Bangladesh Tours Zim on a High

[zimfan1]

Bangladesh Tours Zim on a High
Thursday, 30 July 2009 19:25

THERE is no doubt that Zimbabwe will be facing a dangerous Bangladesh side when the two teams meet for five ODIs in Bulawayo next month.
Zimbabwe has not played international cricket in five months, and although their last series against Kenya back in February produced a comprehensive 5-0 win, the lack of game time since then will mean they are at a slight disadvantage coming into this series.

Off-spinner Prosper Utseya will once again marshal the side, and the spotlight will be on how he unifies the team against a Bangladesh side that is currently playing an explosive, attacking brand of cricket and which heavily rely on their spinners to make hay.


Playing at Queens Sports Club, batsmen with ability to play slow deliveries and seamers with variations (subtle changes in pace) should get the nod.


On the batting front, Zimbabwe will heavily rely on Hamilton Masakadza, who in 68 ODIs is yet to score a century. His average is only 23.86, not reflective of the obvious talents he has. He nevertheless is one of the best players of slow bowling in the country, and it is in games of this nature that he should stand up and be counted.


Another key man is Elton Chigumbura, a clean striker of the ball, himself another good player of spin. His weakness is inconsistency which renders him rather unreliable, although he chips in with useful wickets upfront, with the potential of getting to the 145km/h mark.


Twenty-three-year old wicketkeeper Forster Mutizwa should consider himself unlucky if he does not get a spot in the starting line-up. With an average of 41.33, he can be picked on his batting alone, and his recent two-week training stint in Australia should boost his confidence.


On the bowling front, Tawanda Mupariwa is expected to lead the attack. Although he has been criticised for lacking genuine pace, he has taken 52 wickets in 33 one-dayers, averaging 25 balls per wicket.


Mupariwa is the ideal option at Queens. He possesses a good slow ball and hits good lengths consistently in spite of his limited pace.


Ed Rainsford exhibited much more control in the home series against Sri Lanka and his ability to swing the ball should see him share the new ball with Mupariwa.


Utseya is the frontline spinner, partnered by a left-arm spinner, Ray Price. His ability with the bat as well strengthens his case. Medium pacer Admire Manyumwa has a strong case for inclusion in the starting line-up after performing consistently in the past domestic season and with the Zimbabwe “A” side.


On the back of their historic series win against a depleted West Indies side, Bangladesh will be a tougher opponent. Although it was only a makeshift Windies side, the Tigers still managed to play proper cricket, and to push for a result.


The player to watch is Tamim Iqbal, who plays aggressively at the top of the innings. Bangladesh depend on him to get the team off to a flyer. At 20, he has shown a lot of promise and should relish the prospect of playing in Zimbabwean conditions.


Former captain Mohammad Ashraful remains a threat. His elegant batting, as in the past, could provide problems for Zimbabwe’s bowlers. Junaid Siddique has also established himself at the top of the order and has really blossomed of late.


Should he recover from an injury sustained during the Caribbean tour, newly appointed captain Mashrafe Mortaza should bolster the Bangladesh attack as he has ably done for some time now. He bowls sufficiently well to trouble the best in the world.


Their spin department is their forte. Former national Under 19 off-spinner Mahmudullah will be a handful. Enamul Haque Jnr, who will be returning to the country he debuted four years ago if he makes the trip, should also find Zimbabwe a happy hunting ground.


As for Zimbabwe, the “inexperienced” excuse is way past its sell-by date, and the knives are out if they fail here.

Tsvanhu is a Zimbabwe first-class cricketer studying media and journalism at the University of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa.

BY PROSPER TSVANHU

http://www.thezimbabweindependent.com/i ... -on-a-high

[brmtaylor.com admin]

It's good to have the view of someone that has played cricket in Zimbabwe, but I don't agree with some of the things mentioned.

- I thought Sean Williams was one of our better players of spin?
- When has Chigumbura bowled 145km/h? I haven't seen it in the last 2 to 3 years.
- Mupariwa leading the attack? After Rainsford and Chigumbura perhaps. Mupariwa is not a new ball threat, he only bowls around 110-115.
- Utseya is the frontline spinner? Not unless he starts taking more wickets. Ray Price is our frontline spinner.
- Manyumwa has a strong case for inclusion, granted that. But stronger than Cremer?
- Tamim and Ashraful and a few others are mentioned... what about Bangladesh's best player Shakib?

[CrimsonAvenger]

It's good to have the view of someone that has played cricket in Zimbabwe, but I don't agree with some of the things mentioned.

Indeed! Can't believe that someone with first class experience can have opinions that so far fetched from reality. Just to add...

- No mention of Shakib is baffling.
- Masakadza is a very good player, but certainly there are a few in the national team itself, who can play spin better than him.
- No opinion on the obvious return of Vermeulen and the effect it might have either.

Well, for someone studying media and journalism, he must know the current ground realities better, and for a cricketer of his ability, must have assessed the strengths and weaknesses better.

[Eshen]

BTW, Mashrafe or Enamul Jr won't be in the touring party.

[Eshen]

I have to correct myself - Abdur Razzak has been pulled out of the tour because of a strained hamstring. Enamul Haque Jr will be replacing him for Zimbabwe tour.

[Detective RDS]

Agree with the points of brmtaylor.com admin and crimson avenger. I think, he doesn't know much about cricket. Should learn more and enrich his knowledge to avoid the struggle of future.

[tawac]

Zimbabwe really got their backs against the wall on this one. Lets hope the lads come to the party.

[Sir Mupariwa]

Bangladesh might have dominated in West Indies but they played a weak team. I watched all the matches including the 20/20 yesterday and i wasn't impressed.

West Indies was terrible in the field, they only hit the stumps 6 times the whole series{test, ODI, 20/20} with 4 run-outs resulting from those direct hits in the 20/20 match. The West Indies attack was one dimensional with no real spin and even the pace attack lacked penetration with the exception of Kumar Roach. The batting was also not up to scratch either.

With Razzak and Mortaza injured Bangladesh are a bit weaker than the last team we played and their replacement are not much of a threat Enamel Haq and Mahabubul Alam. Tamim is one dangerous guy to look out for but lets hope he continues his bad form.

Shakib and Mushfiqur Rahim are the most dangerous especially Shakib's offspin.

[Dr_Situ(ZimFanatic)]

[quote="Sir Mupariwa"]Bangladesh might have dominated in West Indies but they played a weak team. I watched all the matches including the 20/20 yesterday and i wasn't impressed.

quote]

Agreed. Despite all the historic achievemants i really beleive Bang struggled and it was good to see third-rated WI team putting up brilliant fight in patches. Its unfortunate that HSC is not stagingany games else we would have seen real stamina of Tigers.

[Eshen]

WI fielded a weak team, no argument there. Their fielding was simply pathetic and made them look even weaker, till the T20I match. However, Bangladesh can take couple of positives from the tour -

1) WI pace attack was decent. Our boys should be well prepared to face Zimbabwean pacers.

2) Sakib is in a tremendous form as a bowler. It's no fluke that he is currently #3 in ICC ODI bowlers' ranking. Mahmudullah and Naeem are not as skilled or cunning as Sakib, but both have shown good control over their bowling. They won't be easy to handle unless Zimbabwean batsmen learn to use their feet against spinners.

Key players in this series will be spinners from both sides. The batting side that will handle spinners better will win this series.