[Pro50] 8 & 9 - Rhinos v Mountaineers + Eagles v Tuskers

[Donald]

It's fair to say chari and k long are more deserving at the moment of a place in squad. Apart from 30 not out against Scotland I can't think of any games where burl has come off

[Andybligzz]

Ryan Burl

Don't get the fuss about Burl, the guy has never opened as has never got past 30 in international cricket. Clearly a good player but does not have the performances or a weight of runs in ODI cricket to fall back on.

He hasn’t had the opportunities compared to other proven failures ,he’s the future and we will lose him if we aren’t careful . Once BT , hammy , Ervine and Williams are gone our depth will probaly never be that good at least for a few generations . We must develope him and musakanda and other young talent on a eye to the 2023 World Cup , otherwise can kiss the future of cricket in zim goodbye .

[jaybro]

Mashinge has just been unwell, and hopes to play in tomorrow's match. Mire I am told is still "on call" for Zimbabwe if selected. In my view, though, he is just not an opener; he did well for us in the World Cup in Australia down the order, and I am sure would have been much more successful for us down there. Unfortunately we have a problem that too many of our players are like that, so we find it so difficult to get a good opening pair and those pushed into it fail to do themselves justice or give the team much in the way of good starts.

Thanks John

Mashinge is a must in the UAE & Afghanistan series, he's Zimbabwe's solution to the No.8 seam bowling all-rounder role which is even more crucial now that Cremer is absent, Tiripano is a solid contributor but Mashinge has pace and power that can win you games.

I think Mire is ok as an opener as he showed in Sri Lanka, he much like Ervine found a rough patch of form during the qualifiers. I don't mind the idea of him batting down the order though, he could also fill the troublesome No.7 spot as someone who can come in and hit from ball one, again he's an upgrade on Elton.

It would be good if he made himself available for at least the Pro50 & t20 domestic competitions though and if he started bowling again, in his current mode of non-bowling opening batsman who is playing grade cricket in oz, I'm not sure if he's in my side

[jaybro]

Don't get the fuss about Burl, the guy has never opened as has never got past 30 in international cricket. Clearly a good player but does not have the performances or a weight of runs in ODI cricket to fall back on.

It's fair to say chari and k long are more deserving at the moment of a place in squad. Apart from 30 not out against Scotland I can't think of any games where burl has come off

Both comments are fair and statistically true, Burl has not taken his chances and guys like Chari and Kamunhukamwe have been the standout openers in the Pro50 the last two seasons.

The thing with Burl is we know he's a good player despite his lack of runs so he will naturally be given more chances, as Googly said about Markram 'If you don't play him his average won't improve' which is true, he needs opportunities to mature into the quality player Zimbabwe needs him to be in the future. As Andybliggz said when BT & co are gone Burl is the guy who will be the mainstay of the side.

Selecting a side isn't always about just picking the guy who has scored the most runs or taken the most wickets, there's more forward thinking involved, otherwise you wouldn't need selectors the side would just pick itself. If you look at guys like Chari or even Maruma they've got the runs on the board at this point compared to Burl, but anyone who watches the three guys bat will know Burl is the better player, but it's hard to pick him with no runs under his belt.

Kamunhukamwe is the guy I'm probably looking at to open against the UAE, I feel Zimbabwe need to pick guys who will put some 'fear' into the Afghanistan side, that's why I'd like to see the likes of Mashinge, Jakiel and Mumba in the squad. I probably would have left Zhuwao there but he's got no runs behind him and for a guy who plays like he does he needs to be hitting the middle more often than not. Guys like Chari, Tiripano, Maruma, Wellington etc are not going to worry Afghanistan, Zimbabwe needs to be bold this series.

[sloandog]

Ryan Burl

Don't get the fuss about Burl, the guy has never opened as has never got past 30 in international cricket. Clearly a good player but does not have the performances or a weight of runs in ODI cricket to fall back on.

And yet he has an average of 40 in FC cricket, which is good enough for me.
His technique is solid, and he's always come in twowards the back end of an innings, often needing to score quickly, against very good spinners; internationally I mean. He's clearly good enough, so if we can open with Zuwaho, we can give Burl a shot.

[Jemisi]

No dramas with giving Burl a go, that's for sure

[jward]

Ryan Burl

Don't get the fuss about Burl, the guy has never opened as has never got past 30 in international cricket. Clearly a good player but does not have the performances or a weight of runs in ODI cricket to fall back on.

And yet he has an average of 40 in FC cricket, which is good enough for me.
His technique is solid, and he's always come in twowards the back end of an innings, often needing to score quickly, against very good spinners; internationally I mean. He's clearly good enough, so if we can open with Zuwaho, we can give Burl a shot.

Yes, I think Ryan Burl is a very good player with a lot of potential, and all things being equal should have a long and successful career ahead of him. I am sure we haven't seen the best of him yet at all.