Test Match Review (and marks out of 10)

[Kriterion_BD]

I have never watched as much of a Test match not involving Bangladesh as this one. It was a rivetting contest and one I expected Sri Lanka to run away with if not from day 1, then definitely by day 2. Full credit to Zimbabawe for fighting so hard, and possibly winning the game if the 3rd umpire had given Dickwella out.

Marks

Graeme Cremer - 8
Played like a true captain. Took a 9 fer and scored vital runs in both innings. He may be good enough to bat at #8 so that an additional specialist bowler can be picked. Two issues prevented him from getting a perfect 10: his sometimes defensive field settings, and his unwillingness to rotate his bowlers more efficiently in the 2nd innings. As many have suggested, Waller and Masakadza ought to have bowled at least a few overs, even if it wouldn't have changed the outcome of the game, it would have reflected the necessary dynamism of thought that Test cricket requires. But as is, he is very close to being considered a genuine all-rounder.

Craig Ervine - 7
Superb under pressure knock of 160 that really brought Zimbabwe into a position of competing after they were reduced to 70-4 on a benign surface batting first. Test matches really cannot be won by scoring 70s, or 80s, no matter how attractive they may be, and even small hundreds often will leve you short. Big hundreds beyond 125 and 150 are necessary and are the hallmark of a truly Test class batsman. Ervine is hands down the best batsman in the side now, and arguably better than Brenden Taylor himself!

Sikandar Raza - 7
Deserves the same grade as Ervine and I think he's cemented his place ahead of the rest of the pack as the second best batsman in the side across formats. His second innings century was critical in allowing Zimbabwe to post a defendable target. If he can work on his bowling a bit more, he may be a genuine all rounder in the years to come.

Malcolm Waller - 6
Contributed very important runs down the order, but the #8 needs to take bowling responsibility. However, he was only given 5 overs and that can't be counted against him. Really surprised people with his performance and makes him a very tough player to drop in the quest for an additional bowler.

Donald Tiripano - 5
His run scoring and crease occupying abilities are golden, but his main job is to take wickets and his lack of venom there was exposed by the fact that his captain never bothered to toss him the ball in an innings of 115 overs. This leaves his place in the side even more precarious than Waller's. Difficult to justify keeping, but also hard to drop him after the guts he's shown time and time again.

PJ Moor - 5
Did OK with the bat with scores fo 19 and a crucial 40. I didn't actually watch his batting so I can't comment too much and his marks are based purely on the number of runs he scored in the context of the game.

Sean Williams - 4
Scored only 44 runs in the match, and picked up 4 wickets though at considerable cost. Like Raza, he must take the responsibility to bowl a fair share of overs in tours of the subcontinent, but his primary job is to score runs. Needs to be more consistent.

Regis Chakabva - 4
Failed with the bat, but I feel he was forced to open and thus he gets a generous mark. Took a couple of excellent catches, but also dropped some he should have taken. I think the think tank needs to figure out who between Moor and Regis is more valuable and slot that player in their natural position and role.

Tarisai Musakanda - 4
Guys on debut should always be cut some slack. I do like what I see, despite his first class average and lack of centuries. His fielding was brilliant throughout the match. I think he could be a real gem as the future #3 or #4 batsman across formats. Needs to be persisted with now that he's been selected.

Hamilton Masakadza - 4
I debated giving him a 4 out of 10, but the seniormost guy should have scored more runs in the first innings. In the end I gave him a 4 because I think he is also batting out of position and being forced to open. Its not his fault the middle order is as croweded as it is. Took some excellent catches, but the big man has got to start scoring some runs.

Christopher Mpofu - 3
Didn't do anything of note, but in his favor, these pitches were terrible for seam bowlers. I don't think he has a place in the XI once Chatara and Mumba are fit.

Overall Analysis

All in all this was a very solid performance from Zimbabwe. The win in the ODI series was fabulous and displayed a rare resilience. The multiple fight backs in the Test match were also hearteneing to see for someone who is a neutral. But there were some issues that need to be addressed in the near future keeping in mind the WI series is coming up.

