Looking forward to Boxing Day

[Flakeman]

I 4 reelz thinks tht we shud poot Prosper Utaeya In bcoz he took a hat trick vs SA once and t will play in they’re mindz.

Also I sore Elton hit a beeeeg 6 vs them too. Poot him n 2.

Get Taurai Muzarabani n 2 ! Tht guy is pure $$ ! I sw him ystrdae bwlin n e nets and bwled 4 guys in e row , they mite hv bin 13 yer olds but stil his confedenz will be sky hi ! $$

[Kriterion_BD]

for me BT and Craig and Raza have to come in as late as possible. maybe 4 5 and 6. Hami at 3. PJ has the patience to open from what I saw against Roach and Gabriel. still haven't decided who should open with him. we just need the openers to see off the new ball and then we can build from there. Chamu can be the 8th batsmen in the 11 but maybe he can open with PJ. then Regis and Williams can bat at 7 and 8. Williams just doesn't have the patience required to bat in the top 5 at the moment.

You are right in your assessment that Craig = BT, and Raza are ZIM's current 3 best batters (across formats but especially in Tests). Hammi made an excellent case in the SL ODIs and WI Tests, but for a guy playing 300+ innings he's going to need at least 6 months or 20+ innings of solid performances to prove he's at the same level as those 3. Raza averages 40+ in Tests just to highlight my point.

And your best 3 batters should bat at 3, 4, 5. So I'd have BT at 3, Craig at 4, and Raza at 5. Hammi did well opening, so no point moving him until he proves he's more valuable than those 3. Hammy has leapfrogged Williams, Moor, and others from "not really good enough for the XI" to being the 4th name on the team sheet.

Moor did a fantastic job as did Chakabva (who also has domestic form) so those two should take 6 and 7. So its just a question of who opens with Hammy. Should Mire get another go, or do we try Chamu or someone else?

Bowling should be Cremer, Jarvis, Chatara, and my pick would be Shingi or someone who can hold a bat (really don't want Tiripano but if he's the next best thing, he gets in).

[Kriterion_BD]

Chakabva 70 has no impact in drawing that test, he did'nt performed when it was required, it was Raza Moor partnership that saved the game.

Thats simply not true. Yes Raza was vital, but so too was Chakabva who was in with nearly 50 overs left to bat out. 7 wickets down, that was a guaranteed W for the West Indied and Chakabva played just as big a roll as Raza and Hamilton to save the match. Arguably he had the most pressure since he was the last recongnized batsman left.

[jaybro]

Struggling to find the logic here

Zimbabwe have always struggled for test openers and right now is no different

Hamilton scores a century and looks at ease against Gabriel & Roach whilst OPENING

ZCF Logic = Don't open with Hami

I'm not sure about PJ opening in Tests as he had 'indifferent' results opening there in ODI's, in the series in the UAE against Afghanistan he scored two half centuries and a 40 which suggested he could handle opening. But in the return series in Zimbabwe against Afghanistan he really struggled although I didn't see his dismissals so I'm not sure if he got out 'playing shots' or if he couldn't handle the new ball??

Either way Im pretty sure they'll give Mire another shot with Hami

[jaybro]

Also I really think it's a bad idea going into this match with only 2 seamers and Cremer, I think we need to pick 3 seamers and Cremer.

If Streak is worried about getting bundled out for 100 then maybe guys like Tiripano and Shingi might get a look in

Long batting lineup side *

Hami
Mire
Ervine
BT
Williams / Moor
Raza
Regis
Cremer
Tiripano
Shingi
KJ / Chatara

Not the side I would pick but there's plenty of batting and bowling in that team

[The Robot]

Also I really think it's a bad idea going into this match with only 2 seamers and Cremer, I think we need to pick 3 seamers and Cremer.

If Streak is worried about getting bundled out for 100 then maybe guys like Tiripano and Shingi might get a look in

Long batting lineup side *

Hami
Mire
Ervine
BT
Williams / Moor
Raza
Regis
Cremer
Tiripano
Shingi
KJ / Chatara

Not the side I would pick but there's plenty of batting and bowling in that team

The form Shingi is in, he might put some brains of IPL franchise towards him, he will smash proteas Tiripano should open, he is someone close to Shane Watson or a Dwayne Bravo.

[pariah]

AB de Villiers to play in the 3 day practice match in Paarl from December 20 to 22 against Zimbabwe.

[jaybro]

AB de Villiers to play in the 3 day practice match in Paarl from December 20 to 22 against Zimbabwe.

I’m really worried about what AB will do to our bowlers

[Zero76]

1. Hami
2. Mire
3. Craig
4. BT
5. Raza
6. Moor
7. Chakabva (WK)
8. Cremer (C)
9. Mpofu/Tiripano
10. Jarvis
11. Chatara

I would go for a team something like this.

[jaybro]

1. Hami
2. Mire
3. Craig
4. BT
5. Raza
6. Moor
7. Chakabva (WK)
8. Cremer (C)
9. Mpofu/Tiripano
10. Jarvis
11. Chatara

I would go for a team something like this.

Not bad