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

[eugene]

Zimbabwe clearly need to build the team around Craig Ervine.

[hhm]

Zimbabwe clearly need to build the team around Craig Ervine.

How can the Zim national team do that, when the Tuskers would never dare consider the thought of building their batting around Craig?

[FlowerPower]

Jemisi mentioned shifting deck chairs in the Titanic, and he raised a valuable point when discussing Mpofu - be rational.

Loyalties and favorites aside, we need to pick our best players for a period of a year, and back them in all formats:
1.Mawoyo, 2.Matsi, 3.Hami, 4.Vusi, 5.Taylor(wk) 6.Williams, 7.Elton, 8.Cremer, 9.Shingi, 10.Jarvis, 11.Mpofu

Outside these few, I can only see the following as being relevant backup:
Batsmen: Vermeulen, Craig
Seamers: Rainsford, Vitori
Spinners: Utseya, Mushangwe
Wicket-keeper: Regis

My reserves have got capable senior and junior options.

Wow, how refreshingly objective (and intelligent) you sound when all the other drivel and antics are put aside! (fingers crossed you are back). Needless to say I don't agree with everything but compelling arguments put across.

Chigs for me is a must in limited overs (ODI and T20)...but as for Test I'm categoric an all rounder is a luxury. Look at Proteas (Kallis -batter), Australia (Watson-batter), England(Bresnan, Broad, Swan - bowlers), Bangladesh (Shakib - bowler), Srilanka (Mathews -batter) and many more with all rounders these guys come on the stregth of one discipline batting or bowling and not as an all rounder so Proteas will still have their 4 specialist bowlers Steyn, Morkel, Philander and Petersen over and above Kallis who is a bonus despite his undisputed value as a bowler, similarly England will have 6 batters and a keeper over and above Swan/Broad/Bresnan who can handle the willow, as attested by their half centuries/centuries.

My point is for Chigs to get in he is either part of the bowling quartet or 6 batters. Question is, is he better than the four bowlers in my signature (Mpofu, Rainsford, Jarvis, Creamer)? And please note this is a deliberately chosen quartet, Mpofu for his discipline ( forget the knee-jerk reaction from Friday's game), Rainsford for his good balance between attack and containment, Jarvis (note in the longer version) his pace to give variation from the other two and attack. Creamer for his slow option attack. Chigs does not play the Jarvis role (pace strike), he would be looking to dislodge Mpofu or Raisford. I beg to differ I don't think he is there yet. Batting wise. He is not a top four, hence won't be replacing Vusi, Tino, Hami or Brandon. At 5 and 6 is currently Williams and Waller. Personal opinion, I think these two are marginally ahead, and on the waiting list, I think Chibaba is ever so slightly ahead from Logan cup form. Mark would also be ever so much ahead.

As for Matsi, You like Eugene ( with Craig) are blind supporters, and in both cases there may be half facts to stand on but in Matsi's case stats don't do him any favors.

[FlowerPower]

Their body launguage does not show any courage ,let alone threaten the opposition, it's like they are there for the beating,someone needs to instill some courage and confidence may be possibly they should be shown footage of their own batting ,fielding , and how they are carrying themselves in the field they look rather not interested.

During his run-up, Mpofu just looks defeated. I've been watching the highlights and noticed that even when M'shangwe conceded three boundaries in a row, he still managed to maintain his confidence and positive body language.

I think the scorn Mpofu seems to be reaping is a tad unfair, don't read much about how the top four batters ineptitude is being highlights. Deserved or not he did get half the paltry number of our wickets, albeit this was not game changing. Seem to remember how Hhhm has been on on a conspiracy theory of how Heath and Tuskers captain were unfairly relegating him to a change bowler, and this seams to have been extended to the international scene, could this explain the fall in confidence...he does strike to be a confidence bowler. And to put things into perspective his first spell was disastrous, going at 10rpo....and somewhat came down with wickets. But do we banish him? For whom? Meth? How quick we forget...at home at Queens, search the scorecard...Chatara? Really is that fair on the young man? We have plenty home games to properly introduce him....no excusses Mpofu was terrible on Friday, but let's be critical and contextual in our analysis, was he used properly?