Boxing Day Test: SA v ZIM - Day 1 Review
Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2017 1:35 am
SA won the toss and elected to bat looking to bat once and bat ZIM out of the game.
Injuries kept Faf and Steyn out of the game as expected, while for ZIM Muzarabani played as coach Streak had indicated, with Burl an unexpected debut, but at least in the middle order(yet again continuing the selective trend long predicted).
What followed was a litany of errors from the Proteas on the way to an underwhelming but sufficient total. Cremer got Philander out beautifully, but otherwise the rest of the Proteas batsmen got themselves out needlessly.
Jarvis was horribly slow and ineffective, further proving why investment in him was grossly misguided and wasteful. Muzarabani benefitted from the watchful openers, but prove he was ways ell below the standard. Hard to be dropped going forward after fortuitously picking up Amla and AB's wckets, but Mpofu did nothing to suggest why he should have toured to begin with. Cremer was for the most part wayward, expensive and downright useless. Raza was firmly put in his place by proper batsmen - he's a non-spinner.
That Chamu Chibhabha was easily Zimbabwe's best bowler, and by quite some distance, underlined just how poor this Zimbabwe attack was, and how grateful ZIM should be for being let off the hook. His performance and multiple threatening deliveries further highliing what a big loss Panyangara's absence amounts to.
With the none-keeping and non-batting pair of Burl and Moor. you would have expected one of them to open alongside Chibhabha, or both of them open(considering Chamu bowled a lot and the all rounder should batmich lower), while ZIM's best test batsman Hami comes in lower after the sudden SA declaration. Common sense failed to prevail ahead of privilege. SA ripped through ZIM's top order with Morkel doing most of the damage. Hami gone first ball! What a waste!
ZIM's so-called best batting pair of Craig Ervine and Taylor getting out in quick succession for 5 and a duck respectively, after the openers fell. Signs were already there from the footwork-less pair against raw SA novices a few days earlier.
ZIM on 30/4 with Jarvis looking to make it 30/5 as soon as possible when play resumes. Moor and Raza to join Burl and hopefully make the most of the afternoon conditions.
With the SA seamers not lookingo gibe away any easy runs ZIM batsmen will either have to force the issue block their way into more evening and night trouble.
What is not in doubt is that SA would have faced a much stiffer challenge from any of the sides in its Franchise or Provincial competitions. An even more sad indictment being the fact that Namibia make up that list.
ZIM's effectively forced relegation to the I-Cup now, looks as relevant as the voluntary withdrawal from Tests about a decade ago. The suspiciously wide coverage perhaps an indication of the deliberate intention to prove that beyond reasonable doubt as opposed to interest and demand.
It will be a miracle if Day 2 isn't the final day of this Test match!
Injuries kept Faf and Steyn out of the game as expected, while for ZIM Muzarabani played as coach Streak had indicated, with Burl an unexpected debut, but at least in the middle order(yet again continuing the selective trend long predicted).
What followed was a litany of errors from the Proteas on the way to an underwhelming but sufficient total. Cremer got Philander out beautifully, but otherwise the rest of the Proteas batsmen got themselves out needlessly.
Jarvis was horribly slow and ineffective, further proving why investment in him was grossly misguided and wasteful. Muzarabani benefitted from the watchful openers, but prove he was ways ell below the standard. Hard to be dropped going forward after fortuitously picking up Amla and AB's wckets, but Mpofu did nothing to suggest why he should have toured to begin with. Cremer was for the most part wayward, expensive and downright useless. Raza was firmly put in his place by proper batsmen - he's a non-spinner.
That Chamu Chibhabha was easily Zimbabwe's best bowler, and by quite some distance, underlined just how poor this Zimbabwe attack was, and how grateful ZIM should be for being let off the hook. His performance and multiple threatening deliveries further highliing what a big loss Panyangara's absence amounts to.
With the none-keeping and non-batting pair of Burl and Moor. you would have expected one of them to open alongside Chibhabha, or both of them open(considering Chamu bowled a lot and the all rounder should batmich lower), while ZIM's best test batsman Hami comes in lower after the sudden SA declaration. Common sense failed to prevail ahead of privilege. SA ripped through ZIM's top order with Morkel doing most of the damage. Hami gone first ball! What a waste!
ZIM's so-called best batting pair of Craig Ervine and Taylor getting out in quick succession for 5 and a duck respectively, after the openers fell. Signs were already there from the footwork-less pair against raw SA novices a few days earlier.
ZIM on 30/4 with Jarvis looking to make it 30/5 as soon as possible when play resumes. Moor and Raza to join Burl and hopefully make the most of the afternoon conditions.
With the SA seamers not lookingo gibe away any easy runs ZIM batsmen will either have to force the issue block their way into more evening and night trouble.
What is not in doubt is that SA would have faced a much stiffer challenge from any of the sides in its Franchise or Provincial competitions. An even more sad indictment being the fact that Namibia make up that list.
ZIM's effectively forced relegation to the I-Cup now, looks as relevant as the voluntary withdrawal from Tests about a decade ago. The suspiciously wide coverage perhaps an indication of the deliberate intention to prove that beyond reasonable doubt as opposed to interest and demand.
It will be a miracle if Day 2 isn't the final day of this Test match!
