Zimbabwe v/s Afghanistan Fixtures & A Team Squad Declared

[TapsC]

to be honest this is one of the better A sides they have picked.. all these guys are prospects in one way or the other and we don't have a sibanda or nyumbu taking valuable game time from these guys. Luke Jongwe must have had a serious fall out with ZC. he hasn't featured in ages.

Matigimu really should be playing but I got a feeling he must not be making himself available. if it doesn't rain then this could turn out to be a real contest. all those guys must be hungry for a chance to play for the senior team and will definitely give their all. it will also show us where we really are in terms of the future of ZC.. if these guys get thrashed by Afghanistan A then we know we are in trouble.

Murray getting an opportunity to prove himself already shows that the likes of Welch Byrom and other kids who are lost to the system are making a mistake unless their 100% sure they will crack the English team.

[Train Driver]

Murray getting an opportunity to prove himself already shows that the likes of Welch Byrom and other kids who are lost to the system are making a mistake unless their 100% sure they will crack the English team.

That assumes, of course, that any of these lads actually want to become professionals

Most people seem to automatically expect national age group players to be wanting a cricketing career, let's face it though, how many 19 year olds are ready to commit long term to anything?

I expect a look back at an U19 World Cup from 10 or so years ago will show that every competing nation had players that disappeared from cricket without trace, players who are quite happy to mix amateur or semi pro cricket with their business careers

ZC are rubbish and the entire hierarchy should be locked in a big box and disposed of down the local recycling tip, but I bet they're no worse in this respect than any other board

[Googly]

I was listening to some commentary from SA Coca Cola week and they were saying how important the tournament was and how many past and present Proteas had played in it, but what surprised me was actually how few. If they hadn't ALL played in it where have they come from? There must be a bunch of them that didn't make those sides but persevered after school and played club cricket very successfully and at some point were approached by a franchise. Basically they made it through the back door after some years of club then franchise. This is more prevalent in the bigger countries, in smaller ones the good guys are less likely to be overlooked first time around. With our current system there is zero chance of a kid (and a white one in particular) being overlooked at u17, u18 and u19 level and deciding to persevere with his cricket here and then suddenly coming right later on and putting his hand up. The closest guy has actually been Diplock. We've effectively cut off the natural feeder system through lack of competitive club cricket. The really good u19's occasionally go directly from that age group to franchise, but even our poor standard is a huge step up. What I'm saying is the guys we've got now are the ones we're stuck with for the foreseeable future. It has been so shortsighted of ZC and we're paying the price right now at the 11th hour.

[Googly]

lets talk about Gary King- he's at Tuks (I think?) and in the process of getting a degree. When he graduates what are the chances of him putting his chosen profession on hold to try and make the Zim side? ZC set the precedent by making Moor wait for years for his chance, most guys don't have the luxury of plugging away at 2-500 bucks a month. I'm not saying it's impossible, but it's unlikely. You'd have to catch a good player before he leaves, so let's look at Murray. He looks like he might deservedly get an A game. Assume he does well and gets a start in the senior side.. and does well. It's unlikely but stay with me- he's now faced with the decision of becoming a pro cricketer and not going to Uni (maybe UNISA). He would have to have the utmost faith that ZC are going to be reliable employers and that we will retain our membership. As you're reading this I'm sure you're saying...Mmmmm.
The best chance we've got of bringing in new blood is luring a cricketer from the UK or Australia, but it's the same story, it's unlikely that they would commit without being confident that there was some stability in the structures here.
The best import we ever had was Goodwin, what an amazing player, he had a successful career but the lure of international cricket was a carrot he couldn't ignore, but he saw the writing on the wall and left way back then, we've sunk to new lows from that time. Solomon Mire has also opted not to hang around and that's definitely a vote of no confidence in the current era.
Cartwright, Ballance, Higgins- I always listen to people saying that if they'd stayed here what a team we'd have, but the fact is they would not have become the cricketers they are if they had stayed. They were coached and developed in a much better and tougher environment. There's no point in crying over them, the likelihood of them having been only fairly ordinary had they stayed is extremely high.

[Googly]

I was taking to someone who was telling me that there's a youngster who opens for Western Australia- Daniel Moore, that was at St John's Prep in the same team as Ed Byrom, Nick Welch, Brad Evans etc and was a lower order batsman. He said he was decent but just didn't get a chance in such a strong team. I looked him up just now and he's doing phenomenally well, maybe someone should give him a shout? You have to be a sharp player to open for WA!! It speaks volumes about how we are failing here. Its not all ZC's fault. The faltering school cricket and the country as a whole has a lot to do with it as well. It leaves me wondering how many good players we'd have if we had the right systems and the economy/country was stable. Even with a broken economy ZC could have done a lot better than they have.

[Googly]

Taps it's not about cracking the English team. Obviously anyone over there playing, or trying to play professional cricket would harbour that ambition at some point if they had a stand out County season, but it's more about playing in a good system. BT is the best example, he needed a break from the uncertainty here. Maybe he will have a rethink but with a young family and the cost of living here it would be a faulty decision to return or he'd have to be offered a package that he couldn't turn down (watch that space!). I'm not saying he won't and we need him badly, but it's unlikely. Welch and Byrom got scholarships and both have done reasonably well. They haven't set it alight but they're hanging in. Welch had eligibility issues but I've heard they might be resolved. They've both got a long way to go just to crack a County Firsts side and it's absolutely not a guarantee. They are both vying for front line batting spots- take a look at those county line ups, they've got a mountain to climb. They would need a monumental county Two's season just to get on the radar, maybe half a dozen 18/19 year olds in England have that ability. There's an outside chance we'll see them back here, but again I would think they would be looking at getting a university degree first because ZC don't offer anything remotely reasonable to the good young guys. ZC have a captive pool of guys with no alternatives and they like that status quo. It's about to backfire badly though.

[Kriterion_BD]

Murray Goodwin wasn't a true Zimbo?

Welch hasnt done anything, but Byrom was doing well in county 2nds. Surely he is very close to a first XI call up???

[Train Driver]

Murray Goodwin wasn't a true Zimbo?

Not as far as his cricket goes, according to his stats on cricketarchive he didn't play any Zimbabwean cricket until october 1997, all his senior cricket from january 1990, aged 18, until that point had been played in Australia

[Googly]

Goodwin's county record is extraordinary, perhaps one of the great county cricketers. I think Byrom may get a couple of games this year, but he needs to be more consistent in Two's. That's a helluva line-up Somerset have. I think Trescothick is close to retirement and that opens up a slot, but there are some good players vying for that spot. Being a leftie replacing a leftie gives Ed a potential advantage. They've invested in him which is a good sign. NW hasn't had the opportunities, he's also been inconsistent but I think that will change this coming season.

[Kriterion_BD]

Murray Goodwin wasn't a true Zimbo?

Not as far as his cricket goes, according to his stats on cricketarchive he didn't play any Zimbabwean cricket until october 1997, all his senior cricket from january 1990, aged 18, until that point had been played in Australia

Thats not as important as where his ancestral origin is. For example Andy Flower was born in South Africa but of Zimbabwean parents so he's still a true Zimbo.