Zimbabwe vs New Zealand | Test Series | First Test | 30 July 2025 - 03 August 2025

[zimbos_05]

How are we so bad at batting? How have we watched what we have done over the last 6 months and gone, "you know what, lets not work on this, let's keep hiring shit batting coaches and keep doing what we are doing".

[Mr Twig]

Pretty grim stuff. Finding ways to get out.

Is anyone expecting much from Raza and Tsiga? Tsiga is a walking wicket out there to Santner and Raza will get the short ball.

Another loss by an innings will definitely get more widespread attention. It's not going to be pretty.

[Andy31]

Taylor comes in for Vincent.

Raza is the spinner.

[Mr Twig]

Tsiga has probably done enough to save his spot. Started to look more confident against Santner so that should help for the 2nd Test

[andrea lanzoni]

Taylor comes in for Vincent.

Raza is the spinner.

Zimbabwe cricket has to be forever thankful to Raza.

However it's time to turn page.
My opinion is that by now he lacks motivation to play for the national squad.
Almost all his latest appearaces have been much below par.

It's time to give chance to new players. It doesn't make sense to invest on an underperforming 39 years old player.

Anyhow many, many thanks to him for the fantastic performances he has done in the past for Zimbabwe.

[sloandog]

Yea so let's invest in two other 39 year olds with no cricket to their name for 6 years...

Raza at least still offers a lot with the ball

[Pat_Bee]

Offers so much that Williams had to risk his back bowling a few overs

Raza is finished as a cricketer of any force.

[secretzimbo]

Think he’s STILL got a higher test average than Ervine. Better captain too. And he bowls, very well.

Yet he gets all this hate. Madness really.

[secretzimbo]

He’s had a few lean performances but who in the side hasn’t?

[Pat_Bee]

He hit his peak in 2022 and has been on the slide since. This year especially. He’s made a couple of 50’s and nothing else of note. He had a strike rate of 80 in one of the Ireland t20s, in the tri series he had a strike rate of 67 and strike rate of 75 in two of the games he’s certainly not vintage raza. His batting is like that of Wez at the moment, atrocious until the twitter vultures circle, then a decent knock to ensure his selection for the next few games

His bowling is okay. This test and the England test he was all economy and vibes like wellington though. England test he was like 1/97 I think and this test he was 1/63. Hardly a potent wicket taker. He didn’t pick up a single wicket in the tri series and went at 9 an over. The last franchise league he was in he went at 10 an over

His captaincy is the polar opposite of ervine. Ervine sticks rigidly to the plan, raza doesn’t even have a plan and just makes it up on the fly credit where it’s due though, in the sub qualifier he knew the rain was coming in one of the games so rattled through 5 overs of spin to get a result knowing it was a tough run rate for the opposition. That’s the one good bit of captaincy I’ve seen from him however.

His picking and choosing of which tests to play isn’t good for anybody and his shenanigans getting Faraz a few games was questionable judgement, as were these claims of racism. He’s a shady guy