[Series thread] 2011 Stanbic Bank T20

[hhm]

We got a raw deal for this T20 comp! Cricinfo have unilaterally added the Tuskers & Rhinos to the Sheffiled Shield! Scorecard doesn't lie.

[Boundary]

Watching the highlights of the Eagles/Tuskers match with Neil going "I don't think it's going to rain" with a tag line at the bottom of the screen saying "Rocks v Rhinos delayed due to rain"

[sloandog]

Just watching the highlights of the Tuskers game. Querl looks quicker than Meth, but again another action that looks very dubious. Swings the ball nicely too which counts in his favor. Good solid first class cricketer

[betterdays]

again another action that looks very dubious

ohh, yeah, quite a lot more dubious than Vitori's

[hhm]

Rain forces a premature conclusion to this one then!

At least Vitori's wicket means Jarvis cuts a lone figure among the semi-retired overseas 'professionals' featuring at the bottom of the pile.

Waller misses out again!

[sscricket]

I was fortunate enough to watch the second day also and it was more exciting than the first. In my mind I am left with a lot more questions than answers after today.

Tuskers Vs Mountaineers
The tuskers hit one six too many which proved to be enough even though they played a lot of dot balls. Keeping wickets towards the end was priceless in this format and on this ground. The mountaineers looked every bit capable of a challenge and I think they might get home next time around. Both teams had slices of luck but the tuskers had slightly more. Gayle made a big difference although the mountaineers could have got him both with the bat and the ball.

Pitch
Behaved much better today and seemed to have a lot more runs than yesterday. Very even track.

Tuskers innings
Gayle: He was not settled to begin with but got into his own. He would have made it a no contest had he stayed any longer. Shingi troubled him and he was uncertain in his first over against pro.

Horton: A little less impressive today. He took off Meth after two overs when Mustard hit him for six and brought on Gayle. Guess what . Masakada hit him for six first ball which he would never have done if he was playing for the West Indies. The ball was still swinging and Mustard was showing his stumps to Meth. Very reactive captaincy from Horton.
He did make other sensible bowling changes nevertheless. Sending Wheater ahead of Meth and Dabengwa with two overs to go is a grave mistake. Are you out of your mind?

Coventry: Does this man have any fear? Beauty again. Reverse swept the second ball for four and pulled dirk nannes for six like he was a club cricketer. Unlucky to get out but everyday he spends outside the national set up is a loss for the team and the fans. Get him back in there asap!

Ervine: Seems like he has a point to prove. Can we get him back in there too?

Wheater: Can you send him back to where he came from? Essex. He is feeble with the bat in hand and why is occupying the spot that should be taken by a local player? He cannot hit fours on this huge ground and was responsible for giving momentum back to the mountaineers in the last over from Nannes. It was poor piece of captaincy from Horton to send him in ahead of Dabengwa, Meth or even Trenchard. I dont see him adding any value at all to this team.

Nannes: He is class apart.

Shingi: Seems like a much improved bowler with variations. Certainly ahead of Jarvis and Vitori now.

Mushangwe: Unlucky to run into the Gayle force.

Harris: Old man has so many tricks and he can be a game changer with the ball or the bat. Real threat to the opposition even though he may not look like it.

Mountaineers Innings
They were in the game till Harris and Kasuza were out there. Dabengwa stole it from them.

Mawoyo:
Got a beauty from Meth. The first over was ominous. Meth should have been bowled out on this huge ground. The ball was still swinging for him in second. Unlucky for Meth!

Mustard: Got out to a blinder but looks as good as Gayle.

Masakadza: Different bastman for mountaineers. Can he repeat this for Zimbabwe? Loved his shot to dismiss Gayle.

Dabengwa: This guy is good enough to play for Zim. Why is he still out of the set up?

Shingi: Needs more FC time.

Kasuza: Needs a mentor and coach.

NCube: Was unlucky to get three inside edges for four. He bowled impressively and has grown on me. He just overtook all the other zim seamers with the exception of Meth. He is not spectacular but an inexpensive option.