1) Asides from Afghanistan, the West Indies and Sri Lanka are arguably the two sides closest to Zimbabwe in terms of ability across formats. The West Indies series therefore represents a golden opportunity to build on the successes of this series and push for a Test and possible even a series win. The Windies can't play spin and therefore making dustbowls and picking a spin heavy bowling attack is a must. The Windies pace attack is still decent with Gabriel, Joseph, Roach, and Holder so it must be a totally dry track with no grass whatsoever.

2) Do everything possible to fit Burl into the XI. His FC average indicates he knows how to bat big and that is necessary to win or draw Test matches in any condition. Since their resumption in 2011, Zimbabwe have a top score of just 412, and that remains their only score beyond 400. 350 or 375 will let you compete in Test matches, but unless the wicket is truly sporting, that usually won't be enough to win games in the modern era. To get 400+ run totals consistently, you need to have at least 3-4 batsmen contributing in a given innings. That has been the problem so far. Its always been a case of if Ervine scores, no one else does. When Willy gets stuck at the crease, everyone else seems to want to stay in the dressing room. I didn't think Raza had the temperment or the skillset, but I think he's shown a lot of improvement over the years. Hamilton and Willy have shown they can't be the elite batsman of the team, but are still good enough to have pretty guaranteed spots in the team. Fine. Run with that, and select the remaining 2-3 slots for batsmen to bat around Ervine and Raza. Musakanda deserves his spot due to his talent level. Moor possibly deserves another. Burl I think should also be in contention, possibly at the expense of Moor. If Taylor comes back soon, then you'd have a very strong Big 3 with Ervine and Raza.

3) The 8 batsmen theory almost worked here, but the way SL were going they'd have chased down another 50 runs or just batted out for a draw. In order to win, you need at least 3 strike bowlers. Cremer, Chatara, and Mumba are those bowlers for all conditions. You can pick a second specialist spinner or a third seamer as the conditions dictate. But 8 batsmen is overly defensive just like picking 5 bowlers would be. The 8th batsmen is unlikely to get the job done if the other 7 collectively cannot just like a 5th bowler is unlikely to win the match if the other 4 can't get the wickets. 7-4 is a balance that almost all teams should stick to.

[CrimsonAvenger]

Excellent analysis and write up.

[eugene]

I think Williams only deserves a 3, a batsman of his talent should score way more runs than he did on a flat pitch against the worst Sri Lankan bowling attack in a decade.

[jaybro]

I have never watched as much of a Test match not involving Bangladesh as this one. It was a rivetting contest and one I expected Sri Lanka to run away with if not from day 1, then definitely by day 2. Full credit to Zimbabawe for fighting so hard, and possibly winning the game if the 3rd umpire had given Dickwella out.

Marks

Graeme Cremer - 8
Played like a true captain. Took a 9 fer and scored vital runs in both innings. He may be good enough to bat at #8 so that an additional specialist bowler can be picked. Two issues prevented him from getting a perfect 10: his sometimes defensive field settings, and his unwillingness to rotate his bowlers more efficiently in the 2nd innings. As many have suggested, Waller and Masakadza ought to have bowled at least a few overs, even if it wouldn't have changed the outcome of the game, it would have reflected the necessary dynamism of thought that Test cricket requires. But as is, he is very close to being considered a genuine all-rounder.

Craig Ervine - 7
Superb under pressure knock of 160 that really brought Zimbabwe into a position of competing after they were reduced to 70-4 on a benign surface batting first. Test matches really cannot be won by scoring 70s, or 80s, no matter how attractive they may be, and even small hundreds often will leve you short. Big hundreds beyond 125 and 150 are necessary and are the hallmark of a truly Test class batsman. Ervine is hands down the best batsman in the side now, and arguably better than Brenden Taylor himself!

