Domestic T20 (Feb 20th-26th)

[TapsC2]

Fair point. I'm just concerned that T20s can produce surprise results because of the length of the contest. There is also a possibility of a development team crumbling against Rwanda in a pressure game if we for example lose to Namibia. Needs a mix of both I guess. I would actually rather somebody like Craig sits out against those weak teams than somebody who can guarantee us a win if he kicks off.

[Mueddie28]

Cephas Zhuwao should play the in T20 qualifiers this year, should not even be a discussion.

I have said that before but the so called forum experts prefer Chibhabha or Marumani

[jaybro]

Noted that Ben Curran has been dropped by Rocks for the last couple of matches. Really not going well for him unfortunately.

Interesting to see what happens with Ben, he’s without a county deal and after his summer in Zimbabwe, his numbers don’t warrant a county deal either when compared to the likes of Compton, Carlson, Gubbins etc.

He also doesn’t seem to have committed to Zimbabwe either, unless he was so far off selection he couldn’t even make the Zim XI side v Windies.

I guess he’ll look to return to the UK and get a club contract, lucky his bros make good coin so I’m sure they can help him financially.

[jaybro]

No coincidence that the batters in all sides have got better as the week goes on. We should be playing at least three of these one week competitions a season.

We really need to forget about red ball domestic cricket for most of the season.

I don’t think we need to limit the amount of Red Ball cricket played, but this t20 tournament could easily be doubled or tripled in fixtures.

I see the games are in fancode in India, does that mean ZC would be getting some type of revenue from these matches?

[jaybro]

Fair point. I'm just concerned that T20s can produce surprise results because of the length of the contest. There is also a possibility of a development team crumbling against Rwanda in a pressure game if we for example lose to Namibia. Needs a mix of both I guess. I would actually rather somebody like Craig sits out against those weak teams than somebody who can guarantee us a win if he kicks off.

It’s funny that prior to the 2018 CWCQ we were having the same debate about Cephas, would he be able to replicate this from v stronger opposition? Is he too old? Is he worth a spot just to pummel the minnows?

The problem I see is that we only think about bringing him in when we start to panic about missing qualification. But really for Cephas to succeed at this level he needed more exposure to international cricket during bilateral matches.

It’s not like he’s an experienced pro at international level that we’re trying to get back to save our arses, like a Shoaib Malik or AB DeVilliers. I think if they wanted Cephas they should have stuck with him after the qualifiers in 2018.

What didn’t make sense was after the qualifiers where the big sticking point about Streak was that he dropped Cephas for that UAE game, but even after the Big 4 rebellion and injuries to Mire & Burl, Cephas was still left out of the Pakistan ODIs.

He was then brought back two series later v Bangladesh where he played his best international innings hitting a brisk 30 or 40 odd, but was never seen again after that series.

I think I’d rather stick with Marumani for the qualifiers, as SZ said that’s exactly the opposition you want him to play against and Maru has many more ‘tomorrows’ than Zhuwao does.

I’m regard to Ervine, I think they need to make a decision on him as a t20 player either way. We all pretty much agreed he should be retired, but ultimately it was his batting that won the series v Ireland. If he is persisted with, he’s definitely the guy you also want playing a giant the likes of Rwanda, because you know he’ll score against them and almost certainly help avoid an embarrassing defeat.

[Googly]

My point with Marumani being picked ahead of Cephas was a like for like swap and we need to bring someone on.
I clearly recall the series where Cephas was basically selected because the whole country was demanding it. The view by Streak and Co at the time was that he'd struggle and he did. BUT practically everyone struggles and Cephas was not given an extended opportunity and probably should also have been given opportunities when he was younger.
Personally I love watching him bat, there are very few people that hit it as cleanly as he does, when he gets going it's great to watch.

I don't think Ervine should be retired from T20 at all. If we ever find 2 reliable openers then he might be under pressure, but until that happy arrives we most definitely need him, he's a class player and we need someone that can last more than 2 overs

[Googly]

Ben Curran has had a poor run of it. I feel for the guy because he's uprooted himself from across the world.
Plenty of guys are not doing well who are all trying to move up. This is a brutal sport though and way worse here because if you're not on a Central Contract you're well fucked. I don't know how many games he played at OH because the slower pitch there would have suited his square and behind square game much more. There's nothing to hit down the ground unless it's really in the slot.

If Falao could make enuf money to include protein in his diet he'd become a worthwhile seamer. He's an awesome athlete and has a nice action, but he's not strong enough.

I'm not sure who the Eagles captain is but on a turning wicket he only gives Parkinson 3 overs and he took 2 wickets? They had Rhinos 50 for 5 after 10 overs and they then put on 130 runs in the next 10 overs?? That's piss poor captaincy. Poor bowling changes, poor fielding positions and the bowlers not bowling to the field. There was also a mix up because Ngarava was not on the team sheet and Rhinos rightfully refused him to play. That's about the most amateurish mistake you can make. You've got two highly experienced players in Parkinson and Welch who understand cricket and they've got zero input into strategy.

[TapsC2]

4th 50 in a row for Cephas. Curran with some runs as well. I actually think besides the Lions, the competition has been good. Its been getting better as the week has progressed.

[Donald]

Chivanga did very well today pucking a 5 fer.
Prize wickets of ballance and Gubbins cheaply

[secretzimbo]

4th 50 in a row for Cephas. Curran with some runs as well. I actually think besides the Lions, the competition has been good. Its been getting better as the week has progressed.

And regardless of results, good opportunities for the Lions players too.

Ya the first day was poor from what I saw and heard but good to see some big totals being posted as the week has progressed. I think I'll be at the final tomorrow afternoon, looking forward to it.