 2 down for 1 first over different game. We could have mounted more pressure and who knows, the guys batted pretty well but really needed one or two guys to go on. In hindsight Mupariwa for Kamungozi and probably time for Hami to open with Raza if Chamu isn't fit and if he isn't fit send him home and bring in Vusi or somebody ......

I liked the idea of 3 bowlers and 2 allrounders plus some overs from the part timers but we are sorely missing strike bowlers, we just can't afford to play Kamungozi when he doesn't take any wickets and we only have Panyangara and Chatara threatening. I feel bad for those two they bowl so well up front ( zimbabwe has best economy rate bowling in the first 10 ) then have to come back and bowl to set batsman in the last 10 ......

We need to bring in Mupariwa for Kamungozi bowl him first change and at the death, when can then bring back Panyangara earlier to bowl in the middle to try and prize a wicket because he is useless bowling at the death .....

Hopefully Mire and Chamu are fit for the 'must win' Pakistan match .....

Chamu
Raza
Hami
BRMT
Williams
Ervine
Mire
Chigs
Mupariwa
Chatara
Panyangara

Yes I believe Chatara is now a better batsman than Panyangara ......

[brmtaylor.com admin]

The defining characteristic of this WC campaign will be the revelation of just how hopeless our bowlers are. As jaybro said, we are missing a strike bowler. Imagine a Jarvis or Vitori in this team... so much pressure would be taken off the shoulders of Chatara and Panyangara. After those two, opposition batsmen know there's nobody else.

Chigumbura - doesn't even qualify as a part timer these days. He used to be Zimbabwe's most important player, structurally, because he could offer 25 with the bat and 1/60 with the ball. His bowling is shot, it's gone. That over with the wides... wow. He needs to give it away and focus on becoming a quality middle order batsman (ie. better than Ervine) if he's to keep his spot. Mire has more upside in every department.

Kamungozi - this day was always going to come. I guess the amazing thing is that it didn't come sooner. We can't persevere with him as our spinner, he's just not good enough and he's not going to get better. If we can't lure Cremer back (best case scenario), and Utseya doesn't at least try to be an offspinner again (second best case scenario)... then either enlist Lamb until someone better comes along, or find the next 18 year old leggie from St Johns and throw him in the Test team in the hope he's the next Graeme Cremer. Kamungozi is not the answer.

Panyangara - after a year or two of being very solid he's being exposed big time in Australia. Not quick enough to worry batsmen on that front, and has no idea how to bowl at the death. I'll give him credit in that he's been good up front, but he's being slaughtered at the end. Full tosses at the death? Poor planning, poor execution or both. Some of this has to be on the captain though. For God's sake, let him bowl his full quota by the end of the middle overs and he'll have respectable figures of 1/45.

Chatara - he's got no support. He's obviously the best seamer we have but he can only do so much. He's the only one I wouldn't even consider dropping.

WHAT DO WE DO

I don't think bringing in Mupariwa is the answer. I mean, I guess it can't hurt, but I wouldn't expect him to do any better than Panyangara.
When Mire is fit, he should come back in...

The most basic change to make though - and it infuriates me that this hasn't been done - is to use the seamers for longer upfront.

We KNOW no matter who bowls in the last 10, they'll go at 10-15 an over. Therefore it doesn't matter who bowls in those final ten overs. In fact, we are gifting the opposition runs by NOT bowling our frontline seamers until that point. Why waste guys like Kamungozi in the middle overs? May as well let Chatara and Panyangara bowl out their full spells before the 30th over, and finish with economy rates under 5. We maximise our wicket taking deliveries before any partnership runs away with it (which has happened in every match), we keep the run rate lower... I just have no idea why this hasn't been done. Let Kamungozi be the 15 per over cannon fodder at the end.

BATTING

Our batting has been okay. Williams and Ervine have been particularly good, Taylor has been consistent without putting up any big scores. The rest pretty average. It's a bit unfair though, our bowlers have been letting the team down meaning our batsmen go into their innings when the game has already been lost.

Chakabva - more suited to Tests. Maybe he can make the transition to ODIs again at a later point, but right now I'd prefer if he focused all his energies on becoming a 40+ Test average batsman.

Raza - doing his job, if he turns those 25s into 50s he'll be priceless.

Masakadza - good against SA, another big score won't be far away.

Matsikenyeri - classic Matsikenyeri. Run a ball 20 and out. His ODI average is what it is for a reason - I think moving forward our selections would be better spent on a young batsmen, maybe a Mutumbodzi or a Burl or something. Matsikenyeri is pretty much a poor mans Malcolm Waller.

Chigumbura - as mentioned above, needs to reinvent himself as a specialist batsmen.