Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe | Only Test | Harare | 2021

[TapsC2]

For this format Williams is more important than Taylor now. I'm surprised that they didnt push Regis up the order and play Gumbie instead of Maruma. Regis is a senior batsman

[Kriterion_BD]

This strike rate thing is nauseating. He's on debut for goodness's sake. In fact, after he reached about 65 or so, he had actually begun rotating the strike pretty regularly, only to see a slew of wickets fall at the other end and the incomning batsmen not reciprocating Kaitano's strike rotation. So, he had to reassess.

Going to disagree. Cricinfo put the state out about the 11 other debutants to face 300 balls. Kaitano was the only one to not score a 100. All of the other debutants were also on debut.

Myers was also on debut. He was striking at a very healthy strike rate and slowed down in the 2nd session when the BD boys pulled the brakes out and wickets were tumbling. Kaitano was striking at under 40 even when the run rate was 4 for the session.

Plenty of debutants strike at 50+. You don't have to have a wealth of experience to knock the ball into gaps and maintain a strike rate of 50 on a flat as hell pitch. A low strike rate (anything under 45 in the modern era) most likely indicates a fundemental lack of ability.

[TapsC2]

There are very few wicket keepers with high test averages and if they do they usually stop keeping at a point. A player like Mark Boucher averaged 30 in tests and 28 in ODIs. Sometimes we are harsh for no reason.

As for Kaitano I knew he would be criticized for his slow rate. I will never understand this because we always collapse. If he was stopping us from certain victory then yes but 95% of our games we are praying for Tiripano heroics to save the test. Let's first not lose then worry about winning after that.

Was this 87 not the highest score by a Zimbabwean who wasn't part of the BT generation? Besides the Mire 100? That was huge effort from the lad in his very first game

[Yvmnaidu]

bringing Andy flower has a headcoach ..then zim cricket structure changed automatically..

[CrimsonAvenger]

Going to disagree. Cricinfo put the state out about the 11 other debutants to face 300 balls. Kaitano was the only one to not score a 100. All of the other debutants were also on debut.

Well, he did not cross over to a 100, but here's a list of all people who played 250+ balls on debut (as openers):

https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engin ... ew=innings

7 of them have less than 40 SR, 7 higher.

Kaitano had an SR better than Grant Flower
Kaitano's SR is closer to what SA's Pieter Malan had last year.

I'm not trying to defend the guy here, but we need to look at Zim and its history in tests overall before laying into this guy. I'm all for a Marumani kind of guy coming in and revolutionizing our test opening approach altogether if he can do it consistently, but having seen what we have dealt with for years now, a stable innings at the top deserves credit.

[CholeZimbo]

You need more things to go right than wrong in a match. With Zim we tend to rotate with what goes right. Top order-Middle order-Lower order. At least 2 have to go right to post a big total. With us it is always one. And for a long time it has not been the top order. In the first innings the top order surprised us then nothing going down. From a Batting-Bowling-Fielding perspective, especially in the shorter formats, you just know we never deliver in all aspects of the game. Batters do well, bowlers are a disaster and the reverse is true. Also, we no squad depth, the unavailability of key players has hurt us, we have been unlucky honestly.

Back to this match. DT now needs to be dropped. Hopefully he does not score another half century in the second innings to book a place in the next test. We needed Chatara here. He does not leak runs and takes wickets. He would have been perfect bowling in tandem with a part timer.

Can't help it but still hoping we do not lose

Head to head: Matches 17 Zim 7 Ban 7 Draw 3. Decent rivalry, BD on the verge of being the better side.

[Kriterion_BD]

I'm not trying to defend the guy here, but we need to look at Zim and its history in tests overall before laying into this guy. I'm all for a Marumani kind of guy coming in and revolutionizing our test opening approach altogether if he can do it consistently, but having seen what we have dealt with for years now, a stable innings at the top deserves credit.

I'm not arguing for Kaitano to be dropped. He did a hell of a lot better than Prince who would have scored half the runs at the same strike rate whilst offering 4 chances on the way. Kaitano at least looked solid for the most part. There is still some utility for him in the side. But if he make a habit of playing long innings he will inevitably put pressure on the middle order to up the scoring rate as the innings goes on. A run rate of 2.5 in an innings is just not going to win or even draw Tests in 2021 against any opposition. Any run rate under 3 is considered low nowadays so a bear minimum of 2.75 or 2.8 is needed. And the reason is because even if you score a good total of say 400 at 2.65 an over, the opposition will just bulldoze that total so quickly, it will put the game out of reach.

[Kriterion_BD]

Head to head: Matches 17 Zim 7 Ban 7 Draw 3. Decent rivalry, BD on the verge of being the better side.

7-3-1 since 2004 if my math is right.

[lobsang]

I'm not trying to defend the guy here, but we need to look at Zim and its history in tests overall before laying into this guy. I'm all for a Marumani kind of guy coming in and revolutionizing our test opening approach altogether if he can do it consistently, but having seen what we have dealt with for years now, a stable innings at the top deserves credit.

I'm not arguing for Kaitano to be dropped. He did a hell of a lot better than Prince who would have scored half the runs at the same strike rate whilst offering 4 chances on the way. Kaitano at least looked solid for the most part. There is still some utility for him in the side. But if he make a habit of playing long innings he will inevitably put pressure on the middle order to up the scoring rate as the innings goes on. A run rate of 2.5 in an innings is just not going to win or even draw Tests in 2021 against any opposition. Any run rate under 3 is considered low nowadays so a bear minimum of 2.75 or 2.8 is needed. And the reason is because even if you score a good total of say 400 at 2.65 an over, the opposition will just bulldoze that total so quickly, it will put the game out of reach.

For a side as good as India, they consider Pujara as one of the vital cog in the longest format of the game and his strike rate in test hitherto is 44.64. And talking of low strike rate pressure, I think in the longest format of the game it is not as concerning and alarming as it is in the shorter formats, in T20s and ODIs, low strike rate at the top will give tremendous pressure for those who come in at number 3 and 4 to up the ante. For Zimbabwe, having a batsmen who can play a long and dogged innings, leave aside strike rate issues, in test is like gold dust. For many years, they have never found a single quality batsman at the top who can bat the way Kaitano batted the other day so if Kaitano can deliver such innings once in a while then he will be a key member of that test squad for Zimbabwe in the years to come and he is only 28 years old.

[Yvmnaidu]

dotballs only can save zim to draw