Zimbabwe U19WC Squad Announced

[Googly]

I think the key issue Elton is trying to address is that we don't play enough cricket at age group level. Think about it. They effectively play 12 weeks of cricket out of 52. Maybe 14 weeks if you add festivals etc. that's not good enough. The school sports calender was designed before we saw the rise of professional sports leagues. It's archaic and outdated.

If a kid genuinely has a chance of making it as a professional sports player they need to play that sport regularly. This affects all sports. If it hasn't changed you basically get 6 weeks of cricket/basketball then 6 weeks of athletics. Then 12 weeks of hockey/rugby/ football in winter. Then another 6 weeks of cricket/basketball before the final 6 weeks where there are exams /swimming etc. It was designed for a kid to be a well rounded individual not a professional athlete.

It would be interesting to know how the other full member u19s do it. I suspect Zim, SA, Australia and NZ are the only countries where you will get their u19s playing multiple sports if they are genuine prospects. They have strong club systems. We dont

The private schools also have to adapt.

Ya I absolutely agree with you. The private schools have currently been completely inflexible. In my day we played about 12 games in the first term and about 12 in the third and obviously no T20 back then.
They make such a big deal about athletics and cross country in the first term which 90% of the kids hate and its all for one day basically , its bizarre. On top of that they insist on a club and a hobby, just to round you out as an individual
Ive never understood it. Nobody takes it seriously and they all do their best to dodge it.
Nowadays there's such pressure on these kids in the third term to pass exams that they can't and won't take time out to play sport, let alone practice it. In my day you came back the following year if you failed or if there was a school tour . Its a new world with a lot more pressures.
Australian school cricket doesnt seem to be a big thing, if youre that keen on cricket you join a club.

Any good sportsman here wants to play first team rugby and first team basketball or hockey as well. The guys good at multiple sports are generally the more talented ones as well.

[Terryalderman]

I think the key issue Elton is trying to address is that we don't play enough cricket at age group level. Think about it. They effectively play 12 weeks of cricket out of 52. Maybe 14 weeks if you add festivals etc. that's not good enough. The school sports calender was designed before we saw the rise of professional sports leagues. It's archaic and outdated.

If a kid genuinely has a chance of making it as a professional sports player they need to play that sport regularly. This affects all sports. If it hasn't changed you basically get 6 weeks of cricket/basketball then 6 weeks of athletics. Then 12 weeks of hockey/rugby/ football in winter. Then another 6 weeks of cricket/basketball before the final 6 weeks where there are exams /swimming etc. It was designed for a kid to be a well rounded individual not a professional athlete.

It would be interesting to know how the other full member u19s do it. I suspect Zim, SA, Australia and NZ are the only countries where you will get their u19s playing multiple sports if they are genuine prospects. They have strong club systems. We dont

The private schools also have to adapt.

My son plays junior cricket in Australia, some weeks he plays 3 games a weekend. Friday unders, Saturday school cricket and Sunday men’s cricket. Probably plays 30+ games a year. He plays with and against a couple of boys who play state under age cricket who do the extra pathway training. A couple of these boys still play AFL in the winter. Unfortunately some decent junior cricketers have given up because they’ve been selected in AFL pathway squads and they are already training three nights a week. It’s a shame because none will make it professionally.

[ZIMDOGGY]

Unless somethin has changed the last twenty years when I was in school.
There is cricket during summer that kids can choose or try out for that they play on Thursday afternoons. Theres no real pathway to anything though. It's just doing something to fill the allocated sport time. I think there might be a token representative carnival for the best from the competitions but that's about it.

It's the winter sports that Australia is serious about, and that includes schools.
On the east coast, the dozen elite/private/boarding schools play rugby union, and that would be the closest model to the Zim setup. Scholarships to coconut kids and country kids are included. These schools are rich (you'd need to be a millionaire to afford the fees) but it means they have money, and this is the only reason Union is alive and Australia are a top 10 country still.
The other 95% of schools would play rugby league and scouts follow these comps a lot closer and these have a televised competition, at least they did. Was surreal seeing school kids above me on tv.

On the west and southern states, replace both rugby codes with AFL. It's more a monolith there. Terry alderman is no doubt from these states by the way he described his post. I don't know if they have televised school comps though. Winter sporting interests is regional in Australia. Cricket is not followed nearly as passionately as AFL and league and that's why so many kids destined for cricket greatness opt out of cricket when they have a choice between that and the NRL/AFL, but cricket does strongly benefit as having no natural competitors in summer and seeing cricket on tv all summer is sort of ingrained culturally even of people are arm chair followers.

[jontym87]

The patently false propaganda Mawoza and his little lap-bitch Jonty have put out on social media over the last 24 hours is sickening really.

Go suck your mama!

How embaressing

Well disrespect me I will go low without shame.

When it comes to disrespect it’s anger and eye for an eye with me. It’s an eye for two!

[jontym87]

The patently false propaganda Mawoza and his little lap-bitch Jonty have put out on social media over the last 24 hours is sickening really.

Go suck your mama!

Go suck your Mawoza!

Before I do that show me how it’s done on your mama.

[zimfan1]

This is the best first ten overs we have had with the ball for a while. have not really rated Mazvitorera before but his first spell has been really good against the dangerous Minhas.

[Andy31]

This is the best first ten overs we have had with the ball for a while. have not really rated Mazvitorera before but his first spell has been really good against the dangerous Minhas.

His bowled well. That Kirby who bowled the other day, I really liked the look of.

[zimfan1]

Dibbly dobblers with the keeping standing up is the biggest takeaway from this series so far

[Marshmallow]

Pakistan allout for 208.
Mazai with 4 wickets

[Mueddie28]

Pakistan allout for 208.
Mazai with 4 wickets

So a final with NO RESULT
C'MON ZC..