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Best batsman of the day: Coventry (phenomenal enigma)
Worst batsman of the day: ten Doeschate (no wonder he plays for the Dutch)
Best seamer of the day: Meth (out of this world)
Worst seamer of the day: Jarvis (pathetic)
Best Spinner of the day: Mushangwe (price's lack of wickets made it compulsory)
Worst spinner of the day: Waller (six bad balls - should have gone for more)
Best fielder of the day: Coventry (Were it not for his two catches, Price should have gotten this one too. The ball followed him everywhere, he chased it faster than ever before, stopping sure bounders - with Jarvis probably most thankfull for cutting off futher pain of another boundary off Coventry's willow)
Worst fielder of the day: Wheater (should be dropped for Ewing, while Chopper take sthe gloves. Forster tried hard to take it from him, but somehow got a wicket from what was supposed to be a horrible missed stumping)
T20 Player of the day: Trego (this format of the game was made for him)

I missed live action of the Taylor - Wessels partnership, but highlights proved they batted well. Which is what we've come to expect form Taylor. Nannes' tight wicketless two overs means they could only come right against Shingi & old man Harris - which they did - but we expected nothing less from them against those kind of bowlers. While his bowling wasn't that great, and poor batting plus a long Rhinos tail enabled him to pull things back, the old man's batting was a joy to watch. In a difficult period with the match in the balance, Harris batted superbly. I only hope all the youngsters were watching and learning, absorbing the lessons of that mature display.

Price proved why he is our only world class player, beating all batsmen with just about every delivery - none of the batsmen ever managing to get on top him. Coventry's mighty hit off him for six being the only time. Chopper was on fire today. But the two sixes he hit off Jarvis in his third over were more a testament of the young bowler's lack of ability than anything else. Smith smashed him for boundaries at will in the first over, and the fielders spared him the blushes in his next. It will a surprise if he takes part in any of our T20Is against NZ, while sparing him the ODIs would be best as well. he did nothing today!

Matsi once again reminded us why he is not playing international cricket (usually doesn't last long enough to make it count). I doubt I've seen many batsmen who've looked as good off two balls before Meth's ball of the decade (no exaggeration intended) knocked him over. The young man was swinging it both ways as he troubled everypone in the Eagles top order. His uninterrupted 4 over spell was probably the best I've ever seen in a T20 match!

Trego's bowling reminds one of Dernbach. The man had every trick in the book as far as variety is concerned, and it was no accident when Gayle eventually fell to him after short catches and good shouts for LBW. He was lookin good with his batting before a poor edge off a very wide delivery. Dabengwa perhaps lifted up his hand as perhaps the best spinning allrounder in Zim after excellent bowling. Bar his second over he was impossible to play.

Andrew Hall bowled and fielded well, playing a part in keeping Gayle quiet. However, if there was ever any doubt, then few can argue that Elton is the best bowler we have against left handers!

If this competition is to take off then the Tuskers must surely opt to bat first in one of the games, otherwise expect a few dull T20 games.

Coventry's sixes prove Jarvis' lack of ability...you do know this is T20...this is a bowler just off a five-for in a Test...and goes in T20 and he is inable...sounds like a clutch at straws.. I wouldnt read much into most of this circus...its like bubblegum...chew, enjoy and chuck in the bin...

It's all in the context of T20. Bear in mind that I was only pointing to him being overlooked for ODIs(as well as T20s which is what the matches and this thread is about), NOT TESTS. He simply doesn't have the ability to pin batsmen down, especially if there isn't a Misbah in their lineup! He is very easy to get away. Nothing against the boy! Let's face it he's been pathetic in the short format this year, we all know the carnage he suffered(and will suffer again) at the hands of NZ. These are his ODI stats: 4Mat, 4Overs, 0Mdns, 210Runs, 4Wkts, Ave52, Econ6.56. Most palyers' ODI careers usually end because of such stats.

hhm wrote:It's all in the context of T20. Bear in mind that I was only pointing to him being overlooked for ODIs(as well as T20s which is what the matches and this thread is about), NOT TESTS. He simply doesn't have the ability to pin batsmen down, especially if there isn't a Misbah in their lineup! He is very easy to get away. Nothing against the boy! Let's face it he's been pathetic in the short format this year, we all know the carnage he suffered(and will suffer again) at the hands of NZ. These are his ODI stats: 4Mat, 4Overs, 0Mdns, 210Runs, 4Wkts, Ave52, Econ6.56. Most palyers' ODI careers usually end because of such stats.

hhm, your hatred of Kyle Jarvis is really starting to overshadow any valid points you may have.

