Zimbabwe "A" v Afghanistan Match Thread

[shumbat]

Looks like a good game in the end for Regis and Timmy based on who you want to believe

good batting, but the bowling very pathetic, considering its Afghan, nothing much for the future, is there?

[jimmylesaint]

Bowling was not great- fielding sucked and let 40runs go on missed fielding- very cold day in Byo. Batsmen did a solid job of running the total down. Well done Zim A.

[jaybro]

Good to see Regis and Timmy making runs after missing out in the first game, and also Richie making a good fist of opening ....

[jaybro]

I see Richie retires hurt hopefully nothing serious .....

Luke Jongwe reminds me so much of Elton at the same age, I feel if Luke was put in the national team his numbers would mirror that of Elton's initial international output. I reckon he would be good for a flashy 20 and probably bowl 1-30 off 4 overs, but the difference is Elton was thruster into the national team before his time due to the rebellion where Jongwe could be eased in with experienced players around him ......

[AussieZimFan]

Much better batting display by Zimbabwe. That's what I like to see. There really shouldn't be any reason why the batsmen can not put in like this more consistently.

[CrimsonAvenger]

Very good aggressive knock from Richie there. Hopefully he just retired so that others can get some match practice / can get assessed. If that is the case, the race is on between Richie and Regis, with Richie shading it at the moment for me - if there is an opening in the ODI line up. List A records of Regis needs a big improvement. He might be slightly ahead of Richie in the longer format, though.

[Jemisi]

Confidence building before the ODIs. Don't want to lose any.

[brmtaylor.com admin]

Very good aggressive knock from Richie there. Hopefully he just retired so that others can get some match practice / can get assessed. If that is the case, the race is on between Richie and Regis, with Richie shading it at the moment for me - if there is an opening in the ODI line up. List A records of Regis needs a big improvement. He might be slightly ahead of Richie in the longer format, though.

I'd err on the side of giving Chakabva a run in the team now against Afghanistan as reward for his impressive performances at the end of the domestic season.

But the message to him should be that Mutumbami is the incumbent Test keeper and it will take a serious effort to displace him. But if Chakabva continues his recent form and puts in performances that simply can't be ignored (like a century in one of the four day games, another century in the ODIs and maybe a fifty somewhere along the way as well) - then he gets the wicket keeping spot in the Test team against South Africa.

If Chakabva doesn't put together a good run of scores, then Mutumbami keeps his Test spot.

That seems the fairest solution to me. It gives Chakabva the instant reward for his good form with international selection, and if Chakabva grabs the opportunity with both hands with performances that demand Test selection then Mutumbami can't feel hardly done by.

[foreignfield]

I'd err on the side of giving Chakabva a run in the team now against Afghanistan as reward for his impressive performances at the end of the domestic season.

But the message to him should be that Mutumbami is the incumbent Test keeper and it will take a serious effort to displace him. But if Chakabva continues his recent form and puts in performances that simply can't be ignored (like a century in one of the four day games, another century in the ODIs and maybe a fifty somewhere along the way as well) - then he gets the wicket keeping spot in the Test team against South Africa.

If Chakabva doesn't put together a good run of scores, then Mutumbami keeps his Test spot.

That seems the fairest solution to me. It gives Chakabva the instant reward for his good form with international selection, and if Chakabva grabs the opportunity with both hands with performances that demand Test selection then Mutumbami can't feel hardly done by.

How is that a fair solution? Giving one player opportunities to stake a claim while the other has to sit and watch?

I don't see why they should not both play in the FC match. Their FC form has been excellent for two (Richie) or two thirds of a season (Regis).

Breaking into the ODI side is a different matter. Regis has been found wanting in his international career in this form of the game so far and had a shocker in last season's Pro50. Richie has shown improvement in his domestic limited overs appearances. Putting up a score at the top of the order yesterday might have put him into contention.

But then Regis has always been a favourite of the selectors ...

[brmtaylor.com admin]

Mutumbami has been good, but he only scored 1 century in 9 outings. Chakabva got 4 centuries in 7 innings - that can't go unrewarded.
Nothing will be truly fair to either of these guys, you either drop the incumbent or ignore the guy in form. (unless the Mawoyo injury means one plays as a specialist batsman)

So the reason I think my solution is the fairest is that it's acknowledging that it should be hard to displace the incumbent. You're not just announcing Chakabva as the Test keeper right here and now on the back of Logan Cup form, you're laying down the challenge to him. If you want that Test spot, you have to keep churning out elite performances - even in a format you've been "found wanting in" in the past. Any less than that is not enough to dislodge Mutumbami.