Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan | First Test | 26 December 2024 - 30 December 2024 | Queens Sports Club

[Andy31]

What is with these field placements.

Also I’m unsure why blessing or Newman haven’t been tried yet.
Are they worried about bad light ?

[Jemisi]

now we've got em where we want them

[Googly]

They could be thinking of a triple for Hashmat?
But they would surely take a chance at setting us a 6 an over target with about 35 overs to bowl at us? They know we're brittle.

[Jemisi]

How can they set a target in the first innings?

[Googly]

They get 150 runs ahead and bowl us all out before we reach it.

[ZIMDOGGY]

I was just looking up who'd played a test before first class. There's only been about 5 players in the last 100 years, Ghazanfar also being one of them.

I don't know what to think. There are two sets of rules in play. They espouse domestic stats and then disregard them when it suits them. I don't know what message this sends to others?
They say they control PONI's in domestic yet they forgot to pick him for a single FC game? So was he a last second wet dream?
He's been very wayward in his last few games and I think hes a bit off getting this type of opportunity. We've got other seamers that have been grinding it out, Big Mike was even an option.
They keep saying Salamander asked for him, and it's been said often enough that he probably didn't.

Having said all of that he does look quite promising, but its not like he's head and shoulders above other guys. If he was I'd be giving him an emphatic thumbs up. It just smacks of this crazy desperation to find a generational gem talent. We are running out of time, but that's absolutely not the motivation here.

It's almost like they're looking for deliberate distractions. Everyone must now get on the Newman train. One good outing and they'll now be grooming him for captain.
The second they find a promising black lad they fast track. The success ratio has been poor so far, but hey, eventually they'll get one right and disregard the other many players they've ruined in their wake.

One of the reasons I ask is I know you have spruiked for fast tracking identified talented individuals for a while.
So wondering if he is in this bucket.

I also didn’t get any ‘wow’ factor about him, but I am wondering if I should be looking at him as our Mitch Marsh or Mitch Starc.
Elton, Bliggie or Ngarava?

If it’s his batting that succeeds then he might just be a good 4th seam option the way we wished Tiripano could have been.
Get a century and chime in with two wickets with the ball

Mitch Marsh would be lucky to make the Zimbabwean lineup. No idea how he keeps making the Australian lineup given he can't bat or bowl. He isn't even the best allrounder from his state.

I think he’s done unless selected and makes a ton and takes wickets in the 5th test.
He’s 33, while not old, the issues have an age issue on the horizon as bad as Zim does.
After the ashes there’s going to need to be a big transition period of pain. One of the mainstays probably will have to go beforehand and I think that’ll be Mitch. And they will punt Usama and Starc after the next ashes or next summer at best.

[Xlife]

They get 150 runs ahead and bowl us all out before we reach it.

Heavy rain is forecast for this afternoon, a result is highly unlikely

[Jemisi]

They get 150 runs ahead and bowl us all out before we reach it.

But that has no run rate involved.

They can get a lead and then have a crack

[Jemisi]

cmon Bennett, century and a hattrick

[Googly]

Ok I hear what you're saying, I worded that poorly. I was meaning they have to factor in a run rate to decide how many overs to give us. Pointless giving us 20 overs. Pointless setting too low a target that we can easily achieve and bat it out. 150 is the magic number where they could get us out and have enuf time to do it. Maybe even 130?

We're wading thru them now. 130 is the likely number.