Sikandar Raza - 7
Deserves the same grade as Ervine and I think he's cemented his place ahead of the rest of the pack as the second best batsman in the side across formats. His second innings century was critical in allowing Zimbabwe to post a defendable target. If he can work on his bowling a bit more, he may be a genuine all rounder in the years to come.

Malcolm Waller - 6
Contributed very important runs down the order, but the #8 needs to take bowling responsibility. However, he was only given 5 overs and that can't be counted against him. Really surprised people with his performance and makes him a very tough player to drop in the quest for an additional bowler.

Donald Tiripano - 5
His run scoring and crease occupying abilities are golden, but his main job is to take wickets and his lack of venom there was exposed by the fact that his captain never bothered to toss him the ball in an innings of 115 overs. This leaves his place in the side even more precarious than Waller's. Difficult to justify keeping, but also hard to drop him after the guts he's shown time and time again.

PJ Moor - 5
Did OK with the bat with scores fo 19 and a crucial 40. I didn't actually watch his batting so I can't comment too much and his marks are based purely on the number of runs he scored in the context of the game.

Sean Williams - 4
Scored only 44 runs in the match, and picked up 4 wickets though at considerable cost. Like Raza, he must take the responsibility to bowl a fair share of overs in tours of the subcontinent, but his primary job is to score runs. Needs to be more consistent.

Regis Chakabva - 4
Failed with the bat, but I feel he was forced to open and thus he gets a generous mark. Took a couple of excellent catches, but also dropped some he should have taken. I think the think tank needs to figure out who between Moor and Regis is more valuable and slot that player in their natural position and role.

Tarisai Musakanda - 4
Guys on debut should always be cut some slack. I do like what I see, despite his first class average and lack of centuries. His fielding was brilliant throughout the match. I think he could be a real gem as the future #3 or #4 batsman across formats. Needs to be persisted with now that he's been selected.

Hamilton Masakadza - 4
I debated giving him a 4 out of 10, but the seniormost guy should have scored more runs in the first innings. In the end I gave him a 4 because I think he is also batting out of position and being forced to open. Its not his fault the middle order is as croweded as it is. Took some excellent catches, but the big man has got to start scoring some runs.

Christopher Mpofu - 3
Didn't do anything of note, but in his favor, these pitches were terrible for seam bowlers. I don't think he has a place in the XI once Chatara and Mumba are fit.

Overall Analysis

All in all this was a very solid performance from Zimbabwe. The win in the ODI series was fabulous and displayed a rare resilience. The multiple fight backs in the Test match were also hearteneing to see for someone who is a neutral. But there were some issues that need to be addressed in the near future keeping in mind the WI series is coming up.

1) Asides from Afghanistan, the West Indies and Sri Lanka are arguably the two sides closest to Zimbabwe in terms of ability across formats. The West Indies series therefore represents a golden opportunity to build on the successes of this series and push for a Test and possible even a series win. The Windies can't play spin and therefore making dustbowls and picking a spin heavy bowling attack is a must. The Windies pace attack is still decent with Gabriel, Joseph, Roach, and Holder so it must be a totally dry track with no grass whatsoever.

2) Do everything possible to fit Burl into the XI. His FC average indicates he knows how to bat big and that is necessary to win or draw Test matches in any condition. Since their resumption in 2011, Zimbabwe have a top score of just 412, and that remains their only score beyond 400. 350 or 375 will let you compete in Test matches, but unless the wicket is truly sporting, that usually won't be enough to win games in the modern era. To get 400+ run totals consistently, you need to have at least 3-4 batsmen contributing in a given innings. That has been the problem so far. Its always been a case of if Ervine scores, no one else does. When Willy gets stuck at the crease, everyone else seems to want to stay in the dressing room. I didn't think Raza had the temperment or the skillset, but I think he's shown a lot of improvement over the years. Hamilton and Willy have shown they can't be the elite batsman of the team, but are still good enough to have pretty guaranteed spots in the team. Fine. Run with that, and select the remaining 2-3 slots for batsmen to bat around Ervine and Raza. Musakanda deserves his spot due to his talent level. Moor possibly deserves another. Burl I think should also be in contention, possibly at the expense of Moor. If Taylor comes back soon, then you'd have a very strong Big 3 with Ervine and Raza.

