zimcricketforums.com

Zimbabwe Select XI 2nd innings
T Maruma c wicketkeeperSangakkara b Mendis 16
CJ Chibhabha c wicketkeeperSangakkara b Mendis 59
H Masakadza c Maharoof b Mendis 72
S Matsikenyeri c & b Mathews 71
RW Chakabva lbw b Mendis 0
E Chigumbura not out 2
KM Dabengwa not out 0

Extras (b 2, lb 2, nb 14) 18

Total (5 wickets; 61 overs) 238 (3.90 runs per over)

match was drawn


good effort by the boys showing that they can bat sensibly and may be able to put in a good competitve performance in the one day series

zimbabwes batting has never been a problem its the bowling, we all know that sibanda, chibbha, madakaska and chigumbura can bat along with tenda if he plays

The real problem is in the bowling as apart from price and chigunbura we have no one who can blast out the opposistion

That's quite reassuring. With Chigumbura at the crease and Utseya, Cremer and SW Masakadza to follow we might have been able to push on to about 300 had we played longer. Phew, lucky we managed to scrape a draw out of that, although Sri Lanka obviously were looking for batting practice rather than win.

Maruma 16 off 56. If his role is to just stay out there and see off the new ball, he did it. First wicket fell after 18 overs.
Chibhabha 59 off 70. Probably didn't need to be that aggressive considering the draw was the only thing Zim were playing for, but still a good effort. Chibhabha has been quite a find for Zimbabwe since the 2006 tour of West Indies.

Masakadza and Matsikenyeri both solid performances with 72 and 71. It's heartening to see Matsikenyeri find some form particularly.

Chakabva out to Mendis is probably due to inexperience. Mendis took 8 wickets in the game, but besides Chakabva and Dabengwa his wickets were not until everyone had made a start.

As zimfan1 said, the main problem (besides the first innings) is the bowling. We know that we have enough class batsmen to put up a decent score - it's just their refusal to do this consistently. Price can't do it all by himself, and Chigumbura can't be expected to take a bag every match. Maybe Shingirai Masakadza is the missing link.