After a brief hiatus…
Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2011 10:59 pm
A lot has happened in Zimbabwe cricket during my brief hiatus, and it appears the forum has, as usual, been both insightful and no holds barred action. Nonetheless seeing that the Tuskers are back to reaffirm their dominance (and justify the need for some County and Shield sides to make ad hoc stop-overs in Bulawayo so they can get some competition from time to time) it was clearly my cue to return. So in no particular order what’s been my take on things?
INTERNATIONAL CRICKET
Well, the developments surrounding our cricket team, or lack thereof, in the just completed tour of Pakistan have been revealing. First of all, credit must be given to our boys for making their game against Pakistan worthy of being classified as a ‘Test’, all thanks to much maligned by yours truly – Tino Mawoyo’s resilience. Why we did not win the first ODI and snatch the last one is a topic in itself!
Our fielding should be a primary point to which I should devote attention, but I shall simply resign to the hope that the numerous recurrences of misfields and dropped catches was just a passing phase.
The gradual decline of Brian Vitori into obscurity continues unimpeded. Only those who appear to have a suspiciously vested interest in his fairy-tale story growing even further, are blinded to that reality. Having thrived before the sub-standard Bangladeshi batsmen found their feet, he was duly shown to all corners of the field once they rediscovered their mojo. Sensing the inevitable, either a timely ‘injury’ or the astuteness of the coaching department, spared him from being massacred. Out came the myriad of excuses, part of which included his unsuitability to the QSC pitch or its unkindness to his style(and by that we should also expect Rusty&Lonwabo to dislodge the Morne&Steyn double-act if/when the Proteas make an appearance at the home of my beloved Tuskers). Alas he was not to be hidden from the Pakistanis for much longer, and was handed a mighty spanking on a surface ‘more suitable’ to his style! A keen observer here rightly described him as overrated. I refuse to disagree. I merely wonder what other ‘slight knock’ or dubious injury will force him to be side-lined from the Test, after the impending mauling at the hands Black Caps in the shorter games that precede it.
One of our learned friends aggressively classified Price as a non-attacking bowler, and in Ramiz Raja (Snr) he has no less an ally, for he termed Price (& Utseya) negative spinners during commentary. All I can say is that they should simultaneously visit a venerated shrink. I’m quite certain that Neil Manthorp’s ‘diplomatic’ response to a similar charge from Nkala, could have been likened to a right hook which brought similar images of the Meth episode. Firstly, it can be argued, albeit feebly, that building pressure through stemming the flow of runs is in itself attacking, but really if you send out Price as our main/solitary spinner, with the license to bag you wickets he will do just that – bring bucket loads of wickets. As I’ve mentioned before he needs to follow the example of Warne and Kumble by giving up one form of the game. In my view it should be ODIs. At present we are restricted to just a few Tests so he will have enough time to plot and prepare so as to be in prime condition to deliver for the next two years. In that time Cremer should be ready to assume his mantle.
It would be pointless to argue that he is ready for international honours because he definitely lacks the requisite experience, but Jarvis continues to show signs that our future, with him at the forefront of our attack, is very bright. No other bowler showed an upward curve. However, one does get the feeling that with his waist support and rehabilitation, he is holding back when he bowls. It is only proper therefore that he uses this domestic season, and possibly the next, to heal completely as well as hone his skills. With the likes of Panyangara and Rainsford waiting in the wings, we can afford to leave him out. While Jarvis has shown clear signs of progression, our trusted servant at the Tuskers Mpofu, appears to have hit the ceiling. As good as he is I will be very much concerned if he tops our wicket taking charts, for he will inevitably be the barometer by which our other bowling stocks are gauged.
Unless of course Blignaut re-emerges for one last hurrah or Sean Ervine makes an unlikely about turn, the time has arrived for us to admit we have no qualified seamer-allrounder(not to mention the need to quit hinting at any spinner allrounders we claim to have!). What that means is Elton shall henceforth be classed as only a bowler, and his selection/exclusion should sorely be based on that.
Any false sense of security we might have had about the improved quality of our selectors was heavily exposed by the selection of Zhuwawo. Who? Yes, I have no idea either. Having a bias towards spinners at the expense of our seamers, in seamer-friendly conditions for one of the ODIs against Pakistan, was either a concession to defeat or a further indication that there is still a lot of room for improvement. I’ll take both. If you’ve got tiny men attempting to clear the ropes towards the end, and still expect to go at 10/over in an ODI, let alone win a T20I game against leaders in the format - Pakistan, then your head is not screwed on properly. Not that unleashing your stroke-makers or power-hitters when they have little or no time to play themselves in is ingenious either!
