T20 World Cup Match 3 - Zimbabwe vs Ireland (17th February)

[Andy31]

Rain might be the new MVP, worked for us and the under 19s.

We have earnt this and I hope we can cause some trouble in the super 8s.

Do we carry net run rate over to the super 8s? Otherwise I be mixing the line up a little against Sri Lanka

[eugene]

No points are carried for. Game against SL is meaningless.

[Andy31]

No points are carried for. Game against SL is meaningless.

Then I would give maybe a bowler or two a rest.
I would probably play Curran, just to get some game time in.

[Zayn_63]

Maposa madande & curran should play the SL game.

If any of myers , tony or musekiwa run out of runs, curran & madande should step in.

Maposa I think got the bounce factor as well and can sometimes nail those yorkers plus he can bat a bit lower down the order if there is a collapse, similar to Evans. There have been too many injuries this world cup for multiple teams, you never know when some frontline seamer gets hamstring niggle.

[TapsC2]

Im sure Sri Lanka are going to rotate as well.

I would go with

Bennett
Curran
Madande
Raza
Burl
Munyonga
Musekiwa
Evans
Maphosa
Wellington
Cremer

[ZIMDOGGY]

Im sure Sri Lanka are going to rotate as well.

I would go with

Bennett
Curran
Madande
Raza
Burl
Munyonga
Musekiwa
Evans
Maphosa
Wellington
Cremer

[TapsC2]

I saw somewhere that Jarvis was saying that this is one of the strongest Zim sides. I wonder what you guys think? For me that question will be answered in the ODI World Cup next year. If everyone is fit and the team is picked on merit I got a feeling they are going to surprise many.

BT, Ben and Craig are more suited for ODIs. If they somehow get Naqvi to replace Williams i think on paper we will be on par with the mid-tier teams in terms of quality. Our pace trio plus a competent batting lineup in home conditions wont be easy to beat in ODIs. Injuries will be a major concern for the old guard though

[Googly]

Jarvis still getting paid by ZC, he'd say the earth is flat if he was told to. He could become the white Mawoza.

[Zayn_63]

I saw somewhere that Jarvis was saying that this is one of the strongest Zim sides. I wonder what you guys think? For me that question will be answered in the ODI World Cup next year. If everyone is fit and the team is picked on merit I got a feeling they are going to surprise many.

BT, Ben and Craig are more suited for ODIs. If they somehow get Naqvi to replace Williams i think on paper we will be on par with the mid-tier teams in terms of quality. Our pace trio plus a competent batting lineup in home conditions wont be easy to beat in ODIs. Injuries will be a major concern for the old guard though

No way, no Naqvi, no Williams, this is nowhere near the full strength 15 man squad. Everybody knows Naqvi has qualified and is waiting for his debut, but is yet to play cuz Naqvi will be the last person ZC will offer a central contract. Who said about January 2026 being the month he qualifies? He was added to the squads in 2024 & 2025 but didnt debut.

A guy who is levels above everyone else in the domestic scene, and they asked Curran to fly over as injury replacement. Ben is a solid batter , very good but it is somewhat injustice to Naqvi. Antum did everything he could.

Take you back to Raza, Craig was never T20I material but he was a good captain. When Sean resigned from captaincy and there were rumours of his retirement, Raza was their go to guy but they only went to him after they tried Craig. Not to forget Chibhabha was once captain in 2020, Masakadza in 2016 & 2019 till retirement. They will try to go for a white or black guy , the asians like raza & naqvi will be last for central contracts and captaincy.

Raza since 2017 has been different, he won you games from clutch positions. Williams was a good Test batsman but he didnt deliver like Raza in white ball. Yeah he is more attacking than Raza but he hardly won Zimbabwe games on his own. Craig & BT are same. BT has 10+ tons in ODI but more than half of them are in losing cause. Thats not the case with Raza. Now when did Craig debut? 2010. BT & Williams were in the international scene way before 2010 but Raza played his first match in 2013. He was dropped from the 2011 WC Squad due to passport issues. Point is the same is happening to Naqvi now. Just think of it, guy has been playing domestic since 3 years and hasnt played an international game. They are just wasting Naqvi like they wasted Raza up until he was 27.

Lastly, Campbell & Nick Welch deserve another shot at white ball. If Tony, Myers, Maposa, Wellington & Musekiwa can play, surely there can be room for J Campbell & N Welch.

[andrea lanzoni]

Only two years ago in World T20 Namibia AND Uganda qualified. Zimbabwe the only Test nation absent. Most of supporters miserbly thinking of a near future without Raza, Ervine and Williams.

Now, without two of the big three, Zimbabwe has not only qualified for the tournament. It has proceeded to super eight, eliminating Australia!

Nobody could foresee such a turnaround in a couple of years only .

Looking back, one thing in my opinion has paved the way to such turnaround: the thick calendar of international matches in 2025.
It has not only given a try to several new entries. It has built up confidence in national team players.

My hope is that this happy route be pursued again in the years to come.