[MATCH THREAD] ZIM v UAE WCQ

[BugsBunny]

I guess Zim lost the game-plan initially itself after giving a lot of runs in the first few overs. The bowling was not at all under control
and we were always going for short pitch balls and that too with no extra pace. No blockhold yorkers and no pace is still worrying.
Chasing a score greater than 200 was always going to be tough and that too with rain on forecast bringing in DL system
The wet outfield made it very slow and 4's were restricted to 3s and 2s.
PJ played his part well in the given situation and it was his first game after a long time.
Zhuwao is another Waller and his aggressive batting is certainly a game changer as we have seen in the match against HK.

[TapsC]

A 10 ball 20 from Cephas wouldn’t have won us the game, we lost the game because again we couldn’t get two batsman to fire in the same innings.

There’s a lot of finger pointing going on and it’s easy to say we should have done this and we should have done that, in the end the Cephas experiment didn’t work

A quick fire 40 odd against Nepal and Hong Kong and scores of around 20 against Ireland & Scotland

Couldn’t get off the mark against the World Class attacks.

I agree playing Ervine down at 7 was pointless he is a top 4 player, but I’m pretty sure you were the main guy callingfir him to drop down the order TapsC

With 2 attacking players uptop i think 5 is the lowest he can bat. I would expect him to be in around the 25th to 30th over in a full innings . In an ideal game we will be crusing at maybe 180 for 3. In a tight spot we are maybe 50 for 3 maybe after 15. Both times he can still come in and settle for a bit.

[Kriterion_BD]

Averages have a way of winning out, especially in course of a long tournament such as this one. Each team played 7 games, which is a reasonably long period of time in cricket terms. Thats a full series. Even in the NBA/NHL/MLB a full playoff series is 7 games long. You can't fluke something over such a long period. On a team front it, Afghanistan had the worst possible start to the tournament, but a long tournament allows a team the chance to regroup and come back. Overall they were the best side coming into the tournament, played shit cricket to start, got a little bit of luck, and then won 4 straight games to seize the Trophy. On the flip opposite side, ZIM and Scotland had the best possible starts, but ultimately the averages caught up. Individually too we see it happen with the batting averages. Is anyone surprised Taylor and Raza are the leading run scorers? They both had some bad games, but on the whole 7 game stretch, they were the best. Williams was true to his career as well, one great game, the rest not so memorable.

For ZIM, a 3 run loss is such a fine margin that the game could have been won or lost in several different periods of play. The initial UAE powerplay where they scored 50-1 off 10 was one instance. That Jarvis over to Naveed which went for 15 or so is another. The early dismissals of Taylor and Raza. The unnecessary dismissal of Williams (great catch, but as I've always said, the sweep shouldn't be employed as often as it is). Those random tight overs bowled by Naveed and the medium pacer. It was a matter of keeping composure, something ZIM had managed in the thrillers vs Afghanistan and Scotland, but have struggled in so many other instances over the years.

UAE was probably also the worst team to play at that stage for ZIM. I suspect the ZIM players were a bit complacent, the UAE had nothing to lose and only hunger to win in a no pressure situation, all the pressure was on ZIM, etc. A banana skin covered in coconut oil if ever there was one.

[eugene]

This tournament could have gone so many ways. We could have lost to Scotland and Afghanistan in the group stage, but then also beaten the Windies and UAE in the Super Sixes. The Ireland victory was uncharacteristically easy.

[zimbos_05]

I get that point. The innings needed to be stabilized. If we look back at PJs thought process i get what he was trying to do. My criticism does not mean i dont understand the game. Its an alternative view.

Look at it this way. What exactly is Craigs role in the team then? Is he not a stabilizer? Its then clear that there was an imbalance in the team with too many stabilizers because he didnt have enough time to settle because the other stabilizer used up too many deliveries. Craig had no role in the team because of the way the order was set.

Also looking at it from the match situation Williams was not an aggressor at all until much later in the game. Him finding gaps better than PJ does not make him an aggressor. At an international level what williams did is actually the stabilizer role. Start slowly, find gaps and slowly begin to accelerate. PJs innings never got to that stage. In 60 deliveries. He never started turning dots to singles then singles into 2s then 2s into 4s. Thats why he found himself in tht situation. Thats his whole limited overs career in one innings for you.

With Ervine still in the hut and knowing he needs time PJ should have tried harder maybe after 40 deliveries. This was not a 50 over game. You cant be that slow when he had to score at almost 6 an over. Thats 10 whole overs out of 40 that he faced. This is the UAE as well.

