[DRAFT 1] Kriterion_BD, eugene, CrimsonAvenger, jaybro

[eugene]

I figured with Goodwin, Andy Flower, and Taibu in the middle order I could make do with a shaky opening pair of Sibanda and Marillier. The number of quality Zimbabwean openers is pretty short, Gavin Rennie or Terry Duffin are almost making the cut here.

I think once this is done we should come up with an XI of the best remaining players. I did always like Sean Davies, maybe he would make the cut?

[CrimsonAvenger]

I think once this is done we should come up with an XI of the best remaining players. I did always like Sean Davies, maybe he would make the cut?

That would be a nice idea.

For example, I have one name that nobody has picked yet, and feel that he deserves to be in the top 4 Zim teams of all time, which is what we are picking essentially. He is a bowler though, and let us see if someones goes for him...

[rusty17]

I'll make a leftovers 11 who else is with me?

[jaybro]

Looking at my side the wealth of all-round talent I have means I already have most basis covered; my openers are set, I have 3 genuine seam bowling all-rounders, a strong middle order and two spin options with Cremer & Raza. I see Kevin Curran and Neil Johnson taking the new ball with Henry Olonga bowling 1st change so I am fairly happy with my seam attack; although I would have rather had Peter Rawson taking the new ball with Johnson 1st change. None the less my side is pretty close to how I had planned it so I could go a number of ways with my next two selections.

I could probably do with another batsman to finish off the top 7; I looked at a few options and have agonised over which way to go, I considered Foster Mutizwa due to his impressive average of 31, but in the end the way his career fizzled out domestically and most of his runs coming against Kenya I decided to go a different way.

As per my previous posts comparing Stuart Matsikenyeri & Craig Wishart I have compared the two and although I would have liked to go for Stuey (liked him better as a player) his numbers were quite modest no matter where he batted; and in the end of the day it came down to Wishart's two ODI hundreds that in the end got him across the line for my pick #36

With my top 7 now complete I wanted to look at a big hitting finisher to bat down at No.8 for my pick #37; the two guys that stood out to me were Travis Friend and Craig Evans. Friend was a genuine bowler who could bowl with good pace and extract steep bounce; but due to his good batting technique he was frequently used up the order in ODI cricket. Evans on the other hand was more of a batsman who would bowl handy medium pacers; not many man could hit the ball longer than him for Zimbabwe, sadly t20 cricket came too late for Evans.

In the end it was a hard choice as both guys have mediocre records; but I decided to go for Friend for pick #37

#36 Craig Wishart

#37 Travis Friend

Kriterion_BD: (#1) Heath Streak, (#8) Guy Whittall, (#9) Alistair Campbell, (#16) Craig Ervine, (#17) Kyle Jarvis, (#24) Stuart Carlisle, (#25) Hamilton Masakadza, (#32) Tendai Chisoro, (#33) Ryan Murray

eugene: (#2) Andy Flower, (#7) Murray Goodwin, (#10) Andy Blignaut, (#15) Paul Strang, (#18) Tatenda Taibu, (#23) Duncan Fletcher, (#26) Tendai Chatara, (#31) Vusi Sibanda, (#34) Dougie Marillier

CrimsonAvenger: (#3) Grant Flower, (#6) David Houghton, (#11) Eddo Brandes, (#14) Elton Chigumbura, (#19) Sean Williams, (#22) Ray Price, (#27) Peter Rawson, (#30) Charles Coventry, (#35) Wesley Madhevere

jaybro: (#4) Brendan Taylor, (#5) Neil Johnson, (#12) Sean Ervine, (#13) Graeme Cremer, (#20) Sikander Raza, (#21) Kevin Curran, (#28) Barney Rogers, (#29) Henry Olonga, (#36) Craig Wishart, (#37) Travis Friend

[jaybro]

I'll make a leftovers 11 who else is with me?

Geez that will be an ugly batting lineup; bowling wise you should be ok, probably no worse than what we saw in Bangladesh this tour

[rusty17]

Ahaha gotta do something with my time

[CrimsonAvenger]

Right, so I could do with a second change occasional pacer who can also bat in the top order. Options are bleak. If Dougie Mariller can open for Eugene along with Vusi, and if Friend can qualify as an all-rounder with those stats of his, surely I can pick someone with better average and strike rate than Dougie and Friend to join the calm and collective Grant Flower at the top in my team?

I'm going with one of only two guys left in the field with an ODI 100 to his name, a man who played a huge role in us winning the SL away series, and someone who did well in the T20I tri-sieries against tough oppositions like Pak and Aus. Solomon Mire.

Kriterion_BD: (#1) Heath Streak, (#8) Guy Whittall, (#9) Alistair Campbell, (#16) Craig Ervine, (#17) Kyle Jarvis, (#24) Stuart Carlisle, (#25) Hamilton Masakadza, (#32) Tendai Chisoro, (#33) Ryan Murray

eugene: (#2) Andy Flower, (#7) Murray Goodwin, (#10) Andy Blignaut, (#15) Paul Strang, (#18) Tatenda Taibu, (#23) Duncan Fletcher, (#26) Tendai Chatara, (#31) Vusi Sibanda, (#34) Dougie Marillier

CrimsonAvenger: (#3) Grant Flower, (#6) David Houghton, (#11) Eddo Brandes, (#14) Elton Chigumbura, (#19) Sean Williams, (#22) Ray Price, (#27) Peter Rawson, (#30) Charles Coventry, (#35) Wesley Madhevere, (#38) Solomon Mire

jaybro: (#4) Brendan Taylor, (#5) Neil Johnson, (#12) Sean Ervine, (#13) Graeme Cremer, (#20) Sikander Raza, (#21) Kevin Curran, (#28) Barney Rogers, (#29) Henry Olonga, (#36) Craig Wishart, (#37) Travis Friend

[jaybro]

Yeah solid choice from what’s left; I had you pencilled in for Mire a once again we’re on the same wave length.

I feel Mire left the game whilst his average had bottomed out & just as he’d found some rhythm with the ball; if he had stayed around longer his numbers would have improved.

[CrimsonAvenger]

Yeah solid choice from what’s left; I had you pencilled in for Mire a once again we’re on the same wave length.

I feel Mire left the game whilst his average had bottomed out & just as he’d found some rhythm with the ball; if he had stayed around longer his numbers would have improved.

Hmm, yeah. Mire was a last minute change of mind. I had a few other names I had in mind, but his "impact" factor made me switch over. That and the hundred. If you had left Wishart, I would have gone for him as well, for his hundreds.

[jaybro]

Yeah solid choice from what’s left; I had you pencilled in for Mire a once again we’re on the same wave length.

I feel Mire left the game whilst his average had bottomed out & just as he’d found some rhythm with the ball; if he had stayed around longer his numbers would have improved.

Hmm, yeah. Mire was a last minute change of mind. I had a few other names I had in mind, but his "impact" factor made me switch over. That and the hundred. If you had left Wishart, I would have gone for him as well, for his hundreds.

I only briefly looked at Mire during the draft because I had my top order secured fairly early and Mire is definitely a batsman 1st bowler 2nd.

Wishart was an uninspiring choice for myself; I never intended to select him at any point in my draft forecast & I really expected Eugene to take him when he chose Marillier, I then thought you might take him CA due to his hundreds.

So when he fell into my lap I almost felt obliged to select him as there really aren’t any quality guys left. I really wanted to pick Stuey so I broke down his numbers to see if he perhaps averaged 25+ at No.4 or something I could use that as reasoning to select him there. But sadly Stuey was very consistent no matter how many wickets had fell before he arrived.