Zimbabwe Vs Ireland | 3rd ODI | 18 Feb 2025

[Googly]

Foot off the pedal and the Wish XI loading.

[mnelson68]

Wow , how good is that win. So happy for Curran , he was under pressure and he delivered.

[Kriterion_BD]

I don't think Zimbabwe have ever had such a crushing win against Ireland. Rare against anyone. I think maybe the 2022 wins vs Bangladesh were similarly dominant, but thats about it. Was rooting for the Irish - such a great nation - but kudos to Zimbabwe for playing better cricket and thoroughly thrashing the opps.

[sloandog]

If Curran failed today he probably wouldn't be going to Bangladesh. Him and Bennett up top have provided a bit of solidity for sure and they have some flair. Long may it continue

[sloandog]

I'm hoping Bennett at least can play in these A games against Canada. He could seriously boost his credentials with a solid showing there.

[Googly]

Ya Tino was calling for his head, which means his head was on the block for sure. I think he'd have still been in the squad but probably wouldn't have been in the starting eleven. He's definitely bought himself some time with that innings.

Of course Bangladesh is full of tricky spinners, we're back to having to deal with that. It's one of our many Achilles' heels.
If they had any sense they'd get Taylor and Williams to hold a few clinics because they are the best players of spin we've had. We have to do better than we did against Afghanistan and Pakistan. We just have to prep better. I'd be going a week early and paying a bunch of their net bowlers to bowl at us.

Our batters should be doing an hour a day of sweeps, reverses, touches, paddles etc etc .

[Kriterion_BD]

Our batters should be doing an hour a day of sweeps, reverses, touches, paddles etc etc .

They should only be doing this if the pitches are square turners, which I doubt they will be. There will be some purchