Chawaguta on Taylor Situation
Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2009 9:33 pm
Chawaguta on Taylor (Sunday Mail)
By Makomborero Mutimukulu
TOP order batsman Brendan Taylor will have to prove his fitness and form before being considered for national duty when Zimbabwe take on Bangladesh in a five-match One Day International series next month.
The United Kingdom-based Taylor has expressed an interest to play for the national cricket team again, but coach Walter Chawaguta insists his return will only be on merit.
Chawaguta, who upped the tempo of the national team training camp last week, revealed that he is not making his plans with Taylor in mind just as yet.
"Brendan has indicated his willingness to play, but I don’t think it will be prudent for me to bank on him before I assess his fitness levels. I know he is playing cricket in England, but the question is how competitive is the game he is playing?
"The first thing we have to do is to get the lad here, assess his fitness and see how he fares against some locally based guys who have been doing the business," said Chawaguta.
The national team coach revealed that he is satisfied with the way his lads, including Zimbabwe A players, are getting their rhythm ahead of what he has termed a must-win series against the Tigers.
"The boys are working hard as they appreciate the importance of the series against Bangladesh. Having the Zim A side in camp has also raised morale as the national team players are keen to prove their class to the upcoming lads . . . it’s a good mix," said Chawaguta.
Among the players that Chawaguta has in camp are experienced campaigners captain Prosper Utseya, Tatenda Taibu and Hamilton Masakadza.
Chawaguta, while expressing concern at the lack of international game time for his charges, expressed confidence that his team will turn the tables on Bangladesh after being edged 2-1 in three-match ODI series in the sub-continent at the beginning of the year.
A convincing series win over the Tigers will go a long way in convincing the International Cricket Council that Zimbabwe can play at the highest level consistently and competitively, the national team coach reckons.
"The most unfortunate thing for us is that we do not play as many games as Bangladesh who are coming from a tour of the West Indies. However, we will not be using that as an excuse, we are playing at home and we need to do better than we did when we toured Bangladesh and lost the series.
"More importantly we need a convincing series win to send a message to the authorities that our team has what it takes to play against some of the best teams in the world," said Chawaguta.
Meanwhile, former Zimbabwe A skipper Alester Maregwede has quit his Australian side Roseville and is seriously considering coming back home after receiving an offer from one of the newly formed franchises.
Maregwede, voted player of the year at Roseville in the just-ended season, believes the new contract tabled by the Aussie outfit is not in tandem with his stock after a splendid season with the bat as well as behind the stumps.
"I am quitting Roseville as they haven’t given my management the right deal we were expecting for the 2009/10 season.
"I do have a coupe of offers including a franchise in Zimbabwe that has approached me to come and play in the local league and at this stage my management is waiting for the deal from the franchise," revealed Maregwede speaking from Down Under.
By Makomborero Mutimukulu
TOP order batsman Brendan Taylor will have to prove his fitness and form before being considered for national duty when Zimbabwe take on Bangladesh in a five-match One Day International series next month.
The United Kingdom-based Taylor has expressed an interest to play for the national cricket team again, but coach Walter Chawaguta insists his return will only be on merit.
Chawaguta, who upped the tempo of the national team training camp last week, revealed that he is not making his plans with Taylor in mind just as yet.
"Brendan has indicated his willingness to play, but I don’t think it will be prudent for me to bank on him before I assess his fitness levels. I know he is playing cricket in England, but the question is how competitive is the game he is playing?
"The first thing we have to do is to get the lad here, assess his fitness and see how he fares against some locally based guys who have been doing the business," said Chawaguta.
The national team coach revealed that he is satisfied with the way his lads, including Zimbabwe A players, are getting their rhythm ahead of what he has termed a must-win series against the Tigers.
"The boys are working hard as they appreciate the importance of the series against Bangladesh. Having the Zim A side in camp has also raised morale as the national team players are keen to prove their class to the upcoming lads . . . it’s a good mix," said Chawaguta.
Among the players that Chawaguta has in camp are experienced campaigners captain Prosper Utseya, Tatenda Taibu and Hamilton Masakadza.
Chawaguta, while expressing concern at the lack of international game time for his charges, expressed confidence that his team will turn the tables on Bangladesh after being edged 2-1 in three-match ODI series in the sub-continent at the beginning of the year.
A convincing series win over the Tigers will go a long way in convincing the International Cricket Council that Zimbabwe can play at the highest level consistently and competitively, the national team coach reckons.
"The most unfortunate thing for us is that we do not play as many games as Bangladesh who are coming from a tour of the West Indies. However, we will not be using that as an excuse, we are playing at home and we need to do better than we did when we toured Bangladesh and lost the series.
"More importantly we need a convincing series win to send a message to the authorities that our team has what it takes to play against some of the best teams in the world," said Chawaguta.
Meanwhile, former Zimbabwe A skipper Alester Maregwede has quit his Australian side Roseville and is seriously considering coming back home after receiving an offer from one of the newly formed franchises.
Maregwede, voted player of the year at Roseville in the just-ended season, believes the new contract tabled by the Aussie outfit is not in tandem with his stock after a splendid season with the bat as well as behind the stumps.
"I am quitting Roseville as they haven’t given my management the right deal we were expecting for the 2009/10 season.
"I do have a coupe of offers including a franchise in Zimbabwe that has approached me to come and play in the local league and at this stage my management is waiting for the deal from the franchise," revealed Maregwede speaking from Down Under.