BD vs ZIM Test grades (both teams)
Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2020 1:12 am
I'll start with Bangladesh:
1) Mushfiqur Rahim (right hand bat, 203 runs, not out) | Grade A+
Continues to be in the prime of his career, and at almost 33 years of age, he is surely in the last third of his career if not the last quarter so needs to make all these opportunties count. In his last 3 innings vs Zimbabwe, he has scored 429 runs and been dismissed just the once.
2) Mominul Haque (left hand bat, 132 runs) | Grade A-
Another home Test, another century. Like Mushy, played a chanceless innings. In 2018, the two had put on 260+ together to rescue Bangladesh for 26 for 3, this time they had already come in at a comfortable position - albeit against a far weaker Zimbabwe bowling attack - and again put on a 200 plus partnership. One might wonder about the minus, but that is only because he needs to score decent runs in overseas games against good attacks. His 30 and 41 in Rawalpindi could be the start, with 4 more Tests coming up in Pakistan and Sri Lanka in next few months.
3) Nayeem Hasan (off break, 9 wickets) | Grade A-
Got an A+ in the first innings, hardly conceding a run. Was a touch expensive in the 2nd innings, albeit on a really flat track. Most of his wickets were of the top batsmen in the side, and you have to remember he's still just 19 years old. Has probably cemented the #1 spinner's spot in the side now. But as captain Mominul said, bigger examinations await.
4) Nazmul Hossain Shanto (left hand bat, 71 runs | Grade B+
Just two months ago, I was wondering why on earth he was picked for the Pakistan Test series. Though he didn't score big, he looked rock solid against a fairly strong Pakistani attack of Shaheen-Abbas-Naseem-Yasir. Looked equally at ease vs Zimbabwe, but will lament missing out on scoring what surely must have been his easiest opportunity to score a maiden Test ton. Still just 21 years old, and along with Nayeem the biggest positive for Bangladesh from this season so far.
5) Abu Jayed Rahi (right arm medium fast, 4 wickets) | Grade B+
Bowled brilliantly for the most part and is without doubt our spearhead now. Was a touch wayward at times, a problem I think that has to do with striving to bowl at 130 at times. Was consistently moving the ball, mostly away from the right handers, but can bring it in the other way at times as well. Deserved a five wicket haul in India with the big wickets of Rohit, Pujara, and Kohli (for a duck no less) and frustratingly missed out on another one here. If he keeps bowling like this, he will inevitably get a maiden Pheiffer.
6) Tamim Iqbal (left hand bat, 41 runs) | Grade B-
Looked solid but missed out on a biggie. Looks to be getting back into form, physically and mentally.
7) Liton Das (right hand bat, WK, 53 runs) | Grade B-
Decent outing, perhaps didn't need to score more in the scheme of the match situation. Keeping was fairly tidy. Nothing to complain about.
8) Ebadat Hossain (right arm fast, 0 wickets) | Grade C
Even a single wicket would have felt good. He did two impressive things in this match, IMO. The first was his economy rate in the first innings with 17 overs for just 26 runs. Excellent job. The second was how he upped his pace from the low 130s in the first innings to around 140 in the 2nd. Shows that he can turn it off and on intentionally. My biggest gripe was how he rarely went around the wicket to the left handers, thereby possibly missing out on a few good lbw shouts.
9) Taijul Islam (slow left arm, 4 wickets) | Grade D
Wholly uninspiring performance. Batting is perhaps slightly improved, but still far too poor for a guy who bats at #8.
10) Saif Hassan (right hand bat, 8 runs) | Grade F
Terrible footwork. I don't think he is ready for this level yet, but perhaps deserves one more shot in the Karachi Test. Still, can't blame anyone if he gets dropped.
11) Mohammad Mithun (right hand bat, 17 runs) | Grade F
Poor dismissal, and an atrociously wasted review when he got a thick edge behind. A liability in the field, and at age 28 is blocking several younger more talented players from getting valuable experience. His continued selection is lunacy at best.
Now for Zimbabwe:
1) Craig Ervine (left hand bat, 150 runs) | Grade: A
Solidity with the responsibility of captaincy thrust upon him. Was troubled at times by Nayeem, but other than that looked solid, dominant even. Notched up a rare away hundred for Zimbabwe. Hopefully he continues to build on the back of this success.
2) Sikander Raza (right hand bat, off break, 55 runs, 1 wicket) | Grade C+
Looked untroubled while he was at the crease. Required a pretty good catch to dislodge him in the 2nd innings. Should have gone on to score more given the flat track, but his was probably the 2nd best performance in the side. Struggled with the ball, but to be fair on him the pitch didn't have a whole lot of turn in it.
3) Regis Chakabva (right hand bat, WK, 48 runs) | Grade C
Batted decently well. Would probably benefit by batting a little higher - certainly higher up that Maruma. Looked fairly tidy behind the stumps.
4) Timycen Maruma (right hand bat, 48 runs) | Grade C
Surprisingly makes the top 4. Showed a bit of ability and grit in the 2nd innings, but his detractors might argue that the game was long lost by then. Still, in context not a terribly performance. Definitely should not be in a first string XI, but he did about as well as you can expect of him.
