Our Test Bowling Attack

[sscricket]

Elton is a test bowler ? seriously ?
Because he can trouble the batsmen with his seam movement and reverse swing to go with the genuine pace and bounce.

[hhm]

The only team that will be attacking is the opposition when Meth is not in the team. You guys have overrated all the other bowlers either due to lack of choice or bias.

I like Meth, and believe he's got the goods, which is why I've put him ahead of the others in my list. But for me as a bowler he does not yet have the capacity to outperform those that I've put ahead of him. His stats back him up, and they are no fluke. It's clear to me and hopefully everyone else that he's more well rounded than Jarvis&Vitori as a bowler, plus he's a more intelligent bowler than them - which is to be expected considering the amount of experience he has. However, international cricket - Test cricket to be exact, is not to be taken lightly. You may find fault with my placing Elton ahead of him, but I think the problem is that guys severely underestimate Elton's worth as a bowler. As he will continue to prove, he is better than all these youngsters we're pushing forward. I was highly critical of him before our season kicked off, but he's really impressed with his bowling, and I believe it will only get better. Underestimate him at your peril! Would love for Meth to be his direct replacement as often as opportunities present themselves because meth has trully earned it.

Let me see here, Chigs will pick up 2 wickets, Mpofu 4, Rainsford 2 and Price 3. That is 11 wickets, where are the other 9 coming from to win the test match? Run-outs?

Like I said, against quality opposition we won't often, if at all, ever need to bowl to them twice, so quit talking about 20 wickets because that will probably only ever happen with Bangladesh or superior but understrength sides. Nonetheless I have faith that this attack is capable of doing better.The strongest team (and batting order) we've faced so far is Pakistan. In that game Vitori & Jarvis took a combined one wicket for 200 odd runs! Appalling display! Granted, Chigs & Rainsford, who were not present, may have taken just 1 wicket( which is highly unlikely in my opinion - more), but it wouldn't have been at that rate. If they had gone for that much then the match would probably have been drawn, inspite of our collapse, due to Pak using up a lot of time to get their total.

[sscricket]

Elton is the most capped Zim player and so foturnate to have all those chances.
He has squandered almost all of them and has been underwhelming.
He still is navigating the vast eternity between potential and performance. He should be dropped for holding this team back.

[sloandog]

As he will continue to prove, he is better than all these youngsters we're pushing forward.

Elton Chigumbura is better than Jarvis and Vitori ? Seriously ? Mate that's either severe stubbornness towards admitting that Jarvis and Vitori are the future, or you're deluded because not once has he proven that he's a better bowler than those two in recent times, not once!! His bowling has gone backwards, as most would admit, and only when he first started out was he on par with Jarvis.

In that game Vitori & Jarvis took a combined one wicket for 200 odd runs! Appalling display! Granted, Chigs & Rainsford, who were not present,

Well if Chigumbura and Rainsford were there the rate would have been higher. Neither have the pace nor the penetration, something you claim they have when they blatantly do not have! Oh and Jarvis did take a fiver against a strong New Zealand attack did he not ? And didn't he bowl with pace and take wickets ? Yes he he did.

[Boundary]

I was highly critical of him before our season kicked off, but he's really impressed with his bowling, and I believe it will only get better.

I've been impressed by Jarvis and Vitori, how are we different?

Like I said, against quality opposition we won't often, if at all, ever need to bowl to them twice, so quit talking about 20 wickets because that will probably only ever happen with Bangladesh or superior but understrength sides.

There's a defeatist attitude if I have ever seen one. Before you reply that you are being a realist, let me put some context. The Pakistan side we played was weakened right but by only two players. Comparing the 1st Test team that faced SL with the one we faced, Umar Gul and Asad Shafiq came in for Umar Akmal and Sohail Khan. That's full strength in my book and we pushed and deserved a draw. This same Pak side went on to win 1 and draw 2 matches against Sri Lanka. We went on to compete and deserve either a win or draw against NZ (full strength, they had injuries and so did we). Logically, we can compete against this SL team that now lacks a few legends. Now, you prefer to undo all this and go back to trying to survive two days of a test match. That's your choice but I wouldn't be surprised if the new regime that has impressed all in just 3 matches is given time to gel further and produce better results as times progresses.

[betterdays]

Elton...should be dropped for holding this team back.

you seem to have slightly gone back on your theory that both elton and King Keegan should both be in the team (though you may want him in to bat?)

Elton is the most capped Zim player and so foturnate to have all those chances..

Really? i always felt so sorry for those guys brought out desperately to try to fill gaps, in fact i thought you said that Keegan's first Int outings were in the dark days ... too soon - well, all of Elton's tests were too!! Except one, where he completely outbowled Jarvis in the first innings (econ Rate and which wicket they took) and took two in the second (including the most important; Shakib) while Jarvis did a fantastic job getting 4 though Chigumbura was replaced by Vitori at the end, after getting a wicket in his last over ... if he'd taken another one in his next over (at the last two bats) he'd have had 4 and Jarvis 4 in the match but his SR and Econ would have been far better ... and although I'm going to mention that two of Jarvis' second innings wickets were number 9 and 11 batsmen i do still mean he did a fantastic job, which he did again in NZs second innings).

Elton..can trouble the batsmen with his seam movement and reverse swing to go with the genuine pace and bounce. seriously ?

he is not the bowler he started out as - when he did have genuine pace but if we take his recent Test form into account (ie one match) he still troubles them somehow. I may put him at 7 in the Test side to accomodate Meth ... particularly because of Meth's passion, variety and domestic form. but if it's a straight up choice, for me, for now, it's still Elton

He[Elton] has squandered almost all of them and has been underwhelming.

almost all? most ie more than 50% is possible but yes he's been underwhelming ... I still think he has something to offer as a bowler and certainly as a batsman
He hasn't done great and may not have squandered all his chances - unlike Keegan who has literally squandered each of his international chances. If one wasn't aware of his domestic form (or didn't watch him working at the NZ openers in that 85-0 match) they'd be wondering why on earth we're talking about him

He[Elton] .. still is navigating the vast eternity between potential and performance.

he is..as are almost all our players bar Price ... i hope he finds his way accross the gap soon

[eugene]

Hhm, I finally understand your selections. You are picking team to only compete for two days and then get defeated having barely bowled the opposition out once. The rest of us are picking teams that will win and pick up 20 wickets. I now fully understand why your selections are so different from mine.

[betterdays]

The Pakistan side we played was ... full strength in my book and we pushed and deserved a draw.

it would have been a batsman's draw ...

[betterdays]

The rest of us are picking teams that will win and pick up 20 wickets.

The team most picked was basically the one vs BD and PK ... and when we talk of top tier it becomes PK in which we got just the 13 wickets tho'

[betterdays]

Let me see here, Chigs will pick up 2 wickets, Mpofu 4, Rainsford 2 and Price 3. That is 11 wickets, where are the other 9 coming from to win the test match? Run-outs?

against a full strength top tier team, it's hard to answer your question. but against PK, the closest fit...not from Jarvis (2 wkts) nor Vitori (0wkts).

the fact is, you can sit safe, Panyangara is not coming back in the near future...nor will Rainsford suddenly replace Jarvis. But the 4th spot is still up for grabs as i doubt they'll rush Vitori back into a Test unless they think the wickets in NZ will closer resemble Harare than Bulawayo...ie be seaming (which they are, aren't they?) and i;d guess they'd put Chigs in at 7