Rhinos Vs Rocks
Rhinos seems to lacking in tactics. They are not going to win this tournament if they keep playing like this. The batsmen are impatient and the batting is way too top heavy.

Ballance: He does not have a t20 game or strokes. He should either bat in the middle order or atleast rotate the strike if he is batting up front.

Taylor: One stroke too many. Gifted a wicket to Vitori.

Wessels: Very impressive. Surprised this man has not played for a national team. Put Vitori in his place for bowling overpitched stuff. Like his attacking attitude. Needs more support from his team.

Waller: What a gift to Zim cricket. has odi superstar written all over him. The way he rotated the strike and found the boundaries with unconventional shots was joy to watch. Perished in upping the tempo as he found himself in a situation that he would when playing for the main side.

Benade: Looks like B level or C level cricketer. His backlift is non existent and he is not getting anywhere with that. He can play test cricket by sticking around but I dont understand why he is even playing First class cricket. I think the Rhinos tail starts with him. Very fragile times....

Chinoya instead of Nicholson:
Good move. Nicholson is no Morne Morkel or anything.

Interviews from commentators
Gary Brent: Very sharp and hard working coach. He will get this team deep into this tournament.

Dave Houghton: What a humble and soft spoken man. He has the right tactics and approach to the game. Can we make him the national coach?
Zim will definitely start winning odi series and test matches.

Heath Streak: I was not impressed with his views. Read between the lines sounds like he wants genuine pace bowlers in the side. He is biased towards Jarvis and Vitori. But let me tell you they can be super expensive in odi games and t20's. Ok for tests.
Tough times ahead. Can we keep him out of the selection process and just let him do the coaching?

Neil Johnson
Where has he been all these years? He is as exciting with the mic as he was with the bat or ball. Is there anything this man cannot do?

[sloandog]

I don't think shingrai mazakadza is ahead of Jarvis and Vitori. Perhaps in T20 because of his impressive variations and changes of pace, but I think he's still to erratic. Jarvis bowls wicket to wicket which is why he's going to succeed in test cricket. However, I must agree with guys like hhm on the basis that Jarvis is going for way too many in the shorter version; test cricket? No problem, give him the new seed innany conditions, but I must day that in the ODI format maybe somebody else should take the new ball? Don't bight my head off I'm just assessing how he's done of late in the shorter format. . I'll tell you why Dabengwa is nowhere near the national side: not. Good. Enough. Mediocre spinner, average batter and a half decent fielder...and I think Benade could be a good, honest first class player. I don't think his bat lift is as none existent as you make out pal, he had a decent technique from what I saw, but I do agree that maybe he is best suited for the longer format opposed to T20.

[sloandog]

Pardon the typing errors, stupid ipods

[betterdays]

it's hard not to be at least a little influenced by the commentary but Shingi is better suited atm than those two guys to T20 - but people develop and learn ... which is why i'm coming to the defense of Keith; He is an average spinner but honestly so is Ray and yet he's still one of the better sla bowlers in the world. sla always looks mediocre - to me at least. Price, Vettori, Al Hasan, Harris are all pretty mediocre looking but they do an important job and Dabengwa does that for Tuskers too. I'm not making a case for national call up but would not balk at the idea - when he's played tests he's been as successful as all other bowlers (bar Streak) and played in tough times and against only strong teams - including the Indians who play spin well. Less successful in ODI but really until very recently we simply have had no one perfrom in ODIs since 2001.

Anyway, there really isn't a spot in the team for him particularly while Ray's about. I think with Price, Cremer and Utseya (looking more solid atm) in the wings he's not going to push his way into the selectors consciousness imo but I think he's a pretty decent cricketer ... but his age is against him so he's unlikely to be seen in Zim colours or in the Test team.

just to add an edit as i was sampling curiously (sampling mind); almost every game i picked from his ODIs he was one of the top 2/3 performers on the day

[maehara]

Stream's up: lankacricket.tv, channel 2.