Zimbabwe vs England | Only Test | 22 - 25th May 2025

[tawac]

Considering Zimbabwe played with ten men against England, it wasn't a terrible performance. Our bowling on day one was a major let down, and losing Ngarava so early definitely changed the dynamics a bit. While batting could have been stronger, a few good individual contributions suggest the pitch was indeed playable. There's certainly a lot to build on, with six more Tests and a four-day match against South Africa still to come this year. This means plenty of game time to refine our strategy. If only ZC understood the meaning of the word. It's crucial we field our best XI, and players like Welch and Vinny have clearly earned their spots and should be back in the side.

[Andy31]

It has been good to see the players mixing with England team. Hopefully sharing tips

[TapsC2]

We did ok. Ngarava was also supposed to bat at 8. I think they could have batted again if he didn't get injured. Raza needed a partner. Raza did well too despite the criticism. He scored a 50 yet he hardly got a chance to adjust to the conditions.

A lot to learn. From proactive captaincy to just world class moments. You could just feel the level of professionalism and mentality. My only problem was that they made an ordinary spinner look world class. They have played against much better spinners than that guy. That was disappointing

[Yorker]

A really enjoyable event with great Zim crowd and enough English fans to have a good number of seats full across the 3 days.

What proportion of the support would you reckon was Zimbabwean? I was told the match attendance was just as good as Trent Bridge gets when England is playing top tier sides but the difference was when they're playing India half the stands will be Indians.

[secretzimbo]

Being realistic with selections here (rather than wishful thinking), I would like to see the following given a run during the 4 SA/NZ tests.

Bennett
Curran
Welch
Williams
Ervine/Raza
Madhevere
Tsiga
Matigimu
Nyamhuri
Muzarabani
Masekesa

On the basis of Raza maybe not playing Tests going forward or Craig maybe on the way out. Either way there is space for 1 of them. But would like to see the top three now given these series, and Wes. We’ll have a much better idea of Curran and Welch afterwards and whether they are the answer or not. Same for the likes of Tsiga.

It’s a shame Matigimu has been injured, not sure how serious it is. He can bat so I’d like to see him in Bulawayo. Ngarava needs plenty of rest so let’s give Nyamhuri a go and see if he can settle in or not. I suspect it’s still way way too early but let’s see. Masekesa will find things easier at Queens than elsewhere so a good chance to give him a go too. Chivanga and Nyauchi can still be in the squad and play where needed.

[Googly]

A really enjoyable event with great Zim crowd and enough English fans to have a good number of seats full across the 3 days.

What proportion of the support would you reckon was Zimbabwean? I was told the match attendance was just as good as Trent Bridge gets when England is playing top tier sides but the difference was when they're playing India half the stands will be Indians.

60% was support for Zimbabwe. A lot of the support actually came from the English fans who knew we weren't going to win and were enjoying the vibe and the resistance from some our batters.

[secretzimbo]

I assume we'll fly some more guys in for the SA match. Blessing and Ngarava need resting, Raza is back in Pakistan and we know how susceptible Willo is to injury so he doesn't need to play either.

[firebreaker]

Sikandar is back in Lahore which means that it could be assumed that he threw his wicket away so he could play the final because if the match had reached the 4th day he would have missed out on final

[TapsC2]

Raza but I don't blame him though. We must also not forget Raza is from Pakistan as well. It's not some random league from his perspective .He did his bit. 67 runs and a wicket with the best economy is not a bad return. For me Raza has earned that right.

Where I don't agree with is skipping the SA tests for Major League Cricket. I think they should make him play. Let's not forget ZC actually has the final say so they would have had long discussions about it. We will need him. He was very effective in the last test he played in Bulawayo.

[secretzimbo]

Sikandar is back in Lahore which means that it could be assumed that he threw his wicket away so he could play the final because if the match had reached the 4th day he would have missed out on final

He'd choose a 4th day for Zim and a historic draw with England over a PSL match every single time.