3) The 8 batsmen theory almost worked here, but the way SL were going they'd have chased down another 50 runs or just batted out for a draw. In order to win, you need at least 3 strike bowlers. Cremer, Chatara, and Mumba are those bowlers for all conditions. You can pick a second specialist spinner or a third seamer as the conditions dictate. But 8 batsmen is overly defensive just like picking 5 bowlers would be. The 8th batsmen is unlikely to get the job done if the other 7 collectively cannot just like a 5th bowler is unlikely to win the match if the other 4 can't get the wickets. 7-4 is a balance that almost all teams should stick to.

Yeah nicely said, I feel you're a bit generous to Hami, Tary & Mpofu but all in all well done .....

[jaybro]

A look at what worked & what didn't

What worked -

Playing 8 batsman - This is up for conjecture as you could argue if we played an extra bowler we might have bowled them out, but the extra batsman who was Malcolm Waller scored over 100 runs for the match so by playing the extra batsman it helped us put the extra runs on the board required to put us in a position to win the match. We all probably expected Waller to bowl more but Cremer was looking for wickets & probably thought Williams & Raza were better options. We barely bowled our seamers anyways so the 3 bowler idea might have worked if we had Mumba & Chatara bowling the seam or played an extra spinner.

Strong middle order - Even though we suffered two top order collapses we were able to put up over 350 twice against Herath in Sri Lanka which is a great effort. Some people will argue we should have moved some of the guys up the order but in the last 5 tests we've played Ervine, Williams, Raza & Moor have contributed 9 of the 14 fifty plus scores we've had in that time including 4 centuries batting in the middle order. It's not always a good idea to weaken your strength to strengthen your weakness.

Aggressive approach to batting - Even with the top order collapses the batsman continued to play their shots and it paid dividends. Ervine, Raza, Moor & Waller all kept playing their shots & were rewarded with runs.

1st innings bowling - I thought Cremer ( or who ever's idea it was ) did a great job with his bowling changes & field placements in the first innings. With a limited attack we still got them out for under 350. The seamers were used smartly and the fielding was top notch. unfortunately the 2nd innings they got it all wrong.


What Didn't work -

The top order - The top 3 batsman contributed 49 runs for the entire match which is astonishing considering how close we got to winning. The idea to open with Regis and make him keep was a odd one but since he barely spent any time batting it can't be made as an excuse for the miss chances he had on the last day. It was a shame because he kept so well in the first innings and spoke about the role as opening batsman / wicket keeper as 'no big deal' and 'was happy to do so' this showed the right attitude needed in a team sport. One can argue Regis & Hami aren't openers but it was spin that un-did both so can't blame the seaming new ball as the issue, Regis played across the line both times and was bowled twice. The move to play Tary @3 was a bold one and it was always going to be risky, with a first class average of 25 & no centuries I didn't think it was the right time to pick him. Although he was unlucky in the first innings his shot in the second innings was terrible and showed a young man who hasn't learnt the art of batting long.

2nd innings bowling - Opening with the spinners wasn't a bad idea but it should have been Cremer taking the new ball, I think the reason for him not to was because they were clearly planning on bowling him un-changed for the rest of the day so they wanted to get some overs out of the way before bringing him on to lessen the workload because they weren't planning on using the seamers. This was the next major mistake not bowling the seamers at all, fair enough don't give them the new ball because the new ball went for runs in the first innings but they really needed to bowl Tiripano & Mpofu at some stage. Mpofu got some overs later in the innings but the game was gone by then. The seamers could have held up an end whilst Williams & Cremer attacked from the other it would have kept the runs down & kept the spinners fresh. Also Gunaratne looked so comfortable against the spin we should have bowled some seam at him earlier.

