[Series Thread] U19 Quadrangular in India

[betterdays]

What the boys did against Pakistan had me dancing in my living room. It was awesome. .
Was it necessary to tear down a working system to get to this? I don't think so.

that is a question i ask myself often ... and i am genuinely unsure

[Googly]

I watched Van Leeuwen really carefully in the T20. If you give him a tiny bit of width outside off, either on a length, or shorter, he is really exceptional. I never saw him hit one along the ground though, he just slashes at, slightly across the line, and gets a great connection, and I mean really good, it's a great talent.
However anything back of a length, fast and straight at him and he had no idea. He steps away from it to give himself room and I never saw him even edge one. He was very much an offside player. This was T20 stuff though and I'd really like to see him in a 50 over game against some decent bowling, the St. John's bowlers specifically. Personally I don't think he'd last, he has numerous chinks in his armour.
When he's going hard he's great to watch though. Good player.

[betterdays]

sorry to return briefly to this topic but I want to be clear. it's shocking how a simple preposition can distort meaning. I know more people who left in the late 90's (because they're roughly my age and I have dealings with them). when I said "the more recent wave...I know 'of' fewer" I meant 'I know fewer of them'...I know there are a lot more but I don't know many of them to talk to (and though Ming had said there were all the private school kids of his generation who left in the naughties - presumably for the reasons you point to ie lack of any future in zim and huge possibilities abroad - they are not the folk I have encountered).

I am well aware of zims current state ... though have not returned in a decade I host regularly ( and have nephews in st Johns and st George's as well as at private primary schools in Harare),... but I am fascinated by your knowledge of the current young players Googly - very interesting and far more insightful than my fam 8D

[zimfan1]

I watched Van Leeuwen really carefully in the T20. If you give him a tiny bit of width outside off, either on a length, or shorter, he is really exceptional. I never saw him hit one along the ground though, he just slashes at, slightly across the line, and gets a great connection, and I mean really good, it's a great talent.
However anything back of a length, fast and straight at him and he had no idea. He steps away from it to give himself room and I never saw him even edge one. He was very much an offside player. This was T20 stuff though and I'd really like to see him in a 50 over game against some decent bowling, the St. John's bowlers specifically. Personally I don't think he'd last, he has numerous chinks in his armour.
When he's going hard he's great to watch though. Good player.

Nice article on Van Leeuwen http://frontrowzim.com/fr/face-face-kyle-van-leeuwen/

[foreignfield]

Burl in the runs again with 74. One thing's for sure: That kid can play!

[CrimsonAvenger]

Nice article on Van Leeuwen http://frontrowzim.com/fr/face-face-kyle-van-leeuwen/

Good read. Looks like his responses are honest and good self assessmant. Some of this also on the lines of Googly's assessment of this young man...

[CrimsonAvenger]

http://allafrica.com/stories/2013100501 ... ?viewall=1

ZIMBABWE Cricket convener of selectors Givemore Makoni says the disappointing results by the Zimbabwe team at the Under-19 World Cup in India was because of the lack of exposure for the players to that level of the game.

The Zimbabweans lost five matches while their encounter against South Africa was abandoned.

"At the moment very few people if none have first class experience so you cannot really expect those guys to go and compete against India, South Africa and all these other guys," said Makoni.

"Those guys are regarded as men.

"Even by their associations treat them as a professional side, that's the difference between us and them.

"The moment the Under-19s are looked at as a schoolboy side we will be losing it, it's actually supposed be looked at as a men's side and that is the different between us and all the other sides.

"The only cricket that they play is schools cricket so when they go and compete at the highest level they are competing against people who are already playing first class," he said.

Ten years ago a Zimbabwe team at the 2003 Under-19 World Cup finished fifth after beating Australia and New Zealand.

That team featured the likes of Brendan Taylor, Tinotenda Mawoyo, Prosper Utseya and Elton Chigumbura.

"If you look at Elton Chigumbura's Under-19 team, which had guys like Tinashe Panyangara, those boys were used to playing club cricket, very few of our Under-19s are playing club cricket right now," said Makoni.

"Chigumbura made the Under-19 squad when he was 16 because he had played a lot of club games for Takashinga Cricket Club and he had played against men because Takashinga was playing in the first league.

"During that time he was rubbing shoulders with the likes of Andy Flower and guys like that, at 17 he was a debutant for Mashonaland Cricket (now Mash Eagles) which was playing first class cricket meaning that when we went for the World Cup he had first class experience."

I do not understand this rant. We, as fans, can be seen making such comments / statements. Why is Makoni saying that? Where are his solutions to fix this situation? How can he live in memory of glory days and whine like this?

[Googly]

Finally they give Diplock a fair crack of the whip, and a decent return. 6 overs, one wicket at 3.83. He must have had an injury or surely would have bowled more overs?

[Googly]

You are being really unfair, it's no his fault. It has to be someone else's surely?

[Googly]

Our Company driver crashed the delivery vehicle last week. When asked what happened, his reply was "the car crashed into the stationary vehicle."
"But you were driving the vehicle!"
Silence... in his head it was the vehicle's fault.