Regional 5-Day Series 2022 | Northerns Vs Southerns

[secretzimbo]

Some suggestion that this two game series is due to start this weekend at HSC although still not confirmed. They've also changed from 4 days to 5-days, which is interesting. Have we played 5 day domestic cricket before???


No Burl (not selected), Evans (not selected), Jongwe (not selected), Williams (retired), Blessing (PSL) or Chakabva (injured).

Northerns: Sikandar Raza (C), Innocent Kaia, Clive Madande (Wk), Wessly Madhevere, Carl Mumba, Tony Munyonga, Ainsley Ndlovu, Stephen Chimhamhiwa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Takudzwanashe Kaitano, Tanaka Chivanga, Tendai Chisoro, Donald Tiripano, Victor Nyauchi, Kudzai Maunze

Southerns: Craig Ervine (C), Brian Chari, Tendai Chatara, Kevin Kasuza, Wellington Masakadza, Ernest Masuku, Brandon Mavuta, Prince Masvaure, Richard Ngarava, Richmond Mutumbami (Wk), Roy Kaia, Milton Shumba, Tafadzwa Tsiga, William Mashinge

[secretzimbo]

Waiting for Googly to (quite rightly) explode at the Evans non-selection

[secretzimbo]

Tanu Makoni another to maybe surprisingly miss out considering his connections and decent season. Mutombodzi, Maruma and Campbell also miss out.

STEVE fucking CHIMHAMHIWA though jesus lord, give me strength


Also there are people running our game who genuinely think William Mashinge is a better player and prospect than Brad Evans

[Googly]

It's hard to fathom. Surely decent seaming all-rounders are part of the make-up of a red ball side?
I dont know the players that well, but it looks like Tiripano is in the one team and Mashinge is in the other? I havent seen Mashinge play for a while so I can't comment on how he goes compared to Evans. I wish theyd found room for him and then livestream this encounter so we can all take a look. That's potentially another season down the drain for a player that I believe can really improve.
I guess this North South thing is to pick a side for our annual one off test?

[secretzimbo]

Yep.......in all their wisdom they have decided to play these extra 5-day games in preparation for........well, literally nothing. Quite possible that we aren't playing any Tests for the next six months. This obsession with domestic red ball cricket despite the complete and total lack of international red-ball cricket is really puzzling. We are going to be so undercooked in the T20 Qualifiers in a few months.

Mashinge is okay. But I think Evans has a much higher ceiling. Sloandog has played with/against both of them I think so maybe he can give an assessment.

It will be live-streamed btw. Hearing it actually starts tomorrow now.

As for Tiripano, don't get me started. He's just averaged 40 with the ball in the Logan Cup season. Evans averaged 15.......

[Googly]

How many 5 day games are there? It's impossible to guess what this is all about if we don't play this format internationally. In my view that ship has sailed long ago and we need to resign ourselves to 50 over and T20 only. Either ZC cite lack of funds to host, or the opposition does the same or they just duck out of it for spurious reasons.
We'd have to beat Australia in a one off test to get anyone's attention.

I've seen a bit of Evans over the years, it's just Mashinge I haven't really seen since u19. Evans could bowl a bit quicker (been injured though) and bat more sensibly and he'd be hard to ignore. The batting part is a bit unfair, he's run out of partners a few times and had to play some shots. Even in the bowling dept he seems to bowl tight spells even if he's not taking wickets. I really believe in his capacity to go up a level though. The people that count either think he's shit, have an axe to grind, or they have their favourites, or they have external pressures or in many cases at age group level just dangling carrots.
Whatever the reason, they've got it wrong and he should be in one of these teams.

Do these selectors even watch games or do they just look at scorecards?

[secretzimbo]

On the one hand, at least they are organising plenty of cricket I suppose. We’ve complained for years that they do the bare minimum, so I guess this is progress.

Just completely the wrong format for the current times. I really wish we did have a load of test series coming up, but sadly the reality is we don’t. I just don’t understand what they are trying to achieve here

We even have a head coach who was appointed off the back of his T20 pedigree and we were told that his goal was to make us competitive amongst the best teams in the world in the T20 format. He’s in Zim at the moment - what does he think about playing 6 months of red ball cricket and only 6 days of T20? Of course he doesn’t have the ballsack to say anything either way.


As for Evans. I guess he has a decision to make - does he give up and stop wasting his time? Or does he keep fighting and working and try to prove them wrong? He’s not exactly young- probably needs a career at some point.

[secretzimbo]

There are two 5-day games I think. I think there were three initially but looks like they’ve knocked that on the head as they’ve told Rocks the Pro50 final is on the 13th.

[TapsC2]

Surely they must have some kind of test matches lined up that we don't know of yet. Nothing else makes sense.

[TapsC2]

They don't like spending money. There must be a reason