HHM your opinions on Our Kyle ( recovering from a horrific injury yet still manages a 5 fer against new zealand) is rather subjective rather than objective. He has lost pace possibly attributed to that injury but will get his pace back and get better. Kyle is the future

hhm's opinions in this thread are objective jimbo (even if the vocabulary is inflammatory) - Kyle certainly seems to be laying claim to be the future at least of Zim test cricket but, whether you want it pointed out or not, he's getting absolutely tonked in T20s - there's no getting around that - even by a really rather average Kenyan team!!

Sorry guys I could not respond last night as I had fallen asleep after watching Chris Harris milk the singles. His game belies a man of his age. What a fantastic knock given the pitch and circumstances.

Anyways I was anxious as the match starts at 12 am where I live and by the time Ten sports started showin it at 1 30, I was almost asleep. After the game came on TV, I was devoid of energy to get to the computer.

THE PITCH
The first thing that struck me was the pitch. It is not easy to get boundaries with good strokes in the last ten. You have to slog even to get fours. So all the bowlers who bowled looked better than what they actually were. Even Chris Gayle found it difficult to hit through the line.

I am not going to call any favorites in this tournament given the nature of the pitch and the chance of rain. The pitch lets bowlers hide some of their flaws and it very very difficult to score boundaries. Get some spinners in your attack!!

Rhinos Vs Mountaineers.
Looks like the top-heavy approach cost the Rhinos. They were aiming for 150+ and ended up getting far less. 135 looked like a par score yesterday.

Hamilton: Does everything right about his batting except meeting the ball with the straight bat. I am not impressed by his follow through. When playing a straight drive his bat ends up tangential to the ball almost rather than hitting it head on. This is why he is not scoring runs even though he looks in some sort of touch. And another thing his head falls off at the last moment sometimes when the ball makes impact. Can someone work with him to sort these out?
He looked good on the surface yesterday but he can do far better I think.

Phil Mustard: Looks as good as anyone else to put away the bad balls. He will be a big wicket for the opposition going forward.

Kevin Kasuza: By far the best Zim batsman I have seen since Andy Flower. I know this is a snap judgement but the talent there is obvious. It will only be a matter of time before he gets the national call. He will score a ton of domestic runs if he does not get picked.The selectors have to manage him and provide a pathway for him to get there.

Chris Harris: What can I say. He should be playing for New Zealand now as the current batsmen with the exception of Williamson dont have a clue as to how to rotate the strike or play the spinners. He just masterminded the chase I should say.

Tuskers Vs Eagles
Woke up to watch this one. Like Nkala said the Tuskers can beat you in more than one way with the bat or with the ball. The other teams will need help from the rain or the pitch to beat these guys. Like Ewing mentioned if they keep thing simple instead of making things happen they will be hard to overcome.

Meth: Enough said. He was better again NZ than he was yesterday. Completely unsettled Rory brown.He needs to pitch the ball a little shorter as his length is somewhat predictable. He should be looking at hitting the length at which he bowled Matsi more often which is almost unplayable. He is most effective when bowling with the new ball and the Tuskers think tank have taken notice of this.
They let him bowl through. By the time he was done the opposition innings was derailed. 5-35 in 7 overs. He should do the same for Zim in one dayers where he will have the new ball to himself which swings for twice as long. He should be given an extended spell of 7 or 8 overs upfront and please correct me if I am wrong I dont know how a batsman can find a way to settle against him if he has a one ball to himself. Good captaincy by Horton to bowl him out and then putting the squeeze on using Dabengwa and Gayle.

Querl: The commentators said he had a suspicious quicker ball but it never came out. He looks like a good prospect. I am impressed by his control and consistent line and length (no loose deliveries).

