As for Burl, why does he always get a free pass and just automatically in peoples teams? In Test cricket I always believe you need a specialist spinner and I don't think Burl's leggies are good enough to hold the attack together for 5 days.
Is that official now then?
Burl should be in as a specialist batsmen, he is much better than the alternatives. The fact he can bowl a bit is a bonus.
The specialist spinner has to be Mavuta. We need a wicket taker in that role, Wellington is just an end to end bowler and shouldn’t be in the test squad.
If you want Burl to play as a 'specialist bat', then he needs to be in the top 6.... . For me, Ervine, Williams, Raza and Madhevere are locked in at 3-6. Burl hasn't opened since he was a teenager I think. So where does he fit?
He averages 4.80 from his 5 Test innings so far. In the Logan Cup, this is his recent record, mostly batting at number 4;
2021-22: 18.50
2020-21: 13.00
2019-20: Didn't play any matches
2018-19: Didn't play any matches
You have to go back to 2017 since Ryan Burl scored any significant First Class runs which is a long time. I just don't get why people assume he is a shoe-in.
If we had a proper spinner then yes. The difficulty is we are faced with picking a bloke who can come into the attack on day one and go five an over without much threat. Are any of our guys able to hold their end? Is Mavuta ready? He's getting more wickets for sure. But so is Mpofu.
Wellington is a far better bowler than anyone gives him credit for.
If ZC have an iota of standards, then Regis does not play for the national side. It's not a personal thing, but it can't be one rule for others, and another rule for some.
I'm curious that Wes makes it into many of your teams. Yes he is talented, but I think we saw how out of depth in Test cricket he is. He is best kept to white ball cricket development for now and working on his red ball game away from the high stakes of a full international.
I'll go with this - given Regis is most likely out. Preferring Shumba over Wes for tests, Wellington over Burl (as Jemisi says, can't read too much into Mavuta's numbers - he can show his progress vs an A team or the county sides that might tour) and Evans over Chatara.
Kaitano
I Kaia
Ervine
Williams
Raza
Shumba
Madande
Evans
W Masakadza
Ngarava
B Muzarabani
As for Burl, why does he always get a free pass and just automatically in peoples teams? In Test cricket I always believe you need a specialist spinner and I don't think Burl's leggies are good enough to hold the attack together for 5 days.
Is that official now then?
Burl should be in as a specialist batsmen, he is much better than the alternatives. The fact he can bowl a bit is a bonus.
The specialist spinner has to be Mavuta. We need a wicket taker in that role, Wellington is just an end to end bowler and shouldn’t be in the test squad.
If you want Burl to play as a 'specialist bat', then he needs to be in the top 6.... . For me, Ervine, Williams, Raza and Madhevere are locked in at 3-6. Burl hasn't opened since he was a teenager I think. So where does he fit?
He averages 4.80 from his 5 Test innings so far. In the Logan Cup, this is his recent record, mostly batting at number 4;
2021-22: 18.50
2020-21: 13.00
2019-20: Didn't play any matches
2018-19: Didn't play any matches
You have to go back to 2017 since Ryan Burl scored any significant First Class runs which is a long time. I just don't get why people assume he is a shoe-in.
If we had a proper spinner then yes. The difficulty is we are faced with picking a bloke who can come into the attack on day one and go five an over without much threat. Are any of our guys able to hold their end? Is Mavuta ready? He's getting more wickets for sure. But so is Mpofu.
Wellington is a far better bowler than anyone gives him credit for.
I am confused
Burl got a contract to go to Bangladesh
Burl smashed 34 runs in 1 over Zimbabwe won
Burl took 5 wickets against Australia and Zimbabwe won that match
Are we saying he is just a limited overs player or AM I missing something
Burl should be in as a specialist batsmen, he is much better than the alternatives. The fact he can bowl a bit is a bonus.
The specialist spinner has to be Mavuta. We need a wicket taker in that role, Wellington is just an end to end bowler and shouldn’t be in the test squad.
If you want Burl to play as a 'specialist bat', then he needs to be in the top 6.... . For me, Ervine, Williams, Raza and Madhevere are locked in at 3-6. Burl hasn't opened since he was a teenager I think. So where does he fit?
He averages 4.80 from his 5 Test innings so far. In the Logan Cup, this is his recent record, mostly batting at number 4;
2021-22: 18.50
2020-21: 13.00
2019-20: Didn't play any matches
2018-19: Didn't play any matches
You have to go back to 2017 since Ryan Burl scored any significant First Class runs which is a long time. I just don't get why people assume he is a shoe-in.
If we had a proper spinner then yes. The difficulty is we are faced with picking a bloke who can come into the attack on day one and go five an over without much threat. Are any of our guys able to hold their end? Is Mavuta ready? He's getting more wickets for sure. But so is Mpofu.
Wellington is a far better bowler than anyone gives him credit for.
I am confused
Burl got a contract to go to Bangladesh
Burl smashed 34 runs in 1 over Zimbabwe won
Burl took 5 wickets against Australia and Zimbabwe won that match
Are we saying he is just a limited overs player or AM I missing something
I sort of Agree, Like SZ says Burl gets a free ticket here, actually that's because he is one of those rare Zimbabwe players who has that X Factor, even that catch he took in the WC game against India. Those are the kind of players you would like to have in the team even when they fail.
You could leave both out, you could have both in. You can easily make arguments for and against.
Not that many of our players should have a lock on a spot.
But hardly anyone is banging the door down.
I don't mind Wellington. I am not sure he can progress enough. Mavuta might but I can just see him going 5 an over and the captain having to rely on Raza and Williams to bowl enough to rotate the seamers at the other end.
The Burl discussion is a good one, SZ makes some good points about Burl not deserving a free pass to the Test side. But ultimately he isn’t getting a free pass, IMO there isn’t a more deserving player for the role I have picked him for (No.8 batsman/ spinner)
I have my concerns about Mavuta being able to control the runs, or take enough wickets so going at 4.5 an over doesn’t matter. Wellington is an ok bowler and an ok batsman, but ultimately he’s not a match winner with either.
Wes & Shumba definitely can’t argue they’re better bowlers than Burl, and they can’t really argue to be better test batsman either. Sure Burl has had a difficult start to his test career, but so has Wes.
Ainsley Ndlovu has definitely improved as a batsman it seems, but I don’t think his bowling is up to Test scratch from what I’ve seen, but he might have improved in this area.
I guess you could take the risk with Mavuta, and have the likes of Raza, Williams & possibly a Wes or Burl at No.6 to take some overs if Mavuta is getting slapped around.
The Logan Cup I guess will be the ultimate decider. Burl will have to bowl lots of overs regularly and show up with the bat too. It will be interesting to see how they approach the selection because ultimately to win a test match you need to have an attack that can take 20 wickets. Part time bowlers won't do the trick if you produce a wicket which isn't spicy enough and that will most probably be the case.
I suspect the series will be played in Bulawayo because the likes of Joesph might be too much in Harare. This will mean it's either we get a flat deck or something with some turn. A specialist spinner who can bat a bit might get selected over a Brad Evans type of player for example which would still keep Burl in the side. A flat deck might also see the same approach.
I also think Madande will get selected. He has a healthy FC average. Top of the order is still wide open and I think will depend mainly on form with anybody from Prince to Curran having an opportunity if they go big this season. Marumani might be a surprise pick too
and Zimbabwe won that match