[Match Thread] Zimbabwe v New Zealand: Test Match

[Jemisi]

Yeah, the ground fielding has been improved over recent ODI efforts

[brmtaylor.com admin]

Jarvis, fantastic bowling up front, not letting up at all

Ncube, a workhorse and disciplined, you may say lucky wicket I say he deserved it...

Mpofu, well within himself, but I'd rather 8 maidens and a wicket than this "lets try everything" and go for runs...

Masakadza, containment at its best, non threatening but effective...

Pricey, not his turn yet, but looking forward to him later

Fielding has lifted, I like...

Yes, I agree. At 5/327 I'd say NZ are still firmly in control, but maybe after that first session they've just left the door open a bit. Chris Martin is batting remember, so it's pretty much 6 down isn't it?

Vettori worries me. He is a superb batsman, underrated by many, and he's not going to get caught up in this defensive mindset that Watling and Brownlie were in. I guess he's a handy bowler as well...

[FlowerPower]

Yep BRMT Vettori is a danger man and if we aren't careful he could be the difference...

[foreignfield]

Dont't worry. According to hhm, Vettori does not exist.

[brmtaylor.com admin]

You have to admire Vettori's approach. Unlike the other NZ batsmen who I've seen (I didn't see any of day one), Vettori realises that it's pointless to pay as much respect as they were showing to this bowling attack. Let's hope he goes for one too many big shots.

[jimbo]

he did this to us last time around in the two day defeat back in 2005. he hit more than a run a ball century I believe

[Jemisi]

Vettori is certainly not stuffing around. He could punish us with a quick 70 odd here

[hhm]

Dont't worry. According to hhm, Vettori does not exist.

Look, if you're a batsman worth your salt at international level(even a tailender who can really hold a bat), you should be ripping this Zim attack to pieces! Vettori is respected as a batsman, not rated - two very diferent things. Even Gillespie got a double hundred against an even weaker Bangladesh attack than the one we faced, and to date none of our batsmen has achieved that.

In my book, there are no spinner-allrounders in Test cricket.

[Lostart]

Vettori is really pushing along now. looks like they have picked up the rate and are probably looking to put 500+ on the board. At this rate that should be done by the end of the day so they may just leave us 10-15 overs to try and survive this evening. Pressure will be on and all that. We will probably have to bat for three days , Maybe that can be done. But we are going to need like 3-4 batsmen to make big scores. At least 2 people to make Hundreds. Taylor is in form, so i Peg him to make one of them. Going to give the other hundred to Mawoyo, a real slow and grinding hundred. Then i think we can rely on taibu to do something for us. Of course that just wishful thinking. They may get great balls early on in the innings and Regis and Pricey may have a heroic partnership where they both score hundreds

[brmtaylor.com admin]

Maybe time to try something different; perhaps Masakadza to return to the attack or Malcolm Waller.