Should BT open on Euro tour??

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jaybro
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Should BT open on Euro tour??

Post by jaybro »

With the Zimbabwean European tour only about a month away now I’ve been thinking about what the squad/side would look like?

Considering the team performed well you’d think the side won’t change much except for the inclusions of Hamilton & BT, you’d think BT will keep so Hamilton will take Regis’ opening spot, and you’d think BT will bat 3 or 4 with everyone shuffling down a spot.

But I sort of feel everyone from the UAE series is in their best position with Ervine at 3, Williams at 4 where he’s scored 3 ODI tons, Raza 5 & Moor 6. This is why I think BT opening wouldn’t be the worse idea, he’s played there before and scored 3 ODI tons (I think) plus he’s probably got the best technique so he’d be better suited than most to face the new ball.

If the pitches are the same as the last time Zimbabwe toured Holland & the same in Ireland as they’ve served up for the tri series, the ball wont be moving much anyways. It could also give Mire a chance to bat down at 7 so we can see how he’d go in that role.

Hamilton
BT
Ervine
Williams
Raza
Moor
Mire

Decent lineup
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kngow
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Re: Should BT open on Euro tour??

Post by kngow »

Seems like our best XI tbh. Ryan Burl as backup batsman/all-rounder for basically any of the top 7 you've mentioned.

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CrimsonAvenger
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Re: Should BT open on Euro tour??

Post by CrimsonAvenger »

Yup, agree with that lineup jaybro. Based on match situation, Moor and Raza could swap places too. Regis / Kamunhukamwe on the bench to keep Hamilton honest. He'll be under enormous pressure to perform. Everyone else is in decent touch. Raza's batting has suffered a bit, but he is still very valuable to the XI and can turn it around.

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jaybro
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Re: Should BT open on Euro tour??

Post by jaybro »

CrimsonAvenger wrote:
Sat May 18, 2019 7:26 am
Yup, agree with that lineup jaybro. Based on match situation, Moor and Raza could swap places too. Regis / Kamunhukamwe on the bench to keep Hamilton honest. He'll be under enormous pressure to perform. Everyone else is in decent touch. Raza's batting has suffered a bit, but he is still very valuable to the XI and can turn it around.
Yeah if Raza’s form ever dropped so badly you’d just shift him down to 8 and keep him for his bowling, probably the best spinner available now?
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ZIMDOGGY
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Re: Should BT open on Euro tour??

Post by ZIMDOGGY »

Be weary of using the UAE series as a yardstick if positional fit. The win was more due to quality of the UAE than us playing well.

That said, I do think that Taylor or Ervine should open. Taylor was a successful opener in his day and it’s where we have a glaring deficiency, but with power plays it’s the most important.
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Jemisi
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Re: Should BT open on Euro tour??

Post by Jemisi »

I think you're right. I would love to see him with some licence up top. I like him and Hamilton together.

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Andybligzz
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Re: Should BT open on Euro tour??

Post by Andybligzz »

I still like him at 4 during the middle overs where he can work the spinners for ones and twos.I feel that against really good opposition we can be found out during the middle overs , but you might be correct with using him as a opener in Europe and having mire down the order.
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jaybro
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Re: Should BT open on Euro tour??

Post by jaybro »

Andybligzz wrote:
Sat May 18, 2019 1:46 pm
I still like him at 4 during the middle overs where he can work the spinners for ones and twos.I feel that against really good opposition we can be found out during the middle overs , but you might be correct with using him as a opener in Europe and having mire down the order.
I feel it’s the last 10 overs where Zimbabwe can’t compete with the big sides, again I blame this on the lack of t20 cricket the boys play
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Re: Should BT open on Euro tour??

Post by Kriterion_BD »

jaybro wrote:
Sun May 19, 2019 6:16 am
Andybligzz wrote:
Sat May 18, 2019 1:46 pm
I still like him at 4 during the middle overs where he can work the spinners for ones and twos.I feel that against really good opposition we can be found out during the middle overs , but you might be correct with using him as a opener in Europe and having mire down the order.
I feel it’s the last 10 overs where Zimbabwe can’t compete with the big sides, again I blame this on the lack of t20 cricket the boys play
Finishing is just one aspect of an ODI. The way I see it, ODIs require several different departments to come together in order to make a truly great side.

Batting should be divided into three aspects: the 3 powerplays.
First 10 overs is actually trend based, believe it or not. Watch the World Cup, whatever trend England and South Africa set in the opening match, the rest of the teams will follow it. Most likely that trend will be to blast 75 runs in the opening 10 overs, if England are batting first and the pitches remain as flat as we think they will.
Overs 11-40 remain the most important part of an innings. This is were good batting teams will set a good platform of runs and good bowling sides will tied batsmen down to a manageable total. The crux of batting here is strike rotation, finding gaps for singles, twos, and threes. Virat Kohli is the epitome of how to bat in this phase of the innings.
Overs 41-50 can be further subdivided into the first half where you basically consolidate and make sure you score of every delivery without losing wickets. You won't look to hit every ball to the fence unless its there to be hit. Last 5 overs, its throw the kitchen sink time and good batters will actually manage to get 50-60 runs off the final 30 balls without slogging. Any bowler who can concede fewer than 7 or even 8 an over in this phase is world class.

Bowling is simpler to analyze. Effective bowling is 65% bowling enough dot balls to build pressure and 35% actually getting batsmen out. The team that bowls more dot balls, will most likely win. Its as simple as that. Teams with a decent wrist spinner will have an advantage on any wicket.

And lastly, fielding. Teams like England, Australia, South Africa, India, and especially New Zealand are terrific fielding units. They rarely drop easy catches, routinely take blinders, and seldom fumble balls on the ground. They add/save an extra 20-30 runs with tight fielding every game. They often don't have a single fielder who is a liability and can be "picked on" by the opposition batsmen.
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Re: Should BT open on Euro tour??

Post by Kriterion_BD »

To illustrate what I'm saying, look at recent games played in Ireland.

Ireland posted a couple of seemingly-decent-totals in the past week. 325 vs Windies and 290 against Bangladesh. The problem is those wickets are pitches where 350 is probably the par score. Hence, Ireland lost both of those games handily, and never even had a sniff.

In contrast look at Afghanistan, one of weaker batting sides in the top 10 and outside the top 6 or 8. They scored 138 not out primarily because their batting lacks the skill and balance to bat in each of the 3 phases appropriately. They are good at using their brute force muscles to hit 6s (which is why they can score 200+ consistently in T20s), but cannot rotate strike and pick singles which is why their ODI totals are usually lower than their T20 ones (lmao).

Zimbabwe has similar issues even though each of Taylor, Raza, and Williams is better than any Afghan batsman. The problem for Zimbabwe is no more than 2 batsman will play well together in any given innings. So like most of the other sides outside the top 8, Zimbabwe's biggest batting problem is phase 2, the consolidation phase.

Fielding is also generally poor (goes along with poor fitness) and bowling drops off once Jarvis, Chatara are seen off.
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