Battle of the zim squads

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Andybligzz
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Battle of the zim squads

Post by Andybligzz »

So this page is dead at the moment due to no cricket so I thought I would chuck something up for a bit of fun, I’m on the road on my phone so apologies for
The setting out ect . How do you think the 2003
World Cup squad and the current squad would
Go In a odi series ? All the Current rules and the game to
Played at Harare . I genuinely think it would be a great match and the series would just be in favour of the 2003
Squad only because of batting depth and the new ball
Pair of streak and Olonga . Here is the 2003
Squad :

1.C.Wishart 2. D.Marillier 3. A.Flower 4. A.Campbell 5. G.Flower 6. S.Ervine 7. T.Taibu ( wk ) 8 . A.Blignaut 9. H.Streak 10. B.Murphy 11. H.Olonga 12 .D.Ebrahim 13. T.Friend 14. D.Hondo 15. G.whittall 16. S. Matsikenyeri.
Now for the current team :


1.H.Masakadza 2. S.Mire 3. B.Taylor ( wk ) 4. C.Ervine 5. S.Williams 6. PJ.Moor (c) 7. S.Raza 8. D.Tirapano 9. G.Cremer 10. K.Jarvis 11 . T.Chatara 12 .R.Burl 13 . CT.Chisoro 14. C.Mumba 15. T.Musakanda

Again apologies about the setting
Out , I included Cremer because i believe he will be back and it makes it a bit more fair ahah .also blessing would have made this very interesting! Love to
Hear your thoughts .
The Zimbabwe Cricket team have found Ebola in one of their members, but they're not concerned because they have also found Ebatsmen and Efielda!

Googly
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Re: Battle of the zim squads

Post by Googly »

When did Goodwin leave Zim cricket? Shouldn’t he be in that squad? He was an absolutely brilliant batsman. I see his son aged 17 has a professional contract now.

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Re: Battle of the zim squads

Post by Googly »

just Googled, Paul Strang and Goodwin had left by then. They were serious players. I can’t remember how good Murphy was as a leggie? Will look now.

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Re: Battle of the zim squads

Post by Googly »

2003 squad would win by 5-0.

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Re: Battle of the zim squads

Post by ZIMDOGGY »

2003 wins, but if Flower gets injured then its neck and neck, perhaps current squad by a nose hair.
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jaybro
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Re: Battle of the zim squads

Post by jaybro »

Hard to beat a Zimbabwe side with the Flowers and Streak, just as a reference for people you might not remember this is how I recall the players from 03 and how good they were at that time.

Wishart - probably the peak of his powers

Marrilier - peaked just after the WC

Grant - still a decent player but maybe past his best

Andy - looked past his best going into the WC but was Zimbabwe’s best player and scored a heap of runs

Campbell - Well past his best, originally left out of the squad replaced Vermeulan

Taibu - finding his feet as an ODI player, scored his 1st fifty in the Super 6’s

Ervine - like Taibu was still finding his feet, his best form was 12 months on

Streak - Still at the peak of his powers with bat & ball

Blignaut - peaking

Murphy - past his best, bowled tripe at the WC

Hondo - close to peak

Olonga - past his best

Ebrahim - never was a good ODI player, wouldn’t make today’s side tbf

Wittall - well past his best

Matsi - finding his feet

Vermeulan - finding his feet

So what I’m trying to say is although that side looked great on paper there weren’t many guys ‘at their peak’ compared to the 1999 side where most of the guys on 1st XI were very close of not playing at their best.

Hard to say with the current mob how many are at their best? I’d say most of the batsman are probably on the peaks of their careers and you could argue the same for the bowlers.

On paper you’d say the 2003 side but on the field 2003 v 2019 might be a bit closer than most think.
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Andybligzz
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Re: Battle of the zim squads

Post by Andybligzz »

I really think it would be a lot closer than people
Think , honestly . If Andy flower doesn’t make runs its game on , a new ball pair or Jarvis and chatara will get whatever is In the pitch and then Cremer , raza ,Williams and Donald to strangle the batsman. I really want to watch this game now ahahah
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Re: Battle of the zim squads

Post by ZIMDOGGY »

jaybro wrote:
Thu May 02, 2019 8:20 am
Hard to beat a Zimbabwe side with the Flowers and Streak, just as a reference for people you might not remember this is how I recall the players from 03 and how good they were at that time.

Wishart - probably the peak of his powers

Marrilier - peaked just after the WC

Grant - still a decent player but maybe past his best

Andy - looked past his best going into the WC but was Zimbabwe’s best player and scored a heap of runs

Campbell - Well past his best, originally left out of the squad replaced Vermeulan

Taibu - finding his feet as an ODI player, scored his 1st fifty in the Super 6’s

Ervine - like Taibu was still finding his feet, his best form was 12 months on

Streak - Still at the peak of his powers with bat & ball

Blignaut - peaking

Murphy - past his best, bowled tripe at the WC

Hondo - close to peak

Olonga - past his best

Ebrahim - never was a good ODI player, wouldn’t make today’s side tbf

Wittall - well past his best

Matsi - finding his feet

Vermeulan - finding his feet

So what I’m trying to say is although that side looked great on paper there weren’t many guys ‘at their peak’ compared to the 1999 side where most of the guys on 1st XI were very close of not playing at their best.

Hard to say with the current mob how many are at their best? I’d say most of the batsman are probably on the peaks of their careers and you could argue the same for the bowlers.

On paper you’d say the 2003 side but on the field 2003 v 2019 might be a bit closer than most think.
very accurate to my mind as well.

Only tweaks Id make is that Vermeulen actually hit the ground running and was a very good player early on in his international career, and Wisharts big innings only came against club sides like Namibia and Bangladesh (at that time).

Wishart a bit like Cephas in some ways.
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KNOWN AS: Gus Mackay

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Player.

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Andybligzz
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Re: Battle of the zim squads

Post by Andybligzz »

Exactly , there were some passengers in that side as well and tended to bat around Andy flower.the team was based around batting depth with Sean Ervine Taibu bligz and streak for a tail , also Travis friend pinch hitting a few games as well I believe. I remember streak and bligz had some handy innings for the team . The same goes for the current squad , we bat around Taylor but you have a very very solid middle Order ( if in form ) of ervine Williams pj and raza . I honestly recon this would be a cracker match , we all know Andy was a better test player and the current squad has two batsman capable of playing 360 shots in taylor and raza . Remember masakadza plays pace very well and the spin department for the 2003 team was not great . But then Williams ervine and raza tend to struggle with bowlers over 135 kmh , considering bligz was sending them down around 140-145 that World Cup .
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Re: Battle of the zim squads

Post by sloandog »

I remember watching some of that world cup and I always remember thinking Campbell looked awkward and rushed.
He was well and truly past his best by that point, as was Guy Whittal, although he never lit up ODI cricket throughout his cricketing career.
What that WC squad had which we no longer have were fast bowling all rounders; Streak, Friend, Ervine and Blignaut. They balanced they side out superbly and if you throw in Grant Glower and Marrilliar in there, you have a hell of a lot of bowling and batting depth.

Murphy was class A rubbish. His form in and around 2000/01 was ok but he bowled some shit. Dylan Higgins was a much better leg spinner, as was Ryan Higgins. Cremer is still, in my opinion, on par with Paul Strang with the ball.

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