[Match Thread] Zimbabwe v New Zealand: 2nd Test

[Jemisi]

Sadly short of lunch. Almost 5 sessions of batting which at least showed some application. Great knock from Ervine.

We will need a very good top order effort to save this from here.

[brmtaylor.com admin]

Tough to salvage a draw from here. We needed to bat in to the second session at least.
NZ are just going to rack up runs at a rapid pace and declare before tea now, leaving us chasing probably 380.

Can we bat 130 overs to save the game? On a day 5 pitch I can't see it. If it was 90-95 overs... maybe, but not 130.

I guess it's poor sportsmanship, but I'd stack the leg side and then instruct the bowlers to bowl as far down the leg side as possible before the umpires intervene. Our only hope is to take time out of this game, so we may as well at least make it difficult for NZ to go at 6 an over.

[Jemisi]

Declaring before tea would be generous but probably safe enough for the kiwis.

[Jemisi]

I wonder if the bowlers are in need of a bit more rest than that, though? Maybe leave us with 100 overs to survive?

[brmtaylor.com admin]

Now it's lunch we have a better idea of the state of play.

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I think the Zim aim needs to be that field I've highlighted in green (target of 390). It's not an impossible goal (but also not easy), although a few things would need to go our way. An NZ run rate of 4 is achievable if we bowl half decently, and while surviving 110 overs is a bloody tough ask I'd say it's the absolutely limit our batsmen are capable of. A lower NZ run rate / less ZIM overs to bat is probably unrealistic.

[jaybro]

I think runs are irrelevant now NZ will just be resting their bowlers and will have an amount of overs in mind that they need to bowl us out .....

I agree we needed to bat past lunch, the Tiripano wrong lbw call and Nyumbu's bad shot killed us ......

[brmtaylor.com admin]

I think runs are irrelevant now NZ will just be resting their bowlers and will have an amount of overs in mind that they need to bowl us out .....

I agree we needed to bat past lunch, the Tiripano wrong lbw call and Nyumbu's bad shot killed us ......

Yeah, it's all academic. We'll probably get steamrolled in 30 overs anyway.

But runs wise, I don't think Williamson would even entertain leaving the door open for Zimbabwe - he'd be the laughing stock of world cricket. Say they declared with a lead of 360 a few overs before tea. I mean, it's fanciful to think they could lose from there but would Williamson want to even risk setting a total that could be chased down?

[CrimsonAvenger]

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There is 10% chance of rain tonight at Bulawayo. Start the rain dance now!

[brmtaylor.com admin]

It's started

Time to start bowling it a foot outside leg.

Hang on.... a wicket

[Jemisi]

A few of those would be good as they absolutely throw themselves at us