For long I have argued against the strong evidence for the premise that ‘the best player is not always the best captain’. In my book Taylor is not the best player/batsman, Vusi is, but in harmony with the import of that statement, I really feel captaincy will take its toll on him. Contrary to my earlier conviction, I am sensing small signs that it will be to his detriment. He is no longer himself when he bats. He’s lost something. Overly watchful perhaps? I cannot wait for the time that one of either Ewing or Duffin makes his way to the side, and Taylor can resign gracefully so one of them can take over. An unburdened Taylor is a free-flowing Taylor, and we all know he might just be twice the man he is now with a fitting average to go.
When Vusi is on strike, until he perishes while pulling of course, he really portrays to non-Zim cricket fans the impression that we have genuine class in our batting. I still stand by the fact that he shouldn’t open, and that he does not value his wicket. Perhaps being at three will give him an opportunity to assess conditions away from the crease, and coming after the first wicket falls, plus guiding words from the coaches when he walks out, will give him more perspective to be more responsible, and bat according to conditions.
That was truly a memorable innings from Mawoyo. As a considerate lover of the game I will advise to keep in mind the fortunes of our long-serving Tuskers wicket-keeper post that epic ODI knock of his. Unfortunately, despite his innings I remain dissuaded to shift my position towards his worth as an international opener.
It was really an eye-opener to have the understrength Pakistanis around, and even more pleasant to see how well they interacted with our players. Ajmal was made to look craftier than he really is, but we will learn from such things. The normally on-and-off the boil Hafeez’s batting (and bowling) meant he was Pakistan’s man of the Tour, but for me the class of Younis Khan really made me acknowledge that we are far from the necessary standard. He really belongs to the top crop of international batsmen right now. Sadly, observing the calm mature head of Misbah ul Haq during his various calculated and suitably paced innings, really made me lament the absence of a lot of the older guys who faded away, but now we need them around our domestic structures to nurture our current crop. For example I would much rather have had Grant(although not available for the national team) as a player-coach for one of the franchises, while Houghton took over as our national batting coach - not Derbyshire! Hope he sends the optimistic and ill-advised Ballance in the opposite direction. Unless it’s for a director’s position, they only adopt Saffers, not Zimbos. Come back home son!
DOMESTIC CRICKET
I stand to be corrected as to who the players(key) for each franchise are, but this is what I gather so far. It appears only the Mid West Rhinos have the slightest inkling of a chance to give us a bruise or two on our path to successive glory, and if this is the Rocks team, then at full strength their experience can’t be underestimated:
MID WEST RHINOS:ballance?, sibanda, taylor, malcom waller?, cremer, lamb, rainsford, nicholson
TUSKERS:duffin, ewing, coventry, mpofu, meth, ervine, ncube, dabengwa, horton
MOUNTANEERS:hamilton, mawoyo, utseya, chatara, shingi, mushangwe, maruma, liam dawson
EAGLES:matsikenyeri, elton, jarvis, price, mutizwa, chakabva, raza, nathan waller, williams?
SOUTHERN ROCKS:taibu, vermeulen, ebrahim?, panyangara, chibhabha, butterworth?, maregwede, vitori, mupariwa
I have absolutely no idea who Tiripano is, but judging from his current pic on Cricinfo, he looks like a man out for blood, and in Paul Horton it seems he found it. While I have no idea of who he is, what I am certain of is that the County champion from Lancashire will permanently remember him. Forget any lingering suspicion that Horton might still be stoned from his conquests so he fell to ‘insignificant’ Tiripano bowled twice, and salute the fact that we actually have a more than decent franchise system with decent talent everywhere.
In the younger sibling of the Ervine internationals, Craig, we inherited a man in limbo, and I would no doubt have preferred the ‘misfiring’ Casanova(of whom I understand there is a petition doing the rounds to have him barred, banished and erased from the annals of this forum). Nonetheless, under the guidance of the Tuskers senior trio of Horton, Ewing & Duffin – let’s hope their influence will augment sagacious Grant’s seemingly unproductive efforts.
