Is Zim improving?

[nashfire]

Is Zim improving?.If using black caps as a standard, when playing them we can say we were competitive in relation to last ODI and Test ( although it was BTaylor vs NZ affair). Looking at the black caps vs AUS series. They lost the first game by 9 WICKETS. Now in the first innings they were bowled out for 150. So i just wonder.

[hhm]

Absolutely, we are improving. We did beat Bangladesh at home didn't we! That same Bangladesh is well on it's way to a thumping loss to Pak, at home!

But the fact that NZ is getting hammered so much by a weak Aus side, also shows how far behind we are as well! Don't forget, some of these same Aus guys beat us twice at home in four days, in what you could terms losses by an innings, with their openers doing the work. All their guys were going at a 60SR, and the team went a 4rpo most of the time!

Even when I saw the weakened Aus team for the 1st Test, I've been saying that NZ will get smashed all the way, and I expect them to do the same to us to make up for the pain!

It helps to keep in mind that pretty much all our key players failed against Pakistan, and as much as we dropped their catches, they would've beat us anyway if the repeated dropped Mawayo catches were taken. The match wouldn't have gone deep into the fourth day!

Time will tell just how far we have improved!

[djsch3]

New Zealand were sent in on a green-top. However it didn’t look like it was an overly harsh first day pitch to bat on regarding movement off the seam and through what the commentators were saying. The young Australian attack bowled well again.

The Kiwis look to be in a lull. I really wonder how team spirit/harmony is at the moment. It’s not that their side is particularly weak. They seem to be out of form and really down in confidence.

The fast bowling stocks are a real concern for them. Martin is turning 37 tomorrow (Dec 10). He has bowled reasonably well this series, but it is a real worry who is going to take the reigns in the short term and the competitiveness for positions amongst bowlers.

Zimbabwe have made great gains. They have been competitive on return to test cricket at home, which is extremely important for the weaker nations. Bangladesh recently have been struggling with this.

It could be a great opportunity to take on NZ who are a bit down and take it up to them on their own turf. Just because the kiwis so far have been struggled in the test matches here may not necessarily mean that Zimbabwe are weak

[tawac]

the FC is now in its second year I reckon this is our yard stick. back in th day we had chicken farmers, lawyers, etc who brew a shocker in '92. I reckon ur peak was '99. Ask yourself what r we doing right now. We have a bunch of young stars coming through the ranks who with th right type of guidance which much of our current crop never had may even end up being better players. Yes Zim is getting better.

[FlowerPower]

Look I think we must always have perspective (hhm). We were whipping boys (even with Streak in the line up, I remember the day Kallis hit a record century and we were bowled out twice - on the same day! , and someone joked about Heath openning the bowling and literally opening the batting as well as none of the top order stayed long enough! (all on the same day, twice!)...we also gave Bangladesh their first and aside the depleted WI side last year...their only test wins, before we exiled ourselves.

Fast forward six years, we thrash the same Bangladesh that used to gain credence at our expense, push Pakistan, to the final day, largely due to inexperienced induced batting collapse, almost (save for Vitori saving them) almost upset the Kiwis...look I don't know about you that certainly counts as IMPROVEMENT.

Are we world class (all of a sudden)? No. And anyone who expected that is being childish! SriLanka took a while to find their feet in the Test arena, we are effectively new to this format, and have done VERY well I'd say. We are at best better than Bangladesh who frankly should just ban themselves from Test for a while, we are I'd say on par with NZ, and given a few more years with consistent structures, we will become rivals with them and possibly WI, we will hold our own vs Pakistan and SL and perhaps the odd surprise, we will continue to be embarassed by the Proteas, Poms, Australia, and India, but continue to improve, as did SL (all thing being constant and barring self shooting!)

Thank you tawac very balanced view.

So to answer you dj...Yes Zim is improving forget what the over ambitious forum-ers who want us to be competing with India tell you. Had you asked "Is Zim a world beater yet?" I would have answered No. Improvement? Definitely! And long may it continue.

[ricket]

Are we world class (all of a sudden)? No. And anyone who expected that is being childish! SriLanka took a while to find their feet in the Test arena, we are effectively new to this format, and have done VERY well I'd say. We are at best better than Bangladesh who frankly should just ban themselves from Test for a while, we are I'd say on par with NZ, and given a few more years with consistent structures, we will become rivals with them and possibly WI, we will hold our own vs Pakistan and SL and perhaps the odd surprise, we will continue to be embarassed by the Proteas, Poms, Australia, and India, but continue to improve, as did SL (all thing being constant and barring self shooting!)

Thank you tawac very balanced view.

So to answer you dj...Yes Zim is improving forget what the over ambitious forum-ers who want us to be competing with India tell you. Had you asked "Is Zim a world beater yet?" I would have answered No. Improvement? Definitely! And long may it continue.[/quote]
i guess india is being rated too higly zim can compete their medium pacers in zim conditions easily and can win even test match against them in zim condition's.i guess Pakistan ,AUS,SA AND England be really toughly for them

[Jemisi]

NZ has just knocked Australia over for 136. It was much harder for them to get us out! We are certainly improving. We certainly have a long way to go.

ps On that Hobart pitch, I'm glad to see batsmen struggling for once. I'm sick of the bloated averages created by all the flat wickets around the place. Even the mighty WI pace quartet would have struggled on a lot of the tracks games are played on these days.

[hhm]

NZ has just knocked Australia over for 136. It was much harder for them to get us out! We are certainly improving. We certainly have a long way to go.

I woke up to quite a surprise this morning!

One thing's for sure most Aussies would settle for a Phil Jacques(marginally off-form)-Simon Katich(rebellious) opening partnership going into the next Ashes, regardless their age, instead of a Hughes-Warner deal. A few of my friends had been calling me crazy for a long time as I frequently called for Shaun Marsh, but now he's doing the job. I suppose many are think Cullum Ferguson's slight dip in form means Khawaja, Maddison etc are a better bet! Ask India's youngsters too, it's hard to make it in Test as a batsman when you lack sufficient years in the middle, and even harder as a young bowler when you're not lightning fast, and lack the guile&wisdom which comes through experience (Martin&Zaheer Khan have shown that time and again)!

[FlowerPower]

So your argument is for a youngster to break into test they must be lightening? And even that is not the correct argument in Zim's case. We arent saying Zim's youngsters are world class...hardly, they are learning but in the Zim context they are the best we have...so until Rainsford and Panyangara and Chigs get buckets load whilst Vitori, Jarvis and Meth fail in FC I think experience for experience's sake is a bit....futile and a bit confusing as a strategy.

[eugene]

NZ has just knocked Australia over for 136. It was much harder for them to get us out! We are certainly improving. We certainly have a long way to go.

I woke up to quite a surprise this morning!

One thing's for sure most Aussies would settle for a Phil Jacques(marginally off-form)-Simon Katich(rebellious) opening partnership going into the next Ashes, regardless their age, instead of a Hughes-Warner deal. A few of my friends had been calling me crazy for a long time as I frequently called for Shaun Marsh, but now he's doing the job. I suppose many are think Cullum Ferguson's slight dip in form means Khawaja, Maddison etc are a better bet! Ask India's youngsters too, it's hard to make it in Test as a batsman when you lack sufficient years in the middle, and even harder as a young bowler when you're not lightning fast, and lack the guile&wisdom which comes through experience (Martin&Zaheer Khan have shown that time and again)!

hhm, I agree with you about Simon Katich. He should never have been dropped. I understand the need to introduce new players but to me it would have made more sense to drop Hussey or Ponting.