Staurt Carslie,Adam Huckle and Gavin Rennie , were there still playingjaybro wrote: ↑Thu May 02, 2019 8:20 amHard to beat a Zimbabwe side with the Flowers and Streak, just as a reference for people you might not remember this is how I recall the players from 03 and how good they were at that time.
Wishart - probably the peak of his powers
Marrilier - peaked just after the WC
Grant - still a decent player but maybe past his best
Andy - looked past his best going into the WC but was Zimbabwe’s best player and scored a heap of runs
Campbell - Well past his best, originally left out of the squad replaced Vermeulan
Taibu - finding his feet as an ODI player, scored his 1st fifty in the Super 6’s
Ervine - like Taibu was still finding his feet, his best form was 12 months on
Streak - Still at the peak of his powers with bat & ball
Blignaut - peaking
Murphy - past his best, bowled tripe at the WC
Hondo - close to peak
Olonga - past his best
Ebrahim - never was a good ODI player, wouldn’t make today’s side tbf
Wittall - well past his best
Matsi - finding his feet
Vermeulan - finding his feet
So what I’m trying to say is although that side looked great on paper there weren’t many guys ‘at their peak’ compared to the 1999 side where most of the guys on 1st XI were very close of not playing at their best.
Hard to say with the current mob how many are at their best? I’d say most of the batsman are probably on the peaks of their careers and you could argue the same for the bowlers.
On paper you’d say the 2003 side but on the field 2003 v 2019 might be a bit closer than most think.
Battle of the zim squads
Re: Battle of the zim squads
Re: Battle of the zim squads
Yeah I agree with Rex, but his best form was 12 months on when he did well in OZ and scored that hundred at home v the Windies, at that point I thought he was Zimbabwe's next big thing.ZIMDOGGY wrote: ↑Thu May 02, 2019 12:57 pm
very accurate to my mind as well.
Only tweaks Id make is that Vermeulen actually hit the ground running and was a very good player early on in his international career, and Wisharts big innings only came against club sides like Namibia and Bangladesh (at that time).
Wishart a bit like Cephas in some ways.
Yeah Wish never really mad his mark v the big sides, as you pointed out that hundred v Namibia being his highest point which is why I reckon he was at his peak. He also did ok around the time of the 03 tour to Oz and scored a 96 in the same innings Rex got his 100, a knee injury kept him out of the VB Tri series in Oz, whilst the rebellion then pretty much ended him.
Chairman of the Neville Madziva fan Club
Originator of the #mumbamania movement
Originator of the #mumbamania movement
Re: Battle of the zim squads
'03 squad wins this for me hand down. They were matching it with some of the worlds best. The current side has flopped to UAE, Afghanistan and Scotland.