5) Charlton Tshuma (right arm medium fast, 1 wicket) | Grade C
Bowled decently well to be fair. On a better wicket, he might be able to extract more zip and bounce than he did here. Did get one delivery to jag back sharply into Mushfiqur. Has a good strong action, similar to Mpofu's, and that alone gives him an edge over the likes of Nyauchi, Madziva, and Ngarava IMO.
6) Prince Masvaure (left hand bat, 64 runs) | Grade C-
His final average of 32 is probably a more accurate representation of his abilities than a first innings score of 64 in which he was repeatedly beaten and given multiple lives along the way. Most glaring technical weakness was his ability to put numerous bad balls away for four, specifically off the pads. That being said, his propensity to bat some time and take the shine off the new ball is still probably valuable to a side that will want to protect the likes of Taylor, Ervine, Williams, and Raza as best they can.
7) Ainsely Ndlovu (slow left arm, 2 wickets) | Grade C-
That he was the leading wicket taker is fairly indicative of the struggle Zimbabwe faced both coming into the Test as well as during the match itself. Bowled some good deliveries, but a lot of very loose stuff in between. Took a great reflex catch to get rid of the set Mominul. Tough to be too harsh on him since all sorts of front line spinners have struggled in Bangladeshi conditions before him including Nyumbu (off spinner), M'shangwe, and Mavuta (leg spinners).
8) Victor Nyauchi (right arm medium fast, 1 wicket) | Grade D+
Really looked ordinary and flat. If I had to pick between the two, I'd definitely go with Tiripano for his batting, and easier to watch bowling action. As the commentators mentioned, there was quite a lot of "sameness" to the ZIM seam attack.
9) Donald Tiripano (right arm medium fast, 1 wicket) | Grade D
Almost identical performance to Nyauchi, but with his experience more is expected from him. Also failed to deliver with the bat, something he is not only known for, but also a large justification for his selection. Not penetrative enough even to be a third seamer in ideal conditions, but his pugnacious batting probably means he will survive.
10) Kevin Kasuza (right hand bat, 12 runs) | Grade D
Didn't get going in this series, and still fairly early in his career. Had a decent start to his career vs Sri Lanka so might certainly be one for the future.
11) Brendon Taylor (right hand bat, 27 runs) | Grade F
A really poor performance from the premier batsman. Both dismissals were terrible decisions, and the propensity to play such ill-advised shots is what prevents Taylor from being a truly world class batsman.
1) Mushfiqur Rahim (right hand bat, 203 runs, not out) | Grade A+
Continues to be in the prime of his career, and at almost 33 years of age, he is surely in the last third of his career if not the last quarter so needs to make all these opportunties count. In his last 3 innings vs Zimbabwe, he has scored 429 runs and been dismissed just the once.
2) Mominul Haque (left hand bat, 132 runs) | Grade A-
Another home Test, another century. Like Mushy, played a chanceless innings. In 2018, the two had put on 260+ together to rescue Bangladesh for 26 for 3, this time they had already come in at a comfortable position - albeit against a far weaker Zimbabwe bowling attack - and again put on a 200 plus partnership. One might wonder about the minus, but that is only because he needs to score decent runs in overseas games against good attacks. His 30 and 41 in Rawalpindi could be the start, with 4 more Tests coming up in Pakistan and Sri Lanka in next few months.
3) Nayeem Hasan (off break, 9 wickets) | Grade A-
Got an A+ in the first innings, hardly conceding a run. Was a touch expensive in the 2nd innings, albeit on a really flat track. Most of his wickets were of the top batsmen in the side, and you have to remember he's still just 19 years old. Has probably cemented the #1 spinner's spot in the side now. But as captain Mominul said, bigger examinations await.
4) Nazmul Hossain Shanto (left hand bat, 71 runs | Grade B+
Just two months ago, I was wondering why on earth he was picked for the Pakistan Test series. Though he didn't score big, he looked rock solid against a fairly strong Pakistani attack of Shaheen-Abbas-Naseem-Yasir. Looked equally at ease vs Zimbabwe, but will lament missing out on scoring what surely must have been his easiest opportunity to score a maiden Test ton. Still just 21 years old, and along with Nayeem the biggest positive for Bangladesh from this season so far.
5) Abu Jayed Rahi (right arm medium fast, 4 wickets) | Grade B+
Bowled brilliantly for the most part and is without doubt our spearhead now. Was a touch wayward at times, a problem I think that has to do with striving to bowl at 130 at times. Was consistently moving the ball, mostly away from the right handers, but can bring it in the other way at times as well. Deserved a five wicket haul in India with the big wickets of Rohit, Pujara, and Kohli (for a duck no less) and frustratingly missed out on another one here. If he keeps bowling like this, he will inevitably get a maiden Pheiffer.
6) Tamim Iqbal (left hand bat, 41 runs) | Grade B-
Looked solid but missed out on a biggie. Looks to be getting back into form, physically and mentally.
