Afghanistan Tour of Zimbabwe Thread

[tawac]

I wonder why Madande should move up the order when he has ordinarily played all his cricket in the middle lower order. Yet your have someone like Burl now one of the most senior players in the side not willing to go up the order. Clearly Burl should be the one taking more responsibility in the team. Playing at 5 is a start. Being a big hitter is so over rated. You have someone like Musekiwa who has really found himself in over his head. He clearly hasnt been able to play the role he is thought to be able to play. He doesnt even have the presence of mind to farm the strike at one end hitting a few boundaries that would get you close. A big hitter should be backing himself all the time Zhuwao mentality, it may have not worked out all the time but he would come out guns blazing 9 out of 10 times. Thats clearly something we havent seen in Musekiwa and we are better off bringing a proper batter. His reputation seems to be eluding him and it clearly doesnt hold any water with a team that is failing to bat out its overs. I hope they give him all the remaining games to prove the fact. I think NW will fit into the team perfectly. A chance is a chance a pro player should take it when ever it comes not wait for the stars to align.

[Googly]

Well Madande is a keeper batsman. Most at some point have opened or batted at 7ish. Most of the good ones anyway. For years we've had a loaded middle order and the gap has been front 3. Now all of a sudden we've got a bunch of guys who (in a perfect world) are putting their hands up.
With Burl off the boil we're now short of a closer. He's possibly a couple of innings away from regaining some of that form, but who knows, he's looking off the pace though. Whether Burl has been comfortable in his role all these years or they've insisted he's stayed down the order we will probably never know.
On this forum we've always thought he'd have been better up the order but we've been short of a good guy at the back to save the blushes.

I suggested up the order because I don't think he's that effective as a lower order hitter, I was giving him some benefit. He'll hopefully get plenty opportunity in the coming days to prove me wrong. Bear in mind he needs only one good innings, that's where we are at.

I've seen Madande beat one good team at the back with a toe end full toss early on in his career. He is a good batsman, but looks less assured when he's trying to get after it under pressure. I think he'd be better with more time. He's got that really fast hand slog to cow that looks a bit awkward but can be effective and of late he's got a nice lofted drive going. It's the same story with him, he should be up the order in domestic.

[andrea lanzoni]

Italian cricket Board is recently following the path used in the past by Italy ice hockey squad and Italy baseball squad.
In both ice hockey and baseball Italy is a (mediocre) second tier nation.
However, since there are plenty of Canadians with Italian ancestors and plenty of Americans with italian ancestors, hockey and baseball squads could deploy interesting teams, for ephemeral success.

I'm against such policy because success (if any) is ephemeral whilst grassroot depletion is a certitude.
So it's been for italian ice hockey, so it has been for italian baseball.

Italian cricket Board is now attempting the same pattern so we have players recently turned Italian citizen due to blood heritage. Prime example is surely Joe Burns, others are players from Sheffield Shield and County Championship.

Such "italy" in recent WC qualification robin defeated Hong Kong, Tanzania and incurred in a narrow loss against Uganda.
It's an "Italy" Google based rather than the expression of the (small) grassroot cricket in the peninsula.
Such policy is not conducive to a growth of cricket in Italy.

Zimbabwe is different, it is just the opposite case.

Zimbabwe is a cricket nation with good past which has been depleted over the years.
Having players from diaspora who could be eligible wouldn't be like the "Italian trick" to show off what we are not.
In the case of Zimbabwe it would be a refund for the many own talents which have been lost over the years.
Many other nations have succeeded (also) thanks to Zimbabweans.
What's wrong with a Zimbabwe "talent refunded"?

There are interesting prospects around the world who can't hope an international career in the Countries where they settled.
Why not playing ODIs,Test matches for Zimbabwe?
Many of them would be an asset in Zimbabwe squad whilst they no longer may hope to play for England, Australia or other nations where they reside.

If a Test player from Australia, such as Joe Burns, is willing to play for a cricket "ectoplasm" such as Italy, why not pursuiting a refund from the Zim diaspora?

[Pat_Bee]

It’s a hard sell

Give up the sweet life in the county championship or Sheffield shield and come and live in the third world. Do about 50 seasons of Logan cup on 20 bucks a week to show us how good you are then we may or may not pick you depending if we’re enforcing the quota that week

Tape ball and summers in Tuscany is a far more enticing proposition by comparison.

[andrea lanzoni]

It’s a hard sell

Give up the sweet life in the county championship or Sheffield shield and come and live in the third world. Do about 50 seasons of Logan cup on 20 bucks a week to show us how good you are then we may or may not pick you depending if we’re enforcing the quota that week

Tape ball and summers in Tuscany is a far more enticing proposition by comparison.

Poor Pat Bee, he is traumatized by tapeball....I wonder how we can help him...

Seriously speaking: just a couple of weeks ago Joe Burns, Australians from Sheffield Shield and Englishmen from County cricket were all together in Kampala, Uganda to happily play WC qualification for "Italy" team!

Hard sell? Italy Cricket Board budget is 30 (in letters: thirty) times smaller than Zimbabwe Cricket, so?

[secretzimbo]

Sorry but I'm failing to see what some over the hill Australians with heritage playing for Italy in an associate competition, has to do with Zimbabwe?

[Pat_Bee]

I think he’s saying Italy have managed to secure the services of some 3rd generation diaspora and we should do the same and that we’d have more legitimacy in doing so. The guys we’d target are legit Zimbos in their own right and not grandsons with tenuous links or whatever.

That’s my interpretation anyway.

[Pat_Bee]

It sounds good in theory but in practice is markedly different as we know.

Italian guys can play county or Sheffield shield without being overseas guys presumably if Italy is an associate.

That’s a major thing. Guys like Eddie B are solid county players but are they solid enough to be taken on as an overseas guy once they’ve played for us? Probably not. That’s no sleight on them as players, just facts. If you’re a county, you want your overseas guys to be top drawer.

[Pat_Bee]

He seems a bit like the Asian cumball brigade on facey b but a little better informed and a lot more tolerable. There’s logic to his arguments but the reality on the ground is a lot different.

[ZIMDOGGY]

One day I hope someone looks at me like Andrea looks at a tape ball….

If you think Italy cricket is bad check with heritage players check out the rugby league World Cup.

I still think the gist is correct, the only real play we have in the mid to short term at this point is target the best of the diaspora and target them hard.
Cartwright, Goodwin and Byrom. Anyone else? Ballance?
Wasn’t long ago the diaspora list of quality was longer than we could think but it’s shrinking now.
In the words of another great Italian, let’s make them an offer they cannot refuse.