Others failed too. Hami failed. He had a terrible tournament. Mire failed. That doesnt mean PJ played a great knock. Its not his fault at all. He played exactly how we all know he was going to play. Its the people in charge who should take the blame for that specific situation. As much as you want Streak to stay we cant hide from the truth that batting order was a mistake. That was not the first time he played Ervine at 7 and it also failed. Why did he repeat it?

It is definitely not about knocking the view, but maybe giving some understanding to it.

The whole idea was to bowl them out quickly, go in and finish off the total quickly. In doing that you need aggressors. For me those aggressors were Mire, Hammy, Taylor, Williams, Raza...to have that many aggressors you need to compensate with the anchors, PJ and Craig were those.

The bowlers failed, so the plan should have altered a bit. Instead Hammy and Mire went in to go all out and failed. Williams was actually the aggressor, he was actively seeking gaps and trying out different shots, and got his runs quicker than PJ. Aggressor does not mean they only hit 4s and 6s. PJ did what was required. There was no reason for him to be aggressive at that point because Williams was ticking the scoreboard over. When PJ eventually tried to open up, he went out. He was looking to accelerate things, it just didn't come off for him.

Yes, Hammy failed and Mire failed, which brings us to the point that PJ should not be getting any blame. Hammy and Mire have enough experience and played every game to have had at least one decent match, they didn't.

Streak must take some blame and assessed the situation, and put Mire down the order. He did well against the Windies there, and would have helped in the situation we found ourselves in which was to have an aggressor for the final few overs.

I don't believe it is all Streaks fault, and if we are going to be a team that fires a coach after one mistake, then it will serve us no purpose. I also feel that a lot of team selection is through interference from the top. The calls for Cephas were instant after the match, yet no one saw to blame Chatara. Remember all the outcry of why was he not picked for the Windies game?? Well, he was picked for the UAE game and went for 7 an over. A better bowling performance from him and their total would have been 20-30 runs less. Then suddenly those same people were asking why Chisoro was dropped. Chop change chop change. I can't help but feel someone at the top level wanted Cephas in the team whether he failed or not. A 10 ball 20 is a failure for a top order batsman. Simple.

[zimbot]

I get that point. The innings needed to be stabilized. If we look back at PJs thought process i get what he was trying to do. My criticism does not mean i dont understand the game. Its an alternative view.

Look at it this way. What exactly is Craigs role in the team then? Is he not a stabilizer? Its then clear that there was an imbalance in the team with too many stabilizers because he didnt have enough time to settle because the other stabilizer used up too many deliveries. Craig had no role in the team because of the way the order was set.

Also looking at it from the match situation Williams was not an aggressor at all until much later in the game. Him finding gaps better than PJ does not make him an aggressor. At an international level what williams did is actually the stabilizer role. Start slowly, find gaps and slowly begin to accelerate. PJs innings never got to that stage. In 60 deliveries. He never started turning dots to singles then singles into 2s then 2s into 4s. Thats why he found himself in tht situation. Thats his whole limited overs career in one innings for you.

With Ervine still in the hut and knowing he needs time PJ should have tried harder maybe after 40 deliveries. This was not a 50 over game. You cant be that slow when he had to score at almost 6 an over. Thats 10 whole overs out of 40 that he faced. This is the UAE as well.

Others failed too. Hami failed. He had a terrible tournament. Mire failed. That doesnt mean PJ played a great knock. Its not his fault at all. He played exactly how we all know he was going to play. Its the people in charge who should take the blame for that specific situation. As much as you want Streak to stay we cant hide from the truth that batting order was a mistake. That was not the first time he played Ervine at 7 and it also failed. Why did he repeat it?

It is definitely not about knocking the view, but maybe giving some understanding to it.

The whole idea was to bowl them out quickly, go in and finish off the total quickly. In doing that you need aggressors. For me those aggressors were Mire, Hammy, Taylor, Williams, Raza...to have that many aggressors you need to compensate with the anchors, PJ and Craig were those.

The bowlers failed, so the plan should have altered a bit. Instead Hammy and Mire went in to go all out and failed. Williams was actually the aggressor, he was actively seeking gaps and trying out different shots, and got his runs quicker than PJ. Aggressor does not mean they only hit 4s and 6s. PJ did what was required. There was no reason for him to be aggressive at that point because Williams was ticking the scoreboard over. When PJ eventually tried to open up, he went out. He was looking to accelerate things, it just didn't come off for him.

