5th T20| Zimbabwe vs India| 14 July 2024

[Googly]

He's a decent fielder as well. I don't like the way he now trundles in to bowl. He looked like a decent prospect with the ball at one point but but now is military medium. If he was a batting prospect he should be up the order in NPL and club and making runs fairly consistently. He does come off now and then and he looks good. Do t get me wrong, I like him, but I just don't think he'll step up.

[zimbofan88]

Googly- What would be your ideal starting XI from the pool of players we have in our system?

[sam_ahm]

Leaving out Burl made no sense for this series. Nightmare series for campbell takes the team a step back and still no fast bowler to support Ngarava and Blessing.

They should get clarity on Naqvi. Either he plays or he doesn't, you cannot have him in the squad with so much of uncertainty around.

In hindsight having Williams and may be even Ervine for this series might have helped in winning a game like that of today, but that's OK, I know they've decided to move on and that's fair enough.

[Googly]

With or without Naqvi?
Has Williams been asked to step aside for the new generation or has he stepped down himself?
Assuming they're not available -

By next year i think this should be our team -
I say next year because if they're going to continue to insist players need to do well in 4 day red ball for T20 selection (only in Zimbabwe ) then the Welch Bros need this upcoming season to make some runs and change some minds.

Nick Welch
Brian Bennett
Matt Welch
Raza
Myers
Burl
Marumani
Evans
Mavuta
Ngarava
Muzarabani

Madande
Masakadza
Madhevere
Matigimu
K-Long

I've put MW in there because he's hands down our best stroke maker, he's a real talent. Be skeptical for sure but watch and see..a question mark over him, a wild card. Deserves all the opportunities afforded to Madhevere.
Hasn't had a clean run at it for 3 years from injuries, but he's going to be exceptional. A reserve keeper as well.

No Madande in my starting line up. As you know I think he's good but doesn't make my first eleven. Sorry gents.
Maru will get it right. Needs to improve his keeping.
Myers needs to play some shots or he takes a seat. He's bogged every innings despite what Tino says. Jury not in for me yet. I'm skeptical.
Madhevere makes it if he sorts his head out and his game, uber talented. Go to Gym!
Evans needs to sort his injuries out and stop playing stupid shots but he's talented.
Matigimu I haven't seen of late, just threw him in there as a wild card.
K-long is our biggest hitter, just can't get it going at the top level, but you never know. I'd persevere with him ahead of Innocent.
Give the 3 new white boys the same opportunities the others have had. All 3 have a high ceiling.

If they're going to keep chopping and changing and persisting with the usual guys we are not going to develop a team for the next WC.
Get Salamander to look at other guys and spend some time with any prospects and let him and his crew decide who he wants in and around the squad.

They made a spiteful mistake not playing Burl and Welch this series. May have gotten much closer if not another win. They at least can do basic maths and know you can't let it get to 12 runs a ball to win From our playing pool if they keep picking guys who did OK or well in domestic they are going to waste years. Try and assess who can play up and stick with them until it's clear they aren't up for it. Madhevere, Maru, Madande would have run out of time in a more competitive environment.

[Pat_Bee]

Raza’s made 45 less runs than Myers at the same strike rate this series. The last series vs Bangladesh was similarly woeful, arguable more so with 80% of his runs coming in a single knock. If he ain’t opening, I’m chopping him. He’s an old man and I’m looking to the future.

[TapsC2]

Leaving out Burl made no sense for this series. Nightmare series for campbell takes the team a step back and still no fast bowler to support Ngarava and Blessing.

They should get clarity on Naqvi. Either he plays or he doesn't, you cannot have him in the squad with so much of uncertainty around.

In hindsight having Williams and may be even Ervine for this series might have helped in winning a game like that of today, but that's OK, I know they've decided to move on and that's fair enough.

Since the 2022 T20 World Cup

Burl has crossed 30 four times. Williams has crossed 30 three times, with 1 half century against Kenya. Ervine is the one with 3 half centuries and he got to 30 two other times in that period.

If you look at the kids, Marumani has crossed 30 four times with 1 half century. Myers crossed 30 twice this series with 1 half century. Bennett has crossed 30 two times with 1 half century. Madande has gotten to 30 three times in that period

Then Raza has crossed 30 eleven times with 8 half centuries in that same period.

I just wanted to show how the kids are not that far off from the veterans in terms of productivity in this format. Raza is the only big fish we have in T20s.

[CalZim]

Giving Marumani the gloves in an international match is like asking Blessing to open the batting. It won’t happen.

You can’t have a part time keeper (at best) holding the gloves at international level no other side would do that because it’s such a critical fielding position.

Even the associates don’t even do it because they know how ridiculous it is.

You can’t just work on your keeping, it isn’t a skill you can build over time, you either have it or you don’t.

[Googly]

Marumani is not a bad keeper. He's kept for us before.

[Googly]

If you have some ability and have kept as a youngster it's absolutely a skill you can dramatically improve upon in a really short period.

[secretzimbo]

I'm pretty sure Madande didn't take up serious/full-time wicketkeeping until he was about 19. He's learnt it.

I haven't been impressed by Marumani's keeping when he's done it for Eagles, but he could work on it and improve maybe. I have no idea if there are any serious wicketkeeping coaches in the entire country - who coaches these guys with the gloves?!

I'd much rather Maru focused on his batting though which needs significant improvement but crucialy there is obvious talent and capacity there to fulfil it.