This squad tells me they are assuming we will get the usual spin friendly conditions in Bangladesh. Only reason why it would make sense to go with 2 spinners and leave Kaitano behind. Still would have expected him and Matigimu to make the squad but it is what it is. Scotland will be a tough matchup as well. We will probably name a strong squad for those games.
Gwandu again... Let's just assume Sammons and Langeveldt see things in training we don't see. I saw him live and he looked ok but surely Matigimu has to be ahead of him now. We aren't blind.
I'm still backing the quota system in here. Only 4 will play , a mystery injury or something similar will happen. Curran , Bennett , Welch , Ervine and Williams should all play on merit but you watch them go in with only 4 of them. I hope i am wrong but i doubt it. Where is Evans ?
This is our best test line up. I've excluded Raza because he's too busy making cash elsewhere and accommodation in Bangladesh is probably not to his liking.
I like that line up, but I would have Marumani for Tsiga.
What on Earth are they planning with that opening role? There is no one in that squad who has done it, even semi-regularly. A big gamble.
I agree that Burl is a much better option than Campbell. He has kind of paid the price for neglecting FC cricket over the years though. Never built an unanswerable body of work - which I think he probably would have done. He's playing well at the moment, and looks an excellent option in that team as a 7 bat and leg break bowler.
I always say it but the truth is Burl will pay for not playing enough FC cricket over the years. You now have a situation where Maru who is a relative newbie has played more FC games than him. The scary part is that Maru's record is very similar to his and he has even scored more centuries than Burl whilst playing only 1 game more.
It will take some phenomenal performances in the Logan Cup to convince the selectors to pick him at this stage. He would probably have to try play a whole season but then he plays in the BPL.
Another big problem is that he has underutilized himself with the ball in FC cricket as well. He has a good average (22) but he has only picked up 51 wickets in 32 games which suggests he doesn't bowl enough. Masekesa for example has picked up 71 wickets in 20 games but his average is high (33). Mavuta has 219 wickets from 55 FC games with a higher average too (29.9).
This squad tells me they are assuming we will get the usual spin friendly conditions in Bangladesh. Only reason why it would make sense to go with 2 spinners and leave Kaitano behind. Still would have expected him and Matigimu to make the squad but it is what it is. Scotland will be a tough matchup as well. We will probably name a strong squad for those games.
Gwandu again... Let's just assume Sammons and Langeveldt see things in training we don't see. I saw him live and he looked ok but surely Matigimu has to be ahead of him now. We aren't blind.
I'm still backing the quota system in here. Only 4 will play , a mystery injury or something similar will happen. Curran , Bennett , Welch , Ervine and Williams should all play on merit but you watch them go in with only 4 of them. I hope i am wrong but i doubt it. Where is Evans ?
They’ll put in 5 because Raza is part of the quota I think.
Cricinfo profile of the 'James Bond' of cricket:
FULL NAME: Angus James Mackay
BORN: 13 June 1967, Harare
KNOWN AS: Gus Mackay
I really don't think Tsiga or Mavayo are ahead of Marumani in the long format. This whole idea of Marumani being a T20 players baffles me because he actually has a pretty decent FC record. It's sad we only play a handful of domestic games then we start type casting players when we really dont have a large enough player pool to afford the luxury
CHRISTOPHER MPOFU: 'The problem was fear of failure. I used to think that when I played, if I didn't do well in one game, I would lose my place for the next one but now I've let go of that'
I really don't think Tsiga or Mavayo are ahead of Marumani in the long format. This whole idea of Marumani being a T20 players baffles me because he actually has a pretty decent FC record. It's sad we only play a handful of domestic games then we start type casting players when we really dont have a large enough player pool to afford the luxury
100%
In fact, his FC record is significantly superior to either of those, and he is only 23. Every chance that his best cricket may be in 2035!
I don't recall a single game we've played when we've got our strongest team possible.
This is nearly impossible to do because there's always a player who's a hero one series, who then gets exposed in the next, with ZCF souring on him. The list of examples is long. Milton Shumba was once the best thing since sliced bread, and now he doesn't even get a mention on the boards. Marumani is another one, althought it only takes one Pro50 half century and he's usually back in everyone's proverbial XI. The most recent example was Gumbie. A few runs against regional opps, and Gumbie was the answer. A couple of failures against Ireland/Afghanistan and no one mentions his name anymore.
I have enjoyed Curran's progress so far. He didn't exactly light up the world when he started he was hanging by a string come that Ireland test. But he really turned it around in the end producing some good innings when it counts the most. Whereas it's all been down hill for Gumbie since that double century.
CHRISTOPHER MPOFU: 'The problem was fear of failure. I used to think that when I played, if I didn't do well in one game, I would lose my place for the next one but now I've let go of that'