Yes, Hammy failed and Mire failed, which brings us to the point that PJ should not be getting any blame. Hammy and Mire have enough experience and played every game to have had at least one decent match, they didn't.

Streak must take some blame and assessed the situation, and put Mire down the order. He did well against the Windies there, and would have helped in the situation we found ourselves in which was to have an aggressor for the final few overs.

I don't believe it is all Streaks fault, and if we are going to be a team that fires a coach after one mistake, then it will serve us no purpose. I also feel that a lot of team selection is through interference from the top. The calls for Cephas were instant after the match, yet no one saw to blame Chatara. Remember all the outcry of why was he not picked for the Windies game?? Well, he was picked for the UAE game and went for 7 an over. A better bowling performance from him and their total would have been 20-30 runs less. Then suddenly those same people were asking why Chisoro was dropped. Chop change chop change. I can't help but feel someone at the top level wanted Cephas in the team whether he failed or not. A 10 ball 20 is a failure for a top order batsman. Simple.

Yes this.

I'm assuming the idea was to bowl first and take advantage of any moisture that was available since it had rained the previous day. Play an extra seamer (Chatara) to take advantage of any seam movement that may be available as a result of the moisture. Get them out cheaply (130 - 180 max) and chase it down before the heavens open since there was some rain forecast thay day. After what happened to Scotland we did not want to go down the same path.

The problem is, we didn't bowl well. Too many loose deliveries and too many wides. We gave away too many wides. Blessing Muzarabani on the boundary let the ball go through for a four too easily without putting in a dive on a number of occasions. These small things could have made a difference had we put in that extra bit of effort to make sure they didn't happen.

That Jarvis over before the rain came also hurt us.

Anyway, it's water under the bridge. What's done is done.

[brmtaylor.com admin]

A new entry from PGada:

A PEOPLE DEVOID OF A COMPETENT CRICKET BOARD AND ADMINISTRATORS DEPLOYS TACTICS AND DECISIONS WORTHY OF ITS CRICKET BOARD:

23rd MARCH 2018

ZC Board Chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani,
Zimbabwe Minister of Sport Ray Kazembe Kazembe
Zimbabwe Cricket Family

I write to you from England after watching the crucial match Zimbabwe vs the UAE at the 2019 Cricket World Cup Qualifiers live today on Sky Sports UK. The UAE captain Rohan Mustafa celebrated what was a major milestone for his team: taking down a Full ICC Member nation. UAE were 18th best ODI side in the world before this tournament - Proof again that ICC has done some brilliant work globalising the sport and world cricket has never been more competitive, gone are the days of some full ICC members turning up and expecting to roll over the Associate nations.

Firstly, minister Kazembe and ZC Chairman live TV showed you both sitting next to each other in the Harare Sports Club VIP stand watching the match. It is great you are eating and sharing ideas together. However, Minister of Sport, like your predecessor Makhosini Hlongwane who was fired after the overthrow of President Mugabe’s regime in November 2017 in what some termed a soft coup, you will need to show some real genuine action and be seen to be taking drastic measures against the corrupt and incompetent ZC regime. Your predecessor, who I wrote to and spoke with on several occasions via WhatsApp messaging service and the phone was not fit for purpose at all and was busy wining and dining with the great bully Ozias Bvute, Peter Chingoka and their CORRUPT AND INCOMPETENT associates who came on their piggyback from 2001 and are currently at the helm at ZC in 2018. Not only will Zimbabwe cricketers and coaches at all levels be shattered by the loss to UAE but most Zimbabweans are including the fans.

My plea again for you IS to please listen to SOME serious concerns and those shared by many Zimbabweans as below.

This loss (THE GREATEST SETBACK SINCE 1980) will set Zimbabwean cricket back years with funding, fixtures and sponsorship. In addition, this has shown that a 10 team ICC World Cup will not only hamper emerging nations but also established Full ICC Members. In preparation for the World Cup 2019, some countries may not want to play Zimbabwe as preparations plans when we will not feature in the prestigious global tournament? This calls for Zimbabwe to come up with vital strategies or changes to move the game ahead and ensure it improves. One thing is certain, grassroots development needs to be revived again and well run.

It’s is really sad, agonising and shocking to see Zimbabwe (A full member ICC Test nation) lose to an Associate nation UAE today at the crucial England 2019 World Cup qualifying match. Bad and diabolical decisions were made in various aspects hence the title of this Article. Since the tournament began, Zimbabwe was over reliant on two batters Brendan Taylor (Tournament leading run scorer with just over 450 runs) and Sikander Raza (in top 5 with over 250 runs) as well as just scrapping a win against Afghanistan and tied with Scotland (another Associate nation that has vastly improved). Against better bowling attacks Zimbabwe struggled for runs or to score 210 at least but did convincingly beat Nepal and Hong Kong.

