Rodney Mupfudza

[jaybro]

I’ve always been of the opinion Zimbabwe produce enough talent, it’s the system that is flawed

Do I think Zimbabwe produces enough talent to consistently beat the best? No

Do I think Zimbabwe produces enough talent to compete with the best? Yes

Do I think Zimbabwe produces enough talent to consistently beat the likes of Bangladesh, Afghanistan & Ireland? Yes

[brmtaylor.com admin]

http://www.espncricinfo.com/zimbabwe/co ... 17623.html

18 years old and scores a match winning half century on debut.

You see it really baffles me when I see things like this happen.
I know the mens side had an absolute shocker today in Bangladesh, but back home there still seems to be enough batting talent to drip through to the national side. I'm still awaiting the doomsday prediction which googly has been foretelling since he joined ZCF. I remember something alone the lines that the last under 19's CWC squad in 2018 was our last real exciting batch....yet we've just had one of our more successful tournaments which arguably the most talented batch since 2004.
So I ask the fella's on the ground this simple question:

Has Zimbabwe still got enough talented school kids/15/16/17 year olds coming through?

After seeing the 'late bloomer' Campbel Jnr starting to find his FC feet and then this young man scoring a half century on debut, I'm inclined to think we have enough for now.

Keeping hold of that talent I appreciate is a totally different argument

But these are people scoring half centuries against a weak Logan cup attack without our best bowlers and backup bowlers. 110-120k bowlers.

It’s club attack. It’s not a platform to get excited about talent unless there’s scores of 150+

With the rubbish bowling attacks that get served up, it's criminal that there's never been a Logan Cup triple hundred. Enough four day games have been played over the years that a half decent batsman should have come along at some point and blown a team away.

Look at the current Tuskers attack: SD Chimhamhiwa, SSF Musekwa, LM Jongwe, E Masuku, S Nxumalo

I'll throw out a random name... Martin Love. He'd have scored 500 not out against that attack.

[sloandog]

Martin Love was an absolute GUN!

[eugene]

Martin Love would have played 100 tests for any other country. He was unfortunate to be an Australian.

[jaybro]

Martin Love would have played 100 tests for any other country. He was unfortunate to be an Australian.

During that time there were many great Australian batters who would walk into this current side

Jimmy Maher
Matthew Elliot
Martin Love
Jamie Cox
Jamie Siddons
Brad Hodge

[zimbos_05]

Martin Love was an absolute GUN!

Who took his spot? I'm guessing it was the Waughs/Hayden/Ponting? He played 5 tests at an average of 46. Surely that would mean he needs to play more. With that average, surely he should have played more, especially against the weaker sides.

[jaybro]

Martin Love was an absolute GUN!

Who took his spot? I'm guessing it was the Waughs/Hayden/Ponting? He played 5 tests at an average of 46. Surely that would mean he needs to play more. With that average, surely he should have played more, especially against the weaker sides.

No one took his spot because it was never his to begin with. Martin Love scored a ton of runs for Queensland and in County Cricket but was sat behind the likes of Langer, Ponting, Tugger, junior, Lehmann, Martyn etc. He got his debut in an Ashes Test I believe when Lehmann was injured, he also got a game in the Windies when Ponting was injured, and he played in the first ever Top End Tests series v Bangladesh. He scored 1 before being bowled by a jaffer from Mashhrafe before scoring his one & only Test ton in the 2nd Test, he never played another Test.

[rusty17]

Martin Love would have played 100 tests for any other country. He was unfortunate to be an Australian.

During that time there were many great Australian batters who would walk into this current side

Jimmy Maher
Matthew Elliot
Martin Love
Jamie Cox
Jamie Siddons
Brad Hodge

I'd throw Michael Klinger in there too for his List A cricket, averaging nearly 50 opening the stick all those years is amazing.
Even though he's younger than jaybros fellas I've got a huge soft spot for Cal Ferguson and am gutted he never got another ODI go after his injury then got dropped after we got rolled by South Africa a few years back in test cricket.

[jaybro]

I'd throw Michael Klinger in there too for his List A cricket, averaging nearly 50 opening the stick all those years is amazing.
Even though he's younger than jaybros fellas I've got a huge soft spot for Cal Ferguson and am gutted he never got another ODI go after his injury then got dropped after we got rolled by South Africa a few years back in test cricket.

I am a massive Cal Ferguson fan, ever since I first saw him bat for South Australia, I still remember he played this ball that was pitch on a good length just outside off stump and he just flicked it through mid wicket for a boundary with perfect timing, I'll never forget that shot. But almost fittingly for Ferguson he was out a few balls later for 4, his career in a nutshell there

[CrimsonAvenger]

Throwing in some Indian domestic stalwarts of the same era of MArtin Love who would have also made it big in other test teams, and would have scored those 500s in Logan Cup:

Subramaniam Badrinath: https://www.espncricinfo.com/india/cont ... 26806.html
Amol Muzumdar: https://www.espncricinfo.com/india/cont ... 31067.html
Yere Goud: https://www.espncricinfo.com/india/cont ... 29252.html

May be even among the current players, one who is finding it difficult to get his test cap despite a stellar decade, Manish Pandey: https://www.espncricinfo.com/india/cont ... 90630.html