NCube: Like hhm mentioned he was a bit lucky. But I do see what the selectors see in him now. He has the ability to surprise batsmen with his purchase off the wicket. He is a good first change bowler (not opening bowler) and I dont have a problem in him playing for Zim in the one dayers if Meth is also included. He is not a strike bowler mind you. He did not bowl the single delivery on the stumps not did he stray down the leg side. He can put the squeeze on and sort of unsettle the batsmen during the middle overs of a one day game.

Dabengwa: Started off very well. Looks like a subcontinental sort of spinner with a classic action. I am surprised he has not played more games for Zimbabwe given that he can contribute with the bat and taking into account the nature of his competition.

Elton: Looked solid and promised much more. Unlucky to get out the way he did.
Forster: Upped the tempo. He should have stayed put in his crease to play Ncube.
Chakabva: He is where he is. Did little to change my impression of him. The commentators are still calling him a top order bat!!
Zhuwao: Like his mindset. Looks to attack rather than defend unlike the other Zim batsmen. But not on this pitch mate. He will fire at some point I hope.

Ten Doeschate & Trego: Could not get going against Meth, Query and Ncube. Sometimes there is little you can do but defend when these guys are coming at ya.

Andrew Hall: Should bat higher up. Looked super comfortable.

Tuskers Batting

Gayle: Could not hit through the line. Ground much bigger than ipl. Mishits will not carry for 6 and he realized that. He played sensibly and took the Tuskers to a reasonable level of comfort before getting out. Well played!

Horton: I am super impressed with his captaincy and his intent when batting. He was dismissive of Jarvis and Co by walking down the pitch very first ball. He looked to rotate the strike and score quickly. Phenomenal guy to have as a captain.

Coventry: YOU BEAUTY! If he can be more consistent he will be a Chris Gayle. Only batsman who could clear the ground at will and help secure the bonus point. Superb fielding to get rid of Rory brown. He is mandatory in all limited overs games and shame on the Zim set up who have failed to take advantage of his talents. (I dont understand how Chibhabha can replace him on any given day)

Ervine: Should be in the national team too!

Eagles bowling: Not much to talk about.

The bowlers will dominate more and more as the tournament progresses.

thanks a lot sscricket. intersting observations and enjoyable read ... most of which i can't quibble with. however, i do have one (or 3):

sscricket wrote:Coventry: YOU BEAUTY! If he can be more consistent he will be a Chris Gayle.... He is mandatory in all limited overs games .... and shame on the Zim set up who have failed to take advantage of his talents..

that's a massive IF, but true ... in T20 yes, everytime he comes in to the ODI team my hopes are, in turn, raised then dashed ... it depends how you mean "take advantage", he has not been without chances and his inconsistency has been outstanding. I am very much talking from gut reactions and memory but i have two people i will be happy not to see in the zim team for a short while yet and coventry is one (the other is Matsi I'm afraid ... once, 10 years ago or so, he and grant flower scored 100 in the last 10 to beat England in England and i swear he's lived off it ... great day though it was!)

Although I think Jarvis has impressed as his 13 wickets in 3 tests has been great, his T20 form is not good. He will hopefully improve during this comp. But if he doesn't get picked to play T20I against NZ, I don't think it should matter. There are plenty of options around who are earning their places.

Jemisi wrote:Although I think Jarvis has impressed as his 13 wickets in 3 tests has been great, his T20 form is not good. He will hopefully improve during this comp. But if he doesn't get picked to play T20I against NZ, I don't think it should matter. There are plenty of options around who are earning their places.

I think the problem with the forum is we lack objectivity...we like a player and he can do no wrong...Jarvis has been phenominal in Test but average shorter version and T20. For me he should just sit out T20 its a pointless exercise and its not for everyone....Ncube is always said to be LUCKY when he performs...come on guys ...then there is Mutizwa a Test player in my books and adapts well to this bubble gum stuff and we are not impressed...Coventry pulls out ONE blinder in pointless T20 and should be ushered back to all formats...Ervine simply must be back...no reason....guys I know essays are abhored but some of us are slow, so please explain...because Im left very confused with very biased views, hhm on one side and the rest the other side of bias...sadly very few ballanced.

And for crying out loud this is just T20 stop reading too much into it...ok maybe I do lack objectivity about the format...but face it its just fun, instant gratification stuff and no more...so by all means jump up and down but dont condemn peoples careers based on it....