A few SERIOUSLY disquieting issues will require answers from ZC and the Head of selectors Tatenda Taibu:

1 - Why was Cephas Zhuwao left out of the playing XI vs UAE? He could have given us the MUCH needed impetus upfront to START OFF AND have a good run rate built. Zhuwao has suffered many years of neglect by selectors and should have now been given a lengthy run in the team.

2-Why was Tendai Chisoro left out? He bowled well all tournament and he is a good, correct and effective hard hitting batter as numbers 7/8.

3-Why did they throw talented PJ Moor in the deep end and play the crucial game yet he had not been playing and had not featured in any games before? He also averages 18.53 runs in ODIs, he is talented and could be a future star but I am sure there are other batters in Zimbabwe who could have played and been in the squad ahead of him for now.

4-Why did Zimbabwe bat first after winning the toss, a suicidal decision it was. This showed either ignorant overconfidence or fear (two things to never have in sport). Why take UAE lightly when in November 2017 they beat the Zimbabwe A side (a side which had some Zimbabwean international players) 5-0 in an ODI series in the UAE. Also, less that 7 days ago, Ireland made the ultimate school boy error by winning the toss on a lovely hot sunny day and decided to field vs Zimbabwe. This was a decision driven by fear and they rightly paid the price for their lack of courage, which saw Zimbabwe win the match batting first and avoiding dealing with scoreboard pressure.

In world cricket today, the pattern among great teams is win the toss and bat first even on average wickets. The run rate factor is a genuine challenge that only illogical teams ignore at their peril. Even great batsman will tell you that maintaining the run rate is the most challenging as it always happens within restricted circumstances. So why intentionally shoot yourself in the foot Zimbabwe when your tournament run rate is not that good or greatly different when compared with other teams desperate to qualify for the 2019 World Cup like you? Madness and bad thought process. Why in the New Zimbabwe did Zimbabwe win the toss and field? This defies logic considering they saw Ireland make the same mistake less than 7 days ago.

As most people will be astounded by the decision shambles on the cricket pitch, IT IS HOWEVER A REFLECTION AND THE TOTAL RESULT OF A MALFUNCTIONING ZIMBABWE CRICKET BOARD AND CORRUPT ADMINISTRATORS OR CROOKS DATING WAY BACK TO 2001. Just before the tournament, which should have been treated as the most vital Zimbabwe cricket tournament of a lifetime, the board asked players and coaches including development coaches and all staff to take a 60% salary reduction because they were simply broke and could not afford February salaries. How can we expect players to be creative and bring us success when their leaders are devoid of common sense?

5 - The great bully now turned “dubious” man of God Ozias Bvute (a man who abused ZC ICC funding meant for cricket development and unashamedly cut short many cricket careers now decides to repent in the name of the Lord (without remorse or offering apologies to many of those he abused and threatened . He and corruption Godfather Peter Chingoka started the rot in 2000. Their current ZC board associates must NOW do the decent thing and all step down, resign for the sake and good of Zimbabwe cricket. Put simply, they failed from 2001 until now. Zimbabwe needs fresh ideas, new blood and young people who love the game to take over the leadership. Only they can provide the vision that Zimbabwe cricket desperately needs and they are there in all shapes, colour and sizes.

6 - We should draw the line in the sand after failure to qualify for the 2019 England World Cup. Get rid of the old and incompetent ZC guard-deadwood. We need to rebuild but we cannot rebuild with old tools. YOU CANNOT POUR NEW WINE IN AN OLD WINE SKIN OTHERWISE THE WINE AND THE WINE SKIN WILL BE RUINED.

We are at the bottom; it cannot get any worse than this. This is the greatest setback in Zimbabwe Cricket since 1980, sad and agonising. I had people asking me how can ZIMBABWE VS THE UAE FAIL TO GET 35 RUNS OFF 24 BALLS AND THEN 24 RUNS OFF 18 BALLS AND END UP NEEDING 15 OFF THE LAST 6 BALLS. I FAILED TO ANSWER.

7 - Tatenda Taibu is head of selectors based in England. How does that happen or work? He runs a ZC Academy in England. How, when Zimbabwe needs to improve cricket in Zimbabwe.

