Countdown to Test cricket: The leading fast bowler

[brmtaylor.com admin]

Happy Easter

After a couple of weeks, the following top order has been decided:

1. Taylor
2. H Masakadza
3. Williams

Let's take a break from batting now and look at fast bowling. In this poll, select one person who you think should lead the attack and probably take the new ball (and if you don't think they should bat at 11 - mention where).

The next poll will be to select our main spin bowler. Then perhaps a poll to decide whether to play 4 or 5 bowlers (plus how we utilise all rounders). If anyone has any ideas on the best we to decide the remaining bowlers please feel free to post your thoughts

[Lostart]

If i could have picked two the other would have been Rainsford. Chatara is a good strike bowler but unexperienced, where as Rainsford has played at the top level before. Rainsford to bowl at tight line and put pressure on and chatara to take the wickets.

[brmtaylor.com admin]

Lostart, as I mentioned above there will be more polls to select the remaining bowlers so any bowler that misses out in this poll will get more opportunities to get selected

[ZIMDOGGY]

Too many polls.

We should have a thread where we line up who our test bowlers should be.

we don't know whether we are going to have a 5 man or 4 man attack yet.

1 Taylor
2 duff
3 Hamilton
4 taibu
5 Craig
6 Sean
7 Elton - only Coz he is the c
8 method
9 cremer
10 price
11 mpofy

waiting in the wings is . Sibanda and Greg lamb
And balance

[brmtaylor.com admin]

Too many polls.

We should have a thread where we line up who our test bowlers should be.

we don't know whether we are going to have a 5 man or 4 man attack yet.

We know that they will be at least one seamer and one spinner so it seems premature to decide that right now when we can start discussing real options. Anyway, as I said earlier:

... Then perhaps a poll to decide whether to play 4 or 5 bowlers

Yeah there's a few polls (mainly due to all of the tiebreakers ) but there's no rush... it'll be a few months before the first Test.

[hhm]

I voted for Mpofu, and with his record he shouldn't bat anywhere but eleven! Whether we like it or not he will be in there so I think the relevant poll should be about who will bowl the new ball with him. I'd love to see a pacy opening pair of Jarvis&Nicjolson but Jarvis is an inexperienced risk and for all my adulation of Nicholson, it would be criminal of me to go into my first test with a bowler who doesn't have a 5-for in FC crcket under his belt. So my next vote will go to Rainsford. Shingi spent many months with the national team but within days of arrival Alistair, Butcher, Heath&Grant gave Panyangara (Rainsford's replacement) the nod & maintained faith in him. True testament to their belief in his class, so he's next in line. But unless he can displace Mpofu/Rainsford, he'll have to sit out for the Meth who'll be in for his batting as well.

Brmtaylot.com, I see medium-fast Mupariwa is in which is good to see but that forces me to say you're missing two more: Njabulo Ncube & the Meth. Any reasons? (I would have added Chigumbura but this is Tests and I think he should focus on ODIs).

We cannot afford more than four specialist bowlers so room for only one spinner in my opinion and with his previous Test record I can't see anyone voting beyond Price. Cremer will have to wait for favorable condtions or Price's retirement or injury. Batting deep is a prerequisite for us!

[brmtaylor.com admin]

hhm, that's a fair point about Ncube - if Chatara is in the list he deserves to be there as well. Meth and Chigumbura (circa 2011) I overlooked because they aren't typically new ball bowlers, but I've put them in the list now. You are able to change your vote if you want.

Edit: bad news, when I added the new options it cleared the 4 votes that were there already. I'm sorry If you voted could you please re-cast your vote, thanks.

[hhm]

Not a problem, I will recast my vote. As common sense dictates I have voted for Mpofu once again. No use considering otherwise when he is clearly Zim's most senior bowler right now. jward had 1Mpofu 2Rainsford & 3Meth in his selection so I think he pretty much gets that considering he might/has closer contact to the selection/coaching group. You were absolutely right to overlook Meth because he isn't and shouldn't take a new ball. It's just that Mupariwa's presence made me feel they deserve to be there, not that I intend to vote for them. Mpofu, Rainsford, Panyangara, Nicholson, Jarvis, Chatara & Shingi are the only suitable candidates. Meth, Mupariwa & Ncube are pretty much first&second change bowlers for me. But then again, the voting is already leaning towards Meth, so once again my thinking seems to be horribly out of synch with the majority.

[Boundary]

Mpofu was in danger two years ago of being cast out in favour of the newbies. But he fought back, I was particularly impressed by his improvement in pace and control (exemplified by his perfomance against Aus in the WC, excluding one horrible over ) I think he's still susceptible to batters who go after him but he must gain a bit more weight, up his pace to 90 mph, develop a bouncer and learn to swing more regularly. I like Mpofu, he's not the finished article but he's the closest we've got. My vote goes to him.

[sloandog]

Mpofu is going to lead the attack, and rightfully so.
But I've picked Ian Nicholson to partner him because he has pace, and he tends to bowl full.
When i saw in south africa, it was clear that he (like jarvis and Mazakadza jnr), was a raw fast bowler, but he was also a start in the making. He bowled 88Mph to AB Devilliers, and bowled full, something Mazakadza could learn to do every now and then.
My point is that we need variety. Mpofu - tall, hit the deck (Morne Morkel like, minus the pace
Nicholson - smaller, skiddy, full (Like Dale Steyn..plus the pace )