[Match Thread] West Indies vs Zimbabwe - 1st ODI

[foreignfield]

Natsai! Extrordinary!

[Ming]

Natsai goes...but he's done well today...here's a guy who didn't seem to be sh!tting bricks on his overseas debut.

[Yorker]

Farhan : "Hey did anyone notice that Zimbabwe won in one department?! They gave away less extras than W.I. I think that is a pretty big achievement considering the Zimbabwe bowlers hadn't had practice for a while!! Good job Zimbabwe, you guys have won! (At one department at least!!"

[Jemisi]

Well, we made it past the half way mark and out of record territory. We batted 50 overs. Nothing else achieved.

[totoro]

Well, we made it past the half way mark and out of record territory. We batted 50 overs. Nothing else achieved.

Mushangwe's efforts are a positive, IMO. Did he bowl his ten overs during the middle overs? Didn't watch the stream this time. Looks like Waller & Ervine did okay; spent some time at the crease.

It's good that we survived the 50 overs. Shows that we can do it sometimes.

[totoro]

Had a read through the thread. Glad that Jarvis bowled well, even though he didn't get many wickets, because of bad fielding. Mpofu has to be dropped for the next match, sounds like he was awful. Give Chatara or Meth a go, can't be any worse surely.

[zimlover]

I guess being a zim supporter means signing up to loads of dissapointments, i watched this whole game from start to finish it was one of the most painfull cricket matches to watch. I had to watch Mpofu spray balls everwhere,Utseya was a complete joke for some one with alot of ODI expereince he did not show any signs of maturity a few yars ago we always made excuses for these guys perfomance always saying they are to young and inexperienced now i wonder what more crap we are coming with. I say drop Mpofu for Meth at least he can bat and bowl,drop Utseya completely for Mawoyo.At least he can get game time and experince as a batsman . Drop Utseya and Mpofu replace with Meth and Mawoyo. Watching them perform poorly made me sick in my stomach i asked my self why am i putting myself through this getting up at 2 am to watch a game of pain and disapointment'''''''

[Boundary]

I guess being a zim supporter means signing up to loads of dissapointments, i watched this whole game from start to finish it was one of the most painfull cricket matches to watch. ....
Watching them perform poorly made me sick in my stomach i asked my self why am i putting myself through this getting up at 2 am to watch a game of pain and disapointment'''''''

For me, being a Zim supporter means embarrassment. Forget patriotism, forget pride, forget sense of self worth; I'm embarrassed that these guys are playing international cricket in my name. I no longer remind my cricket loving friends that "Zim is playing today!" I'd rather their attention remain in India, SA or even in NZ where better series are being played right now.I couldn't make time to watch most of this match but if we have to give the WI's 4th highest score and then proceed to 34-4 after only 11 overs, should I even bother? Should I not give up?

[sloandog]

I don't want to turn my back on Zimbabwe Cricket, but performances like that today don't help my cause.
I'm sat up in my living room at the moment watching the England v New Zealand game, and i'm watching Kane Williamson and Hamish Rutherford bat and I'm thinking to myself 'my god, how far behind we are'. New Zealand is tiny and yet Kan Williamson type batters are being produced.


New Zealand have a bowler/batter (a bits and bobs kinda' player) called Andrew Ellis. He's nothing special, but if he was Zimbabwean, he'd be a better all rounder than Meth and Chigumbura put together, and Ellis isn't as good an all rounder than Jacob Oram was.

It's scary to think how far behind we are, seriously. Taylor and Mazakadza today were a disgrace with the bat, giving their wickets away like that. Ervine looked very impressive, solid, fluent, rotating the strike, but the story of his career crept in and he gives his wicket away. The bowling was dire, wasn't it ? Simply dire. Even Jarvis up front, who is supposed to be our spearhead, was lacking pace and penetration (though he was by far our best seamer today!).
Mpofu....well lets not go there, he looks to have gone backwards to me, and picking him ahead of a young pace bowler in Chatara is taking the team in the wrong dircetion.


Final point, and i know you'll be thinking that it looks like a Hhm essay (though mine hasn't got any stats or bias views, just fairness), but it begs the question what our selectors are thinking. Have we seriosuly got no better spin options than Utsea ? Ray Price is still our best spinner, Graeme Cremer, and by the looks of it young Mushangwe, are to exciting, attacking options! But play them in all formats! You play your best players in all formats, i don't buy all this 'specialist' shit; you wanna' win ? You play your best team, and the selectors haven't done that in this squad.

Things need to change, or this tour will get a little bit more embaressing

[Jemisi]

Mushangwe went for 56 and he bowled in the easiest periods of the match. Jarvis and Utseya and Mpofu did most of the power play and death work - as it should be.

Mushangwe showed some nice qualities, he did manage some drift and he did get some turn.

Why we have left our best bowler out is amazing. And Cremer too, though they wouldn't have saved this game. Price would have been 10 -15 runs better in this circumstance. Our backup bowlers all struggle to have any impact and even any control.

I would give Mpofu another chance for game two, it has been a long break and he has been a key player for a long time, but I'd swap Chamu for Meth. Hami should go up to join Vusi and all the others should go up a spot with Meth slotting in at 7. We bowled ourselves out of this one and need the fifth proper bowler. Meth at 7 isn't going to be that much worse than Chakabva. By the time Regis came to the crease everything was well and truly done. Might as well have Meth added to the seaming options.