8 – Again, the incompetent ZC board and crooks need to step aside. They destroyed many careers since 2001 and have caused all the mess in Zimbabwe Cricket. We need the right people in charge now more than ever. A plan for 2023 should be put in place from NOW otherwise more and major heartbreak is on the cards. OVER THE YEARS AND SEASON AFTER SEASON - Club and franchise cricket seasons HAVE ALWAYS BEEN CANCELLED AND ZIMBABWEANS MADE TO THINK THIS IS NORMAL. THIS IS NOT NORMAL AT ALL. Why was first class cricket called off since November 2017.If this occurred in another country the administrators will all be fired. How can first class players survive or improve?

9 - The decline of Zimbabwean cricket started long before this 2018 tournament and our recovery has been hindered at every turn BY THE CORRUPT AND INCOMPETENT ZC BOARD. There has been an insurmountable levels of corruption, with many careers cut short FROM 2001, leaving not only individuals bewildered, frustrated and left to dry, but hindering the economy of Zimbabwe to a certain degree, including employment creation.

10 – Since 2001 there has been endless amount of reports on corruption, incompetency and maladministration within ZC. Arbitrary decisions and plans made by people who know nothing about the game, its development and administration.

11 - In 2018, whether Zimbabwe goes to the 2019 England World Cup or not (although the chance is now tiny), WE ALL KNOW THINGS ARE NOT WELL UNDERNEATH THE SURFACE, THE CRICKET CROOKS are planning more self-enriching schemes and policies to loot more money. THEY ONLY WAIT FOR MORE MONEY TO POUR IN FROM THE ICC THAT'S MEANT FOR DEVELOPMENT, ABUSE IT AND PROLONG THE MADNESS OF NORMALISING THE ABNORMAL THROUGH DECEIT AND SUGAR COATED LIES. The current ZC regime and their “unwitting puppets” truly know that they can only reign in anomalous conditions as such, conditions purely suit their personal agenda and that of associate “BULLY BOYS AND GIRLS” down to the ground - it allows them as a clique, gangsters or syndicate to plunder money meant for cricket development in a developing country. THIS IS THE GREATEST INSULT TO AFRICAN VALUES, THE CULTURAL BELIEF SYSTEM AND SPIRIT OF UBUNTU - WHICH CALLS FOR FAIRNESS, JUSTICE AND RESPECT FOR HUMANITY.

Thank you,

Political Commentator interested Social issues and Positive Intercultural Communication, Zimbabwe Cricket fan and a former Player/Coach,

Patrick Gada
WhatsApp – 0044 7712339722
Twitter - PatrickGada1
Facebook - Patrick Kudzayi Gada
LinkedIn – Patrick Gada

[TapsC]

Probably the most balanced analysis Patrick Gada. In the end i think there needs to be action from top to bottom. The board is full of corrupt individuals who definitely need to go. We also cant deny that the selectors and the coachig staff made mistakes. As well as the captain. Guys like Hami also let us down.

We should do another thread on who exactly should be in that ZC board. Im always put on the spot for not offering solutions but i also wonder who exactly guys want to takeover ZC and who will do it for free like has been suggested. Someone like Alistair Campbell would not do it for free and there are already some serious allegations agajnst him.

[jaybro]

Probably the most balanced analysis Patrick Gada. In the end i think there needs to be action from top to bottom. The board is full of corrupt individuals who definitely need to go. We also cant deny that the selectors and the coachig staff made mistakes. As well as the captain. Guys like Hami also let us down.

We should do another thread on who exactly should be in that ZC board. Im always put on the spot for not offering solutions but i also wonder who exactly guys want to takeover ZC and who will do it for free like has been suggested. Someone like Alistair Campbell would not do it for free and there are already some serious allegations agajnst him.

Campbell all the way imo

There are members in the forum who claim he is corrupt but I find it hard to believe these people actually know for sure.

I’ve said it before but YOU CANT DENY things are always better when AC is around, we play plenty of fixtures and the sponsors come flooding in.

I want people who have played for Zimbabwe to be involved in ZC guys that actually care about the game, Taibu and Streak were two guys who I thought were good but now these fuckwits have sacked them (apparently) so I don’t know where we go from here

[eugene]

Not sure I agree with all that Gada has written. He talks about bringing in new young blood to ZC. While I agree that ZC has a lot of deadwood, they do need to be replaced by people who know the game and have experience. If anything I would look to install a couple of veterans from the pre-2000 period and then a skeleton staff of younger guys. Maybe get David Coltart onboard as an advisor or something?