Ryan Higgins Turned Down Zimbabwe Approach

[sloandog]

There is a log jam, considering the guys who are sitting out atm. Think back the last 20 years there’s never been this type of depth.

The question is whether he’s that far above the rest he gets the red carpet treatment that BT & GB got which Sloan speaks of, I don’t know the answer to that but a first class average in the high 30s suggests he’s a walk up start to the test side.

His limited overs numbers are not as impressive which complicates things slightly as Zim mainly play ODI & t20 cricket.

Jaybro, he's better than all our batters

[jaybro]

Jaybro, he's better than all our batters

I’m not disagreeing, because I’ve been seen him bat. But I think it’s should be a point of debate or at least something he would considering.

There’s already 4-5 white batters in the team, no chance they drop another black guy for him. So, unless Ervine or Williams retire, he’s fighting Curran, Bennett, Campbell & the Welch’s for that last spot.

He could very well be better than all them and be a walk up start, but everyone said the same about Welch.

Anyways I’ve never seen him bat so I’ll take your word for it Sloan.

[sloandog]

Shame isn't it Jaybro, that the colour of a players skin is already dictating inclusion or exclusion. Its a joke.

I like Gumbie but is he honestly a better batter than either of Nick or Matty Welch? No, he's not. He's solid but absolutely lacks the shot selection which can dominate an opposition.

1. Ben Curran
2. Matthew Welch
3. Dion Myers
4. Sean Williams/Nick Welch
5. Craig Ervine/Ryan Higgins
6. Brian Bennett
7. Joylord Gumbie
8. Johnathan Campbell
9. Brandon Mavuta
10. Ritchie Ngarava
11. Blessing Muzarabani

This shows the issues with selection. Having Ervine and Williams in the side and scoring hundreds is giving the selectors a major headache, because they are essentially blocking development of younger players but you can't drop them.

I'd retire ervine from ODI cricket to allow the development of the players mentioned above. Even Frost and Bawa need to be considered as potential T20 players in the next year or two or even sooner. I still really rate Madhevere but I don't think the bloke actually knows how to grind out a ton. The same goes for Maru.

I know Raza has done well here but I honestly want to move on from him. His talent is undisputed but he's becoming a major player in how selection is processed, clearly. Plus he's 39 years old. LOI cricket I can see a place for him for the time being but red ball cricket...nah

[sloandog]

Just had a little look at Marumani's stats in FC cricket, and I take back what I said about not grinding out hundreds. He's got that box ticked. His issue is being able to translate that to international cricket. I hope he can do it because he clearly has flare, time and indispensable talent. There's only so much rope a player can be given

[Googly]

There is a log jam, considering the guys who are sitting out atm. Think back the last 20 years there’s never been this type of depth.

The question is whether he’s that far above the rest he gets the red carpet treatment that BT & GB got which Sloan speaks of, I don’t know the answer to that but a first class average in the high 30s suggests he’s a walk up start to the test side.

His limited overs numbers are not as impressive which complicates things slightly as Zim mainly play ODI & t20 cricket.

Jaybro, he's better than all our batters

Let's see if and when he gets here. I disagree.

[Googly]

There is a log jam, considering the guys who are sitting out atm. Think back the last 20 years there’s never been this type of depth.

The question is whether he’s that far above the rest he gets the red carpet treatment that BT & GB got which Sloan speaks of, I don’t know the answer to that but a first class average in the high 30s suggests he’s a walk up start to the test side.

His limited overs numbers are not as impressive which complicates things slightly as Zim mainly play ODI & t20 cricket.

Jaybro, he's better than all our batters

Let's see if and when he gets here. I disagree.

[Googly]

100% the big 3 are causing a problem with timing. They're hitting 40 and 41 when we host that 2027 WC, which is our last hurrah. It's a mess.

[jaybro]

Without Raza Zimbabwe are not in this test match, same can be said about Slug. How can we even talk about not needing them or wanting to move away from them?

They don’t play enough test cricket for Ervine to retire from the other formats.

Raza is the best spinner in the country too btw, I’m a big Mavuta fan but he can’t bowl consistently like Raza.

[Googly]

Raza has been the difference, but who's to say what would have happened if another bowler had been given those overs or they'd selected another batsman? I'm not disagreeing, he's good and when you're bowling or batting against a guy with a reputation it also makes a difference, and you have to earn that reputation and to some degree you need some luck which he also has. Two soft dismissals and two soft dropped catches, but that's what happens to good players, to a degree you earn that as well.

We're caught between a rock and a hard place. We need to win and we need to look at cricket beyond these 3.

[Googly]

Just had a little look at Marumani's stats in FC cricket, and I take back what I said about not grinding out hundreds. He's got that box ticked. His issue is being able to translate that to international cricket. I hope he can do it because he clearly has flare, time and indispensable talent. There's only so much rope a player can be given

Maru vexes me.
Would he have done better in a better system?
Would he have even made it through the ranks in a better system.
He may not have. Maybe there's a glitch in the matrix.
There's no doubting his skill level in our domestic cricket, but what is the problem at the next level? I'm sure everyone is scratching their heads. I'm sure these coaches are working on his weaknesses. I've always said he defaults to clearing to off and playing that pick up shot around the corner, that shot has gotten him out more than anything else. If it had gotten him a pile of runs I'd say carry on, but it hasn't at this level. It gets him runs at domestic, but he doesn't default to it when he's under pressure. He doesn't get under pressure at domestic, he belts it all around the park.

You need a certain very high skill level to play internationally. I really believe he's one of the few guys we have that has it.
The issue is shot selection, which it generally is, that's nothing new. What separates the players is how they deal with relentless good bowling and above all, pressure. You have to be able to hit good balls, not necessarily wait for a long hop. I have no idea what his thought processes are, I'm sure the coaches do though, but whatever he's doing it's currently not working.
That reverse sweeping his first ball is surely a guy under extreme mental pressure? He has some Maxwell in him for sure, hes good st the shot. Everyone may think it's a guy with a clear head playing freely, but I beg to differ.

As far as these last two teams go we need a way to prep for mystery bowlers because we don't have any ourselves. The better guys have the skills to figure it out. Maybe you can get better by having 100 caps, facing them 20 times over 5 years for about 10 balls an innings and slowly piece the jigsaw together, but for us fans that's a painful process.