Defensive field placings - Too many easy runs were allowed by us having 3-4 guys on the fence at all times. I know Cremer & Williams bowl a lot of bad balls but the amount of easy 1's and 2's made up the equivalent of 1 boundary an over. Both Cremer & Williams went for around 4 an over so what was the point? At least with the field up we would have forced them to take some risks to hit boundaries which could have created chances. I just feel they made the runs without a risk and the field placings were the reason why. This also stems back to not bowling the seamers in the 2nd innings, the workload for Cremer & Williams was too much so they bowled more bad balls. Less overs = better quality bowling= less bad deliveries= more attacking fields= more chances for wickets.

[Kriterion_BD]

Excellent analysis and write up.

Thanks. I spend more time here than I do on BanglaCricket as all the posters I used to like vanished. I manage a BD page on facebook where those old guys post occaisionally, but that forum hasnt taken off as I had hoped. I have been following Zim very closley ever since our tour in 2013.

I hope this is a revival for ZIM cricket. Cricket cant afford to lose teams given that only 12 of them play it at a decent level.

[Kriterion_BD]

Jaybro, the reason I was lenient on Hami and Regis is that batting out of position is a very big issue IMO (as someone who has never played the game myself). it may alter your entire gameplan or mental setpoint. So this is the first time in history I will vouch for Mt Masakadza. they may have fallen to spin, but opening in Tests when you are used to being elsewhere should be taken lihgtly. even when a #3 comes in after a first ball wicket he's a virtual opener but in his mind he's still a first drop.

[Black Mamba]

After every series, debate of wicket keepers have been a big issue.

Peter Moor - Shown a character second time in his career, that he can stand tall against quality pace attack and now with quality spin attack, batting at the lower order. But his keeping needs to be improved, droping a catch in test match can cost a match.


Regis Chakabva - Regis came to this match, with some success in domestic cricket. He opted to open in the recent A & domestic matches and he got runs, scoring tons and few fifties.But international stage is differant and his batting as opener was a pure disappointment. His Keeping skiils was also not perfect, missed few stumping and a catch


Richamond Mutumbambi - His keeping skills are better then above two,but needs to improve his batting which looks like a tailender.


Needs to look out now : Joylord Gumbie, Ryan Murray


When it comes to Musakanda,he is a great fielder, superb player of shorter format. Steping out to quality spinner like Herath, that too when a wicket falls in a test match, is a sign of immaturity, and is not ready for Test Cricket.

[foreignfield]

Excellent analysis, both Kriterion and jaybro. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Regarding the middle order I feel that Moor's position is more on the line than Waller's. I was very suprised that he retained his place despite Regis coming in as keeper, especially considering PJs dismal form in the ODIs and the possibility to slot Mire in there at 7 as an aggressive/slogging option (in form and a better fielder as well). I'm tempted to give Hami and PJ the same rating (a generous 4), because yes, PJ scored a few runs, but Hami arguably saved us more with his sharp catches.

[jaybro]

Excellent analysis, both Kriterion and jaybro. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Regarding the middle order I feel that Moor's position is more on the line than Waller's. I was very suprised that he retained his place despite Regis coming in as keeper, especially considering PJs dismal form in the ODIs and the possibility to slot Mire in there at 7 as an aggressive/slogging option (in form and a better fielder as well). I'm tempted to give Hami and PJ the same rating (a generous 4), because yes, PJ scored a few runs, but Hami arguably saved us more with his sharp catches.

Thanks FF very kind.....

I feel you're being awfully harsh on PJ giving him a 4, he came to the innings @ 5/59 and with Raza helped lay the platform for the 2nd innings. I agree though his spot is under fire same as Waller even though they scored runs it's hard to justify having batsman 7 & 8 not bowl or keep when your keeper is opening and your 5 & 6 are bowling lots of overs. Moor's average is almost 34 though which in Zimbabwe numbers is very good so if he keeps that up he should stay. He seems to like the longer format better than ODI's but in this test he got out twice caught in the deep he needs to get that out of his game .....