Where to from here?
Re: Where to from here?
This is great
I don’t think he was a failure but he had a few years in the role and he was playing legends cricket whilst we burnt. That isn’t commitment. That complacency. Just like his cricket career once he hit 32
Cricinfo profile of the 'James Bond' of cricket:
FULL NAME: Angus James Mackay
BORN: 13 June 1967, Harare
KNOWN AS: Gus Mackay
'The' Gus Mackay.
Hero.
Sportsman.
Artist.
Player.
**
Q. VUSI SIBANDA, WHERE DO YOU HOP?
A. UNDA DA ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE*
FULL NAME: Angus James Mackay
BORN: 13 June 1967, Harare
KNOWN AS: Gus Mackay
'The' Gus Mackay.
Hero.
Sportsman.
Artist.
Player.
**
Q. VUSI SIBANDA, WHERE DO YOU HOP?
A. UNDA DA ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE*
Re: Where to from here?
Dave is probably next, but I do hope they give him one more shot. The improvement we saw in 2022 was remarkable.
Cricinfo profile of the 'James Bond' of cricket:
FULL NAME: Angus James Mackay
BORN: 13 June 1967, Harare
KNOWN AS: Gus Mackay
'The' Gus Mackay.
Hero.
Sportsman.
Artist.
Player.
**
Q. VUSI SIBANDA, WHERE DO YOU HOP?
A. UNDA DA ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE*
FULL NAME: Angus James Mackay
BORN: 13 June 1967, Harare
KNOWN AS: Gus Mackay
'The' Gus Mackay.
Hero.
Sportsman.
Artist.
Player.
**
Q. VUSI SIBANDA, WHERE DO YOU HOP?
A. UNDA DA ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE*
Re: Where to from here?
Given Dave and Hammy are gike this is what I would do.
1. Replace Matsi too. Someone outside our system that has fresh ideas.
2. Dave into head of cricket (if position exists still). I think a local is needed here.
3. Flower as coach. If that is a pipe dream, look at someone who understands what success looks like.
4. Short term strategy is find what dollar amount it would take to get Cartwright into the system and offer it. We laxk firepower and a bowling all rounder. Also explore Jayden Goodwin. This kid will likely play for Australia but you never know. He did do an African mission after all.
5. Long term strategy. Target 12/13 year olds and develop them over the long term.
6. Mid term strategy. Flush out the perennial failures from the system. Chibhabha, Maruma, Matumbami and co. They are infected with a losing mindset and will pass this on. Fair or not thsi has to happen. They can still play NPL as a way to boost club. Bring in more bowlers from overseas as guests. It’s occurred to me that in the domestic scene we see the same bowlers over the last ten years and our players are just so used to them it’s almost like clockwork. We need to keep batsman guessing and thinking in their feet. This is why we lose to Uganda. We don’t know their bowlers. We need to learn to olay unknown quantities.
This is how you do it.
1. Replace Matsi too. Someone outside our system that has fresh ideas.
2. Dave into head of cricket (if position exists still). I think a local is needed here.
3. Flower as coach. If that is a pipe dream, look at someone who understands what success looks like.
4. Short term strategy is find what dollar amount it would take to get Cartwright into the system and offer it. We laxk firepower and a bowling all rounder. Also explore Jayden Goodwin. This kid will likely play for Australia but you never know. He did do an African mission after all.
5. Long term strategy. Target 12/13 year olds and develop them over the long term.
6. Mid term strategy. Flush out the perennial failures from the system. Chibhabha, Maruma, Matumbami and co. They are infected with a losing mindset and will pass this on. Fair or not thsi has to happen. They can still play NPL as a way to boost club. Bring in more bowlers from overseas as guests. It’s occurred to me that in the domestic scene we see the same bowlers over the last ten years and our players are just so used to them it’s almost like clockwork. We need to keep batsman guessing and thinking in their feet. This is why we lose to Uganda. We don’t know their bowlers. We need to learn to olay unknown quantities.
This is how you do it.
Cricinfo profile of the 'James Bond' of cricket:
FULL NAME: Angus James Mackay
BORN: 13 June 1967, Harare
KNOWN AS: Gus Mackay
'The' Gus Mackay.
Hero.
Sportsman.
Artist.
Player.
**
Q. VUSI SIBANDA, WHERE DO YOU HOP?
A. UNDA DA ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE*
FULL NAME: Angus James Mackay
BORN: 13 June 1967, Harare
KNOWN AS: Gus Mackay
'The' Gus Mackay.
Hero.
Sportsman.
Artist.
Player.
**
Q. VUSI SIBANDA, WHERE DO YOU HOP?
A. UNDA DA ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE*
Re: Where to from here?
With this in mind, plus franchise cricket reducing the international window of games and the emergence of new associate teams, you would think the board would actually do something meaningful to sort out Zim cricket to secure entry to these tournaments. I suppose as long as sufficient ICC funding is coming through, the pointy shoe brigade can just sit back and relax on their piles of cash.eugene wrote: ↑Fri Dec 01, 2023 12:00 amThere's not really anywhere to go, we don't have the players to go anywhere other than down. When Taylor, Williams, Ervine, etc., first came into the team they had their struggles but fairly quickly found their feet against full members. Now we have guys entering the team, including much-hyped returnees from overseas who can't even get runs against Rwanda let alone full members. With Bangladesh and Afghanistan well ahead of us and the Netherlands also heading that way, we are so far adrift of any recognized cricketing nation that I think we are going to struggle for fixtures. The 2027 World Cup will most likely be the last tournament Zimbabwe qualifies for.
