Match Thread: Zimbabwe "A" vs Canada 2nd OD (28th February)

[aydee]

Also, in white ball cricket in general, the top 3 is a great place to bat these days. Admittedly not necessarily batting first at HSC! But across the world, almost all the best players bat top 3.

[TapsC2]

Aydee, Taps .. I'm waiting to debate

I'm looking at the stats for this season. How many times has he actually opened? Top 3 for sure. If we take top 3 Ben, Kaitano, Welch Sr, Chiorah and Craig are all ahead of him this season on the List A runs chart with K-Long just 10 runs behind him. If we then look at the overall national team picture then you also have Dion and Bennett in that conversation for the top 3. Let's take Craig out of it because he is a senior player.

Then if we use red ball form he is much higher up but guess who is higher than him? Tanu, although to be fair he has a much better average than Tanu. Just shows the red ball argument can be used both ways.

If I'm being extra critical- just looking at the stats I would say he is still at the stage where he has to learn how to convert his good scores into centuries. He has a lot of those and that could mean he could be that kind of international player who will get out in his 30s regularly. I think he will get that right soon enough but that is something to work on. It's very easy for things like that to become a habit at the highest level

I have personally never seen him play but a lot of people say he has the quality to survive at the highest level. He needs to find a franchise which can let him take the gloves. At least the mountaineers let him play unlike the Eagles. He also seems to be very injury prone which makes me wonder if he can really be a full time keeper. That's his route into the national team for now.

[TapsC2]

We have to accept that there is now serious competition for places. Not like anything we have seen before. It's because the system is producing lots of players around about the same level. Players who are also coming back into the system are not significantly better than them. For example the same kind of nervous opening start we have been seeing from Maru I have seen before from K-Long and from Ben when he first started. 3 players with different career trajectories. I guess that's why Sammons keeps talking about "upskilling".

A lot of these guys just crumble the exact same way under pressure. That's our biggest problem. we don't even have to wait that far to see it with these guys in the "A" team. Durham are coming soon

[Googly]

Good points!!

Afghanistan have been amazing. They've posted a defendable total here...just.

[Googly]

Any idea why they're "resting" Evans? He's had a year of rest

Looked embarrassingly good last game.

[Andy31]

Any idea why they're "resting" Evans? He's had a year of rest

Looked embarrassingly good last game.

I would say they are just managing his work loads

[Googly]

Ainsley Ndlovu is about our best spinner and Bones gets a game ahead of him?

[aydee]

Any idea why they're "resting" Evans? He's had a year of rest

Looked embarrassingly good last game.

Injury rehab definitely isn't rest!

[Googly]

Good points!!

Afghanistan have been amazing. They've posted a defendable total here...just.

They're getting blown away by Australian batting. I am so desperate for Afghanistan to pull off an upset here.

[Googly]

Bones just missed an absolute sitter of a return catch. He thought it was coming quick and ducked