best test 11 ?

[chappie coventry]

your best test 11 if every1s on deck
his mine

1.B.Taylor
2.H.Masakadza
3.S.Williams/V.Sibanda
4.S.Ervine
5.T.Taibu.(c)
6.C.Ervine
7.G.Lamb
8.A.Blignaut
9.R.Price
10.T.Panyangara
11.T.Chitara/K.Jarvis

no chigs at this stage needs work in the longer version of the game

[Zimfanatic69]

S Ervine is not coming back.

For a test 11 I think you need to look to proven quality and proven ability in the longer game. I think this would be a very competitive side.

H Masakadza
B Taylor
T Taibu (k)
S Matsikenyeri
S Williams
Chigs (c)
G Lamb
Bliggers
Cremer
Price
Mupariwa/Mawhire/Chitara/Jarvis

[chappie coventry]

mupariwa for tests you have no idea lol how do you no that s ervine is not coming back ?

[Zimfanatic69]

mupariwa for tests you have no idea lol how do you no that s ervine is not coming back ?

i have plenty of idea. i like mupariwa and he is a good player. he can do a job for us. a big job.

i know ervine is not coming back - FACT

[eugene]

mupariwa for tests you have no idea lol how do you no that s ervine is not coming back ?

i have plenty of idea. i like mupariwa and he is a good player. he can do a job for us. a big job.

i know ervine is not coming back - FACT

What is your source on Ervine?

I am surprised you didn't select Matsi eleven times.

[jimbo]

am surprised you didn't select Matsi eleven times

Ha ha Ha Ha Ha . He must be matsikenyeris cousin or something

[sloandog]

How do you know he's not coming back ??

[andybligz]

1.G.Ballance
2.H.masakadza(vc)
3.B.Taylor
4.S.Williams
5.C.Ervine
6.T.Taibu(wk)
7.E.Chigumbura(c)
8.A.Blignaut
9.T.Pyanangra
10.R.Price
11.T.Chetara

12.G.Cremer
13.G.Lamb
14.K.Jarvis
15.T.Duffin

[Zimfanatic69]

How do you know he's not coming back ??

To the national side, not to play in the comp.

[brmtaylor.com admin]

On current form:

1. H Masakadza
2. B Taylor
3. T Taibu
4. C Ervine
5. C Coventry
6. M Vermeulen
7. E Chigumbura
8. A Blignaut
9. G Cremer
10. R Price
11. C Mpofu

Panyangara hasn't played First Class cricket in 5 years, even if he did want to make himself available for the national team there is enough depth now that he would have to exhibit some excellent domestic form. Williams has not done enough of late to push himself into the frame, he would be debuting as well which I think works against him. In fact, in the team I listed above there are already 108 caps. By comparison, Bangladesh only had 203 caps in their most recent Test against England in June without the handicap of 5 years in the cricketing wilderness. Even with that difference though, I think the playing experience of Price (in England), Blignaut (in South Africa and Australia) and now Chigumbura (in England) - plus Maskadza, Taylor and Taibu are vastly experienced in international cricket in their own right - makes up for it.

As far as I'm concerned, Mpofu has shown fine form over the past year or so and is picked before Rainsford, S Masakadza, Chatara, Jarvis, etc. As long as Craig Ervine averages about 35 in the Logan Cup - essentially so long as he's not drawing negative attention to himself - he deserves to get selected based on the reputation he carved for himself in the Intercontinental Cup. If Coventry continues to do well domestically he should secure a place. I think the rest are fairly self explanatory.

I originally slotted Sibanda in at number six, but the more I thought about it the more I thought Vermeulen was a better option. Unlike the other guys, Vermeulen doesn't have a lot of recent form to point to (although that may change in the coming months) however I think he is more likely to perform on the big stage than Sibanda. He has a Test century under his belt already, he knows what it takes to get there, and he scored that 92 against Bangladesh in his comeback match under what was surely extreme pressure to perform. I think being able to select someone of the calibre of Mark Vermeulen as the last batsman would be the Zimbabwean equivalent to squeezing someone like Simon Katich into the Australian team - it's a handy position to be in.