Re: Where to from here?
Right on the money Pommie Mbanje yo
Pile on some size chowing down icc dollar like old kadza. He’s a big unit these days
Re: Where to from here?
One year down the line no one will remember about T20 WC, it would have been won by one of the top 5 teams while every one else will be just happy having played their 4 league games, but what will matter is where Zimbabwe stand in international cricket, how much progress Zim have made as a cricketing nation.
If you are telling me we are stuck with exactly the same ageing players and hoping they will do miracles in 2027 at the age of 40+ then basically we'd have gone nowhere. We would be even worse that what we are now.
The time for change is NOW.
Think long term, think about a team that can do what the 1999 group did. Don't settle for just qualifying for a tournament just to fill up the numbers. Aim big.
If you are telling me we are stuck with exactly the same ageing players and hoping they will do miracles in 2027 at the age of 40+ then basically we'd have gone nowhere. We would be even worse that what we are now.
The time for change is NOW.
Think long term, think about a team that can do what the 1999 group did. Don't settle for just qualifying for a tournament just to fill up the numbers. Aim big.
Re: Where to from here?
I saw one post on X from a Brian Gorodema stating that Myers and Bhawa have put their international careers on hold to get an education.
That's presumptious and completely ignorant to say the least. They're not better players than Madhevere for example, nor have they given any indication that they will be.
This baying for the retirement of Williams 37 and Ervine 38, forget that Raza is 37. Williams has one average tournament and people want his head on a stick. It's absolute nonsense. Raza has the option to walk away from this and make a handsome living on the T20 circuit for at least 2 more years.
Is the plan to draw names out of a hat to replace these guys? You pick 3 or 4 guys that you hope will be excellent, throw them in the deep end and hope a BT emerges out the other side. Theyve tried that somewhere else before...let me think where.....oh ya...Zimbabwe!!! For about 25 years, but hey, this time it might be different.
We're 25 years behind the big teams and the geniuses want to wind the clock back another 25 years.
It's common sense to phase them out slowly and should happen naturally if some guys start doing well. If noone emerges then they must play until they're 50.
That's presumptious and completely ignorant to say the least. They're not better players than Madhevere for example, nor have they given any indication that they will be.
This baying for the retirement of Williams 37 and Ervine 38, forget that Raza is 37. Williams has one average tournament and people want his head on a stick. It's absolute nonsense. Raza has the option to walk away from this and make a handsome living on the T20 circuit for at least 2 more years.
Is the plan to draw names out of a hat to replace these guys? You pick 3 or 4 guys that you hope will be excellent, throw them in the deep end and hope a BT emerges out the other side. Theyve tried that somewhere else before...let me think where.....oh ya...Zimbabwe!!! For about 25 years, but hey, this time it might be different.
We're 25 years behind the big teams and the geniuses want to wind the clock back another 25 years.
It's common sense to phase them out slowly and should happen naturally if some guys start doing well. If noone emerges then they must play until they're 50.
Re: Where to from here?
other than Naqvi there is no plan. Faith in the murungu is low, can kiss goodbye to Byrom, Cartwright etc. ZC won’t be breaking the bank for nobody like that after it went sour with Ballance. Throwing the bank at Tawanda would be ZC’s best bet no matter how unlikely and fit in with the board’s philosophy.
In the meantime they’ll persist with the usual faces hoping and praying someone will come good.
Re: Where to from here?
Here is my thinking. Raza looks like he can play until 2027. He has peaked. So there are no doubts there. He is averaging almost 50 this year in all formats. Williams is averaging 65 but here is the question. Will he be around in 2 years? Not because of talent but because of how he feels. It's not about talent alone.
It would be very naive to keep playing somebody for 2 years all in the name of results when those results don't matter. There is absolutely nothing on the line for the next 2 years. So the smart thing to do would be to sit him down and ask him? How long do you see yourself playing for? If he can't answer that then the smart thing would be to move on. If he commits until 2027 then he plays but he has to be all in. What happened to his finger injury? That's another thing.
Craig Ervine has been replaced by Nick Welch. That's the obvious replacement. Whilst Raza and Williams are head and shoulders above the rest, Ervine is averaging 35 this year. Same as Burl. Kaia is on 27. He is not significantly better than the rest. He is slow in T20s. Make him the interim batting coach if you like.
The smart thing to do there would be to give Welch and Kaia those same opportunities that he is currently taking up. Let them develop their game. Him walking away would also give someone like Bennett an opportunity to get a chance. Even as 12th man for now. It opens up space. Surely this is what we want?
So the real question here is what to do we do with Sean Williams?
It would be very naive to keep playing somebody for 2 years all in the name of results when those results don't matter. There is absolutely nothing on the line for the next 2 years. So the smart thing to do would be to sit him down and ask him? How long do you see yourself playing for? If he can't answer that then the smart thing would be to move on. If he commits until 2027 then he plays but he has to be all in. What happened to his finger injury? That's another thing.
Craig Ervine has been replaced by Nick Welch. That's the obvious replacement. Whilst Raza and Williams are head and shoulders above the rest, Ervine is averaging 35 this year. Same as Burl. Kaia is on 27. He is not significantly better than the rest. He is slow in T20s. Make him the interim batting coach if you like.
The smart thing to do there would be to give Welch and Kaia those same opportunities that he is currently taking up. Let them develop their game. Him walking away would also give someone like Bennett an opportunity to get a chance. Even as 12th man for now. It opens up space. Surely this is what we want?
So the real question here is what to do we do with Sean Williams?