Zimbabwe vs South Africa / 1st T20 / Tri-Series / Harare

[TapsC2]

I have been thinking about this all rounder dilemma. Maybe Dion should try bowl a lot more this upcoming season and try drop down the order to number 5 or 6. I think with some real effort and practice he could bowl at maybe just below 130kph. Problem is so far every time he has bowled, he has been targeted badly.

I think he has been focusing on his batting so much that he doesn't realize he could reinvent himself. A lot of the times they are putting these kids in the exact same boxes they were at u19 level but maybe it doesn't suit them at the highest levels. Dion might have been a star batsman at junior level but maybe it will only work out for him with a different role. It's not always a copy and paste situation the whole way.

I also think as players you have to look and see where the gaps in the national team are and try figure out how you could possibly fill one of those gaps. For example I think Burl missed a trick by either not moving up the order or not bowling much.

[Googly]

Two very interesting posts. My 10c worth on ea-

Dion's bowling action will/has caused him problems. There's a bit of a hyper-extension there that is tough on the back.
He used to bowl good yorkers as a youngster, always a sign of good control. The few times I've seen him recently he seems to have lost a bit of pace and a bit of control, largely because he's focused on the batting. I guess he could try the all-rounder route. The more strings to your bow the better. He's an excellent intuitive captain as well. Smart guy.
This international cricket exposes immediately any flaws you may have. I rate him highly, but there's an issue with sweeping he can work on. He deserves more batting opportunities. I dont think he currently suits T20 though, might be wrong. They will continue trying to find a role for him up the order and he may well have a good innings, it's easier down the order though. When the Big 3, 4 or 5 (who knows how many of these old codgers there are now) retire very soon there are gaps to fill. If he doesnt find a spot soon then he has to become as good as he can be in the next 18-24 months.

Burl was top order, I'm pretty sure ZC made him bat lower down to save the blushes and now he's a bit stuck in that role. He could bat at 3/4 in franchise and try and reinvent himself a bit. His bowling I fear is his own fault. To be a world class leggie is hours a week, even when you already are one.
To bat and bowl leggies is a huge undertaking. How many leggie all-rounders are there? Virtually none. There's an outside chance he might get a go on Friday actually. Unlikely but not impossible. ZC are capable of anything. Whoever decided on Clive up the order is not too smart.

I've said this so many times- unless you are a superstar schoolboy batter the likelihood of you becoming a top international batter are slim to none. ZC have spent 30 years trying to prove otherwise. Its the very definition of an exercise in futility. KP is about the only guy that springs to mind. Both guys above were excellent achoolboys. Burl had the edge. He was outstanding when schoolboy cricket was pretty strong here. When those top schoolboys occasionally come along you hang onto them at all costs. You just cannot make one from Gokwe. It is never ever ever going to happen, but let's half heartedly keep trying.

You can spend countless hours trying to fill a role and ZC can change the goalposts at a moment's notice.

The all-rounder slot is not a dilemma. It belongs to Higgins or Evans. End of. Higgins is largely the finished article and Evans needs to improve his batting. I'll keep saying it until the idiot makea runs- he is a talented batsman! It's one of life's mysteries.

[Googly]

But pointless anyone playing in NPL, it dont count for shit, as with club cricket in general. I just dont know why anyone now bothers to play it, theyve made it perfectly clear that you're wasting your time with any club cricket. You just need enough money to buy a franchise spot directly.

Raza once mentioned a long tale on how a player progresses from club to franchise to national team which made alot of sense because thats the route he took along with waiting to qualify to play for Zim. Made FC debut in 07 and international debut in 2013. He did the hard yards and paid of. I wonder why these guys want to do short cuts and say Nyamuri is there for development when you can have a proper player taking the spot.

Raza likes the long haul story until he endorses the "we identified him early" story. It's tough to set much store by what Raza says anymore. He's gotta stop calling our younger guys kids as well. We're on the hunt for fighting men, not kids.

I see what they see in Nyamhuri, huge potential. But he sprays it and there should be guys ahead of him. Blessing is likely out on compassionate grounds so he may well get a start. Should be Maphosa, well Evans actually, but we know they want a Maphaka wannabe. I'm not sure why they have not considering Chivanga either.

Theyre understandably obsessed with finding black generational gem talents and theyve damaged some really good players in the attempt, yet don't hold themselves accountable. They distract by blaming the Coffee Shop Cabal.

Here's a good team of mostly older codgers, might have mentioned it before

Bennett
Welch
Knackers
Williams
BT
Raza
Burl
Higgins
Evans
Ngarava
Mazarabani.

Once again this is our best T20 side with the best chance of qualifying and the best chance of pulling off a couple of surprises. This team can be assembled very easily.

[Flakeman]

Sad to think the only thing standing in the way of this damn strong side are the egos of a few corrupt racists.

[Kriterion_BD]

Sad to think the only thing standing in the way of this damn strong side are the egos of a few corrupt racists.

Its a strong side on paper but on the field it would struggle against Namibia and Uganda as we saw in 2024.

[Googly]

Its starting to sound like Tom Homan mounted you. We're here for you.

[totoro]

Sad to think the only thing standing in the way of this damn strong side are the egos of a few corrupt racists.

Post something useful or get out!

edit: We really don't need you here.

[Googly]

So I got some low-down on Cremer this morning.
He bowled at our national guys in the nets apparently, and bowled well. Its clear he's contemplating throwing his name in the hat. Pretty gob-smacking really.
If he hasn't lost anything he's likely to be our best leggie.
He was a decent batsman as well, dunno if he faced Blessing for a couple of overs to clear the cobwebs

You have to question the value he brings. I mean he's about to turn 40 Providing he's as good as he was before he potentially brings value for the T20 WC but then surely he hits his expiry date before the 2027 WC.

Where would he slot in? If theyre prepared to entertain the idea then surely my Codger Eleven should also be considered He wouldn't make that side though.

[Googly]

He would certainly bring value to the Test side on a short term basis. I just dont know what to make of it. It throws the idea of building a new squad out the window. Theoretically Vinnie or Wellie are on the block if he does get the nod.

[Googly]

Ya man, if theyre even going to consider Cremer then they just have to consider the Codger Eleven, which as i said he doesnt come close to making. That's a really really strong side.
As much as we desperately need to win a game here and there we dont need a guy breezing in for one WC and then arthritis getting the better of him.
If we had to pick one guy it would be Higgins way before Cremer.