Can Zimbabwe beat Sri Lanka in the test?

[Black Mamba]

Test XI


1) Hamilton Masakadza
2) Ryan Burl
3) Craig Ervine
4)Malcolm Waller
5) Sean Williams
6)Sikandar Raza
7)Regis Chakabva
8)Nathan Waller
9)Graeme Cremer
10) Carl Mumba
11) Tendai Chatara

[zimbofan88]

Musakanda doesn't look like he can get a big hundred in longer format. Tiripano can hold a bat, but he won't give us 5-fers. Mpofu is crap in test matches and Mushangwe brings nothing to the team.
If Mire is available we should definitely make him open along side Hami. Regis is good against the spin and can bat long especially in sub continent conditions. Raza, Willy and Regis in the middle order look pretty solid. Instead of playing 8 batsmen, we can play N Waller as an allrounder/workhorse. He can hold a bat and take wickets,definitely a better choice than Tiripano. Burl has looked nervous and had struggled against spinners, so I am not sure if he deserves a chance. Malcolm gets troubled with pressure, down the order when the game situation wants him to play defensively and form partnerships. But, he is one of the best batsmen in domestic games, and has consistently scored hundreds. He is currently in good touch, and his off spin bowling can come handy.

Hami
Mire
Craig
Raza
Williams
Regis
Malcolm
Cremer
N Waller
Mumba
Chatara

[Flakeman]

The fact Mumba is our 2nd option here is sad, as he really is hopeless. He is slightly better at longer version but gee he isnt good, you just have to watch him bowl in odi's. Absolutely no control.

[Ming]

The fact Mumba is our 2nd option here is sad, as he really is hopeless. He is slightly better at longer version but gee he isnt good, you just have to watch him bowl in odi's. Absolutely no control.

I'd much rather have Tiripano in the place of Mumba - the Don isn't a world-beater, but he has much more control and consistency. Plus, he's a much better batsman.

[jaybro]

Mumba took 8 wickets in 2 test matches I think he's worth persisting with. People cry we keep picking useless old guys like Mpofu or Tinashe but complain that Mumba & Ngararva are too wayward ! Not many answers being thrown up ......

Tiripano is a battler but he has 9 wickets in 5 matches, not very potent .....

[The Robot]

Answers lies in can three bowlers of zimbabwe 20 wickets

[jaybro]

Our test bowling lineup isn't very good on paper

Cremer 37 wickets @ 52

Mpofu 25 wickets @ 46

Chatara 20 wickets @ 29

Tiripano 9 wickets @ 52

Mumba 8 wickets @ 37

M'shangwe 7 wickets @ 62

Not very impressive only Chatara has a respectable average. Here are what our 'part timers' figures look like

Hamilton 16 wickets @ 29

Waller 8 wickets @ 24

Raza 6 wickets @ 71

Williams 5 wickets @ 57

Although on a much smaller scale Waller's average is much better than Cremer's but obviously Cremer was sent to bowl to South Africa when he was 19 and also played in the two tests against NZ where the Bulawayo pitch was a deadset road. But comparing M'shangwe to the part time spinners who all have around the same amount of wickets you can see why I wouldn't bother playing him in front of Waller or Raza ......

[jimbo]

Richard ngarava is in the Zimbabwe academies rising stars team sheet to play against wostershire 2nds today. They have dispatched him pretty quickly

[tawac]

A draw would be a great result.

[pariah]

The main issue I find with Tary's batting is he likes to hit the ball in the air a lot, batting st the top in odi cricket this isn't as much of an issue but in test cricket it's a big No No ......

But Burl doesn't hit the ball anywhere?

B - Is M'shangwe a better spin option than Waller or Williams or Raza?

This is akin to Engalnd going to Sri lanka and deciding that having Graeme Hick, Kevin Pietersen and Sambit Patel, is enough to keep James Tredwell out of the XI, they'll stick with Ashley Giles as the sole frontline spinner.

Common sense?
Sakib bowled on average 35 overs for BD while Herath bowled 25 overs for SL per innings. The impact of 30 Test overs from Waller, Williams and Raza combined is not even equal to 5 overs from either of those two. Is Cremer alone worth the other 25 or does he need another proper spinner bowling at least 15 overs? Even Herath needed Perera and Sandakan!!!

In any case Zimbabwe will bowl at least 200 overs in this Test match. Take away 60 overs for the two seamers, then imagine 60 overs from Cremer and a combined 80 overs from Waller, Williams and Raza(plus give or take a few from the others batsmen). You clearly have in mind 800/8 declared I can see!

By the way this is what a 100 overs from Cremer looks like. 450 runs conceded! 50 overs from Williams and Malcom? Add another 200 runs! Raza has a 71 avg and a 4rpo economy in Tests.

Is Mushangwe significantly better? Not really, but merit suggests he should be in, and his primary job is to bowl, not score 30 runs then concede 130 runs for none!