[Match Thread] 2nd Match: Zimbabwe XI v Australia A

[brmtaylor.com admin]

Im admiring the spunk shown by raymond price at the moment

Price for opener?

I was going to suggest he could shore up the middle order after that performance, but that could work too
He used to open for Old Hararians back in the day.

7/130 now, a disappointing end to the game. It looks doubtful that Zimbabwe will avoid the innings loss let alone hang on until stumps. Another good innings from Taylor, not much else to be impressed by in this second innings though. The middle order is a real worry.

[jimbo]

Mutizwa for the tests!!!

Or at least give him a crack against the bangladeshi 11 in the practise match Bring in Masacadza Junior for Jarvis too, He looks quite undercooked

[jimbo]

Epic fail.

[maehara]

Aus A win by an innings and 18 runs.

Could've been a very different match if Finch & Warner hadn't gone wild on Day 2 - that decided the match. Good show by Zim's bowlers Day 3. Batsmen were decent for most of the series, but back to their old collapso ways yesterday / today. Inconsistency still there and a worry.

[hhm]

Innings defeat. Much deserved! Scoring at a snail's pace while not occupying the crease long enough, not putting sufficient runs on the board, not taking early wickets! Absolutely pathetic!!

A look at last season's statistics shows that there are no outstanding regular openers in the Logan Cup:
Duffin 466 at 38

Is that merely an error or are you deliberately doctoring Duffin's figures in order to undermine his undoubtable class? These were his figurers last season: 466 at 46.04, having played ten innings less than Mutizwa, and five less than Waller.
Bear in mind that Ewing too was an opener for the most part, and these are his figures: 632 at 55.03, again having played nine innings less than Mutizwa, and four less than Waller.

Williams is nowhere to be seen, and we'll face an uphill task to get through to Ballance. Can't you see this? You(or we) guys will continue to be subjected to such mediocrity until you admit that trying these two should at least form part of the primary key to addressing our problems. Not only are they in form, they are capable and mature. Our team needs leadership, and cool heads around them. Alas, long may the rot continue!

[foreignfield]

A look at last season's statistics shows that there are no outstanding regular openers in the Logan Cup:
Duffin 466 at 38

Is that merely an error or are you deliberately doctoring Duffin's figures in order to undermine his undoubtable class? These were his figurers last season: 466 at 46.04, having played ten innings less than Mutizwa, and five less than Waller.
Bear in mind that Ewing too was an opener for the most part, and these are his figures: 632 at 55.03, again having played nine innings less than Mutizwa, and four less than Waller.

Terribly sorry to disappoint you hhm, but you are confusing the columns for averages and strike-rate. According to Cricinfo:
Duffin 12 innings, 466 runs, ave. 38.83, sr. 46.04, 1x100, 2x50

I am in no way biased against Duffin and wouldn't have minded if he had been given his chance, but obviously he's injured.

Ewing's average is 48 (sr 55), still among the best in the country, so definitely an option to shore up the middle order; I did not include him amongst the regular openers, because he only opened in 2 or 3 matches at back end of the season, when Duffin was unavailable, most of his innings where at either 3 or 6.

[hhm]

Oops! My mistake foregnfield. The good part is you're not averse to them being included as opposed to the flimsy & unfounded notion that Ewing is technically inept!

[Conant]

Still, I posit that the middle order softness is our greatest weakness right now.

And indeed it shall continue to be the case until Ewing forms part of it!!!!!

Afterall, Williams knew he probably woudn't cut it, and Ervine seems keen to force everyone to acknowledge that he was rushed or that since the 'rebels' left we are too desperate to turn any glimmer of hope that comes up into a mainstay!

With due respect to those who for various reasons doubt Ewing, if you were to question Mutizwa, Waller & Chakabva in their sleep, they would all plead inferiority to Ewing. Does he have some outstanding issues with the Administrators, or perhaps him, AC, HS & GF, rubbed each other up the wrong way during their stints together? No matter how little any of you might view him, he should have been trialed somewhere from the training games until now. Unlike Duffin, I don't remember hearing that he's injured.

Doesn't the following line up inspire confidence in you Boundary, in comparison to what we've been sujected to off late?
1Taylor, 2Duffin, 3Hamilton, 4Vusi, 5Taibu, 6Ewing*, 7Chigumbura, 8Meth, 9Vitori, 10Price(or Cremer/Utseya), 11Mpofu
*With Ewing as an effective part-time spin option, not to mention top level-headed batsman, Vitori can come in for the 2nd spinner option. That should also appease those who are irked by my constant preference for Meth over Vitori.

hhm, are you Gavin Ewing? From all reports I have ever heard of Ewing, he doesn't have much of a technique and would be cruely exposed at international level.

Yes, he's a slogger

[Conant]

I can't help but notice there's one player out there who averages high at the top of the order in first class cricket and is a solid patient batsman. This player seems to have been breezed over by the forumers and selectors.

I won't tell you all who I'm thinking about....but I'll give a hint... The term "Lamb to the slaughter" made me think of him.

Oh, no. There we go again.

Actually, why not? He's better than "The Muppet" Craig Ervine

[hhm]

Yes, he's a slogger

Who are you on about here Conant? If you pay close attention to, not just their impressive runs and averages, their average amount of balls faced in comparison to all our top players actually proves that Ewing & Duffin occupy the crease long, responsibly and productively. Next to hamilton, taylor, ballance, taibu & Ervine, they're the best. That's a huge part of what we need isn't it?