7) Liton Das (right hand bat, WK, 53 runs) | Grade B-
Decent outing, perhaps didn't need to score more in the scheme of the match situation. Keeping was fairly tidy. Nothing to complain about.
8) Ebadat Hossain (right arm fast, 0 wickets) | Grade C
Even a single wicket would have felt good. He did two impressive things in this match, IMO. The first was his economy rate in the first innings with 17 overs for just 26 runs. Excellent job. The second was how he upped his pace from the low 130s in the first innings to around 140 in the 2nd. Shows that he can turn it off and on intentionally. My biggest gripe was how he rarely went around the wicket to the left handers, thereby possibly missing out on a few good lbw shouts.
9) Taijul Islam (slow left arm, 4 wickets) | Grade D
Wholly uninspiring performance. Batting is perhaps slightly improved, but still far too poor for a guy who bats at #8.
10) Saif Hassan (right hand bat, 8 runs) | Grade F
Terrible footwork. I don't think he is ready for this level yet, but perhaps deserves one more shot in the Karachi Test. Still, can't blame anyone if he gets dropped.
11) Mohammad Mithun (right hand bat, 17 runs) | Grade F
Poor dismissal, and an atrociously wasted review when he got a thick edge behind. A liability in the field, and at age 28 is blocking several younger more talented players from getting valuable experience. His continued selection is lunacy at best.
Now for Zimbabwe:
1) Craig Ervine (left hand bat, 150 runs) | Grade: A
Solidity with the responsibility of captaincy thrust upon him. Was troubled at times by Nayeem, but other than that looked solid, dominant even. Notched up a rare away hundred for Zimbabwe. Hopefully he continues to build on the back of this success.
2) Sikander Raza (right hand bat, off break, 55 runs, 1 wicket) | Grade C+
Looked untroubled while he was at the crease. Required a pretty good catch to dislodge him in the 2nd innings. Should have gone on to score more given the flat track, but his was probably the 2nd best performance in the side. Struggled with the ball, but to be fair on him the pitch didn't have a whole lot of turn in it.
3) Regis Chakabva (right hand bat, WK, 48 runs) | Grade C
Batted decently well. Would probably benefit by batting a little higher - certainly higher up that Maruma. Looked fairly tidy behind the stumps.
4) Timycen Maruma (right hand bat, 48 runs) | Grade C
Surprisingly makes the top 4. Showed a bit of ability and grit in the 2nd innings, but his detractors might argue that the game was long lost by then. Still, in context not a terribly performance. Definitely should not be in a first string XI, but he did about as well as you can expect of him.
5) Charlton Tshuma (right arm medium fast, 1 wicket) | Grade C
Bowled decently well to be fair. On a better wicket, he might be able to extract more zip and bounce than he did here. Did get one delivery to jag back sharply into Mushfiqur. Has a good strong action, similar to Mpofu's, and that alone gives him an edge over the likes of Nyauchi, Madziva, and Ngarava IMO.
6) Prince Masvaure (left hand bat, 64 runs) | Grade C-
His final average of 32 is probably a more accurate representation of his abilities than a first innings score of 64 in which he was repeatedly beaten and given multiple lives along the way. Most glaring technical weakness was his ability to put numerous bad balls away for four, specifically off the pads. That being said, his propensity to bat some time and take the shine off the new ball is still probably valuable to a side that will want to protect the likes of Taylor, Ervine, Williams, and Raza as best they can.
7) Ainsely Ndlovu (slow left arm, 2 wickets) | Grade C-
That he was the leading wicket taker is fairly indicative of the struggle Zimbabwe faced both coming into the Test as well as during the match itself. Bowled some good deliveries, but a lot of very loose stuff in between. Took a great reflex catch to get rid of the set Mominul. Tough to be too harsh on him since all sorts of front line spinners have struggled in Bangladeshi conditions before him including Nyumbu (off spinner), M'shangwe, and Mavuta (leg spinners).
8) Victor Nyauchi (right arm medium fast, 1 wicket) | Grade D+
Really looked ordinary and flat. If I had to pick between the two, I'd definitely go with Tiripano for his batting, and easier to watch bowling action. As the commentators mentioned, there was quite a lot of "sameness" to the ZIM seam attack.
9) Donald Tiripano (right arm medium fast, 1 wicket) | Grade D
Almost identical performance to Nyauchi, but with his experience more is expected from him. Also failed to deliver with the bat, something he is not only known for, but also a large justification for his selection. Not penetrative enough even to be a third seamer in ideal conditions, but his pugnacious batting probably means he will survive.
10) Kevin Kasuza (right hand bat, 12 runs) | Grade D
Didn't get going in this series, and still fairly early in his career. Had a decent start to his career vs Sri Lanka so might certainly be one for the future.
11) Brendon Taylor (right hand bat, 27 runs) | Grade F
A really poor performance from the premier batsman. Both dismissals were terrible decisions, and the propensity to play such ill-advised shots is what prevents Taylor from being a truly world class batsman.