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Ok yet another 11 thread,
but of a different flavour.

Here you can pick anyone, you have the freedom to pick any zimbabwean player, of all time (you can dip into retired players if you think they are better than the current). imagine like a group of aliens wanted to have a game and winner gets to rule earth. All players available. They just have to be eligible for zimbabwe.

Id like to see what we COULD field if we had our shit sorted....

mine is:


1 taylor
2 vusi
3 ballance
4 murray goodwin
5 williams
6 sean ervine
7 taitenda taibu
8 scott brant
9 ray price (ODI)
10 Jarvis
11 Mpofu

12th man: james cameron


theres alot of people that came close. i thought of gary brent and travis friend (still young enough) and even considered andy flower, who at 43 would still be close to as good as our top 6. alot of combinations out there when you consider premature retirements and the diaspora

i have left out grand de homme as he is no longer zim eligible, but i wouldnt hold it against anyone if they chose to include him.

considering you looking at retired players, i cant believe you missing the like of Neill Johnson or even Andy (who at 43 would be doing a great job with the bat).

I did consider Neil Johnson, hes about 40? But Neil was a matchwinner but he struggled with consistency and in a way was barely good enough at his prime - in a way. He's been retired a few years so not sure he's not rusty.

Andy flower is a strong candidate. He will be 44 soon but I think a 44 year ok'd Andy would edge out a 24 year old Regis chakabva though.... But not so sure a Sean williams

1. Vusi Sibanda As good a technique in Zimbabwe (maybe behind Ballance), and provides some fireworks at the top.
2. Gary Balance Solid, flamboyant and dangerous when set
3. Sean Williams Would be an ideal number 3 bat in our current set up, solid and has a good temperament. Even though he's
P!@##$%^&K.
4. Brendan Taylor (Cpt) Mr Fantastic.
5. Murray Goodwin Was one of the best batters we've ever hand after AF, and could still do a good job.
6. Barney Rogers Remember watching this man bat against Bangladesh, and i liked what i saw. Solid, high bat lift
and had very good footwork.
7. T.Taibu (Wkt) Still like Taibu, though his batting his decreased slightly, he's still a very good keeper.
8. Andy Blignaut Big Blig! Can bowl quick, athlete in the field and smokes the !@#$ out of it. He's in.
9. G.Cremer Will be the future mainstay of the spin department after Price retires.
10. K.Jarvis Quickest, most exciting fast bowler we currently have.
11. Chris Mpofu Like Streak, Mpofu is going to be the work horse of the side, while the other quick bowlers will be
rotated. He's accurate, moves the ball, and has added a few extra clicks to his armory.

12th man: Sean Ervine

J.Cameron/G.Flower
Vusi Sibanda
Gary Ballance
BRM Taylor(c)
Sean Williams
Sean Ervine
Tatenda Taibu(wk)
Meth/H Streak
Ray Price
Kyle Jarvis
Chris Mpofu

1. Gary Ballance
2. Barney Rogers
3. Murray Goodwin
4. Brendan Taylor
5. Sean Williams
6. Tatenda Taibu
7. Sean Ervine
8. Andy Blignaut
9. Ray Price
10. Kyle Jarvis
11. Christopher Mpofu

We talk about a lot of lost talent, but Barney Rogers come up in the discussions very rarely. He was certainly more than just good. He had a compact technique, still developing, and was an opener as well. Footwork wasn't that bad either, and hence, could have easily gone on for greater things. He certaily was a good natural talent lost.

I liked Barney Rogerrs a lot - our new AC, only more flashier, more centuries is what I thought of him! Of all our losses, I think he should be among the ones we should regret the most!

Nice to see a few recognise James Cameron's value as an opener. I think he'll get even better in that roles and has served his apprenticeship. If anything he may stand a better of playing for England than Ballance! With Strauss on the brink of retirement/being dropped in 1-2 years' time, that opener's role has few takers! The middle order is packed with options.

Anyway, my picks:

Duffin, Vermeulen, Vusi, Taylor, Hami, Ewing, Taibu(wk), Blignaut, Price, Rainsford, Mpofu.

No room for fromer players and sentiment beyond Mark & Andy - who could still make a return to the side!

I am going to go for only those players currently playing, as I think I would need people like Bligz or even Flower to prove themselves in a few FC matches before selecting them. And I'm going to do a touring XV.

Sibanda
Ballance
Hami
Taylor (c)
Goodwin
S Ervine
Taibu (wk)
Cremer/Chigumbura at 8 or 12th man depending on conditions.
Price
Jarvis
Mpofu

Squad bowler - Shingi
Squad batsman - C Ervine
Squad keeper - Mutizwa

I am glad to see others mentioning Barney Rogers. In thought I was the only one who rated him. He was player of the series against Bangladesh at one point.