Picking a Zimbabwe A team

[brmtaylor.com admin]

For a challenge, it cannot include any players that have played a Test or ODI. Doesn't have to be the best team available, it can include so called "development" players within reason, such as having played at domestic level.

1. Tafadzwa Ngulube (wk) [4,8]
2. Alois Tichana [10,12]
3. Bradley Staddon [4,7]
4. Bornaparte Mujuru [13,15]
5. Erick Chauluka (c) [25,14]
6. Robertson Chinyengetere (vc) [8,10]
7. Admire Manyumwa [16,20]
8. Khawulani Ntuli [1,2]
9. Shingirai Masakadza [4,4]
10. Trevor Garwe [22,20]
11. Hilary Matanga [13,16]

With 120 matches of First Class experience and 128 matches of domestic one day experience I think this is quite a well balanced team for either format of the game.

The batting order is reasonably strong; Ngulube, Tichana and Chaluka all have FC centuries, while Chinyengetere and Mujuru each have scores in the 90's. Staddon is one of my "development" players - he had a really consistent Logan Cup tournament. Apparently finds it difficult to score quickly, but I don't know if that's such a bad thing considering we don't have enough players who can really knuckle down without losing concentration.

Manyumwa is the all-rounder type player with the ability to bowl some medium pace, and also some quick hitting down the order. A poor mans Chigumbura I guess.

Ntuli is the other development player. By all reports he just needs game time, he only has the one First Class game but has a fantastic club record and he's quicker than Garwe and Shingirai Masakadza. Garwe provides experience (he's only 22, amazing, he's been in the system for so long) to the bowling attack, while Masakadza is the in form bowler. Matanga is the main spinner, considering that Mugochi has quit otherwise he would have got the spot.

Tichana is a pretty useful offspinner himself (8 wickets at 24.12 in 10 First Class games, 10 wickets at 23.80 in 12 List A games), while Chinyengetere isn't the worst medium pacer going around.

To be honest, I think this side would have been able to score 150 against Sri Lanka (not much more, mind you!) so it's disappointing that the national team didn't go on to make 250 plus.

The team above has some fairly talented players, but what is so clear is the lack of experience. Only Chauluka and Garwe have more than 20 First Class games under their belt, while quite a few are still in single figures. If every player had 40-50 games under their belt, they would be a much stronger outfit. Maybe 30 or so matches could be the difference between guys like Matanga and Utseya.

[jimbo]

Sounds about right mr taylor. I would consider maybe putting forster mutizwa in sloely as a batsman, After all the man has two first class hundreds and seems quite talented

[Kopje]

Would Prosper Tsvanhu fit in that puzzle, i got a feeling with the kinda batsmen Sri lanka has, he might have an edge wiyth his left arm medium.