Form is temporary, class is permanent! I could think of nothing better to ascribe to Mark Vermeulen. Nutcase or not, a return to national honours surely beckons. That saying can also be applied to Panyangara as well. If I recall correctly, one of our colleagues termed him slow, spent and worth forgetting when news broke that he was released by his previous franchise. In short - watch this space sir!
Having been given a chance, and rightly dropped for failing to grab hold of it, Mutizwa simply refuses to go away! I was a strong advocate of his, but quickly extracted my support upon witnessing him on display recently. Everything about him was ugly – be it his stance, whether he was running, playing or leaving! No doubt most will hastily point to the fact that his stronger suit is the longer format. But surely a case study of Hick, Ramprakash etc, should suffice as reason for his exclusion or restriction to the periphery.
There are quite a few young cricketers and some late twenties who are threatening to make a mark this season. If not for national selection, then certainly to imprint their existence in the minds of the selectors. I may be accused of severe bias towards the Tuskers, but my crystal ball says Njabulo Ncube will have featured in our red by the end of the season. In Natsai Mushangwe we have the potential to mould a young leggie into a weapon of our choosing. I hope he is mentored and given the odd chance to develop in international cricket. Definitely looks to have the goods.
TEAM UPDATES
TEST: Duffin, Hamilton, Vusi(vc), Taylor, Ervine, Taibu(wk), Ewing(c), Price, Elton, Panyangara, Mpofu
ODI: Taylor, Hamilton, Vusi(vc), Coventry, Taibu(wk), Ewing(c), Elton, Cremer, Jarvis, Rainsford, Mpofu
T20I: Taylor, Raza, Vusi(c), Coventry(wk), Waller, Chibhabha, Elton, Butterworth, Meth, Lamb, Jarvis,
FC-Zim XI: Vermeulen, Mawoyo, Mutizwa, Waller, Matsikenyeri(c),Chakabva(wk), Meth, Cremer, Shingi , Chatara, Jarvis
ListA-ZimXI: Vermeulen, Mawoyo, Chibhabha, Ervine(c), Waller, Chakabva(wk), Vitori , Utseya, Panyangara , Ncube, Mushangwe
NB: For all his exploits throughout his career, plus his loyalty to the Tuskers, the forum’s immunity to both Keith and Stuart meant that only one could be considered, so as a result of Matsikenyeri’s invaluable experience and leadership qualities, Dabengwa sadly misses out despite his superior form!
INTERNATIONAL CRICKET
Well, the developments surrounding our cricket team, or lack thereof, in the just completed tour of Pakistan have been revealing. First of all, credit must be given to our boys for making their game against Pakistan worthy of being classified as a ‘Test’, all thanks to much maligned by yours truly – Tino Mawoyo’s resilience. Why we did not win the first ODI and snatch the last one is a topic in itself!
Our fielding should be a primary point to which I should devote attention, but I shall simply resign to the hope that the numerous recurrences of misfields and dropped catches was just a passing phase.
The gradual decline of Brian Vitori into obscurity continues unimpeded. Only those who appear to have a suspiciously vested interest in his fairy-tale story growing even further, are blinded to that reality. Having thrived before the sub-standard Bangladeshi batsmen found their feet, he was duly shown to all corners of the field once they rediscovered their mojo. Sensing the inevitable, either a timely ‘injury’ or the astuteness of the coaching department, spared him from being massacred. Out came the myriad of excuses, part of which included his unsuitability to the QSC pitch or its unkindness to his style(and by that we should also expect Rusty&Lonwabo to dislodge the Morne&Steyn double-act if/when the Proteas make an appearance at the home of my beloved Tuskers). Alas he was not to be hidden from the Pakistanis for much longer, and was handed a mighty spanking on a surface ‘more suitable’ to his style! A keen observer here rightly described him as overrated. I refuse to disagree. I merely wonder what other ‘slight knock’ or dubious injury will force him to be side-lined from the Test, after the impending mauling at the hands Black Caps in the shorter games that precede it.
One of our learned friends aggressively classified Price as a non-attacking bowler, and in Ramiz Raja (Snr) he has no less an ally, for he termed Price (& Utseya) negative spinners during commentary. All I can say is that they should simultaneously visit a venerated shrink. I’m quite certain that Neil Manthorp’s ‘diplomatic’ response to a similar charge from Nkala, could have been likened to a right hook which brought similar images of the Meth episode. Firstly, it can be argued, albeit feebly, that building pressure through stemming the flow of runs is in itself attacking, but really if you send out Price as our main/solitary spinner, with the license to bag you wickets he will do just that – bring bucket loads of wickets. As I’ve mentioned before he needs to follow the example of Warne and Kumble by giving up one form of the game. In my view it should be ODIs. At present we are restricted to just a few Tests so he will have enough time to plot and prepare so as to be in prime condition to deliver for the next two years. In that time Cremer should be ready to assume his mantle.
It would be pointless to argue that he is ready for international honours because he definitely lacks the requisite experience, but Jarvis continues to show signs that our future, with him at the forefront of our attack, is very bright. No other bowler showed an upward curve. However, one does get the feeling that with his waist support and rehabilitation, he is holding back when he bowls. It is only proper therefore that he uses this domestic season, and possibly the next, to heal completely as well as hone his skills. With the likes of Panyangara and Rainsford waiting in the wings, we can afford to leave him out. While Jarvis has shown clear signs of progression, our trusted servant at the Tuskers Mpofu, appears to have hit the ceiling. As good as he is I will be very much concerned if he tops our wicket taking charts, for he will inevitably be the barometer by which our other bowling stocks are gauged.
Unless of course Blignaut re-emerges for one last hurrah or Sean Ervine makes an unlikely about turn, the time has arrived for us to admit we have no qualified seamer-allrounder(not to mention the need to quit hinting at any spinner allrounders we claim to have!). What that means is Elton shall henceforth be classed as only a bowler, and his selection/exclusion should sorely be based on that.
Any false sense of security we might have had about the improved quality of our selectors was heavily exposed by the selection of Zhuwawo. Who? Yes, I have no idea either. Having a bias towards spinners at the expense of our seamers, in seamer-friendly conditions for one of the ODIs against Pakistan, was either a concession to defeat or a further indication that there is still a lot of room for improvement. I’ll take both. If you’ve got tiny men attempting to clear the ropes towards the end, and still expect to go at 10/over in an ODI, let alone win a T20I game against leaders in the format - Pakistan, then your head is not screwed on properly. Not that unleashing your stroke-makers or power-hitters when they have little or no time to play themselves in is ingenious either!
For long I have argued against the strong evidence for the premise that ‘the best player is not always the best captain’. In my book Taylor is not the best player/batsman, Vusi is, but in harmony with the import of that statement, I really feel captaincy will take its toll on him. Contrary to my earlier conviction, I am sensing small signs that it will be to his detriment. He is no longer himself when he bats. He’s lost something. Overly watchful perhaps? I cannot wait for the time that one of either Ewing or Duffin makes his way to the side, and Taylor can resign gracefully so one of them can take over. An unburdened Taylor is a free-flowing Taylor, and we all know he might just be twice the man he is now with a fitting average to go.
When Vusi is on strike, until he perishes while pulling of course, he really portrays to non-Zim cricket fans the impression that we have genuine class in our batting. I still stand by the fact that he shouldn’t open, and that he does not value his wicket. Perhaps being at three will give him an opportunity to assess conditions away from the crease, and coming after the first wicket falls, plus guiding words from the coaches when he walks out, will give him more perspective to be more responsible, and bat according to conditions.
That was truly a memorable innings from Mawoyo. As a considerate lover of the game I will advise to keep in mind the fortunes of our long-serving Tuskers wicket-keeper post that epic ODI knock of his. Unfortunately, despite his innings I remain dissuaded to shift my position towards his worth as an international opener.
It was really an eye-opener to have the understrength Pakistanis around, and even more pleasant to see how well they interacted with our players. Ajmal was made to look craftier than he really is, but we will learn from such things. The normally on-and-off the boil Hafeez’s batting (and bowling) meant he was Pakistan’s man of the Tour, but for me the class of Younis Khan really made me acknowledge that we are far from the necessary standard. He really belongs to the top crop of international batsmen right now. Sadly, observing the calm mature head of Misbah ul Haq during his various calculated and suitably paced innings, really made me lament the absence of a lot of the older guys who faded away, but now we need them around our domestic structures to nurture our current crop. For example I would much rather have had Grant(although not available for the national team) as a player-coach for one of the franchises, while Houghton took over as our national batting coach - not Derbyshire! Hope he sends the optimistic and ill-advised Ballance in the opposite direction. Unless it’s for a director’s position, they only adopt Saffers, not Zimbos. Come back home son!
DOMESTIC CRICKET
I stand to be corrected as to who the players(key) for each franchise are, but this is what I gather so far. It appears only the Mid West Rhinos have the slightest inkling of a chance to give us a bruise or two on our path to successive glory, and if this is the Rocks team, then at full strength their experience can’t be underestimated:
MID WEST RHINOS:ballance?, sibanda, taylor, malcom waller?, cremer, lamb, rainsford, nicholson
TUSKERS:duffin, ewing, coventry, mpofu, meth, ervine, ncube, dabengwa, horton
MOUNTANEERS:hamilton, mawoyo, utseya, chatara, shingi, mushangwe, maruma, liam dawson
EAGLES:matsikenyeri, elton, jarvis, price, mutizwa, chakabva, raza, nathan waller, williams?
SOUTHERN ROCKS:taibu, vermeulen, ebrahim?, panyangara, chibhabha, butterworth?, maregwede, vitori, mupariwa
I have absolutely no idea who Tiripano is, but judging from his current pic on Cricinfo, he looks like a man out for blood, and in Paul Horton it seems he found it. While I have no idea of who he is, what I am certain of is that the County champion from Lancashire will permanently remember him. Forget any lingering suspicion that Horton might still be stoned from his conquests so he fell to ‘insignificant’ Tiripano bowled twice, and salute the fact that we actually have a more than decent franchise system with decent talent everywhere.
In the younger sibling of the Ervine internationals, Craig, we inherited a man in limbo, and I would no doubt have preferred the ‘misfiring’ Casanova(of whom I understand there is a petition doing the rounds to have him barred, banished and erased from the annals of this forum). Nonetheless, under the guidance of the Tuskers senior trio of Horton, Ewing & Duffin – let’s hope their influence will augment sagacious Grant’s seemingly unproductive efforts.
Form is temporary, class is permanent! I could think of nothing better to ascribe to Mark Vermeulen. Nutcase or not, a return to national honours surely beckons. That saying can also be applied to Panyangara as well. If I recall correctly, one of our colleagues termed him slow, spent and worth forgetting when news broke that he was released by his previous franchise. In short - watch this space sir!
Having been given a chance, and rightly dropped for failing to grab hold of it, Mutizwa simply refuses to go away! I was a strong advocate of his, but quickly extracted my support upon witnessing him on display recently. Everything about him was ugly – be it his stance, whether he was running, playing or leaving! No doubt most will hastily point to the fact that his stronger suit is the longer format. But surely a case study of Hick, Ramprakash etc, should suffice as reason for his exclusion or restriction to the periphery.
There are quite a few young cricketers and some late twenties who are threatening to make a mark this season. If not for national selection, then certainly to imprint their existence in the minds of the selectors. I may be accused of severe bias towards the Tuskers, but my crystal ball says Njabulo Ncube will have featured in our red by the end of the season. In Natsai Mushangwe we have the potential to mould a young leggie into a weapon of our choosing. I hope he is mentored and given the odd chance to develop in international cricket. Definitely looks to have the goods.
TEAM UPDATES
TEST: Duffin, Hamilton, Vusi(vc), Taylor, Ervine, Taibu(wk), Ewing(c), Price, Elton, Panyangara, Mpofu
ODI: Taylor, Hamilton, Vusi(vc), Coventry, Taibu(wk), Ewing(c), Elton, Cremer, Jarvis, Rainsford, Mpofu
T20I: Taylor, Raza, Vusi(c), Coventry(wk), Waller, Chibhabha, Elton, Butterworth, Meth, Lamb, Jarvis,
FC-Zim XI: Vermeulen, Mawoyo, Mutizwa, Waller, Matsikenyeri(c),Chakabva(wk), Meth, Cremer, Shingi , Chatara, Jarvis
ListA-ZimXI: Vermeulen, Mawoyo, Chibhabha, Ervine(c), Waller, Chakabva(wk), Vitori , Utseya, Panyangara , Ncube, Mushangwe
NB: For all his exploits throughout his career, plus his loyalty to the Tuskers, the forum’s immunity to both Keith and Stuart meant that only one could be considered, so as a result of Matsikenyeri’s invaluable experience and leadership qualities, Dabengwa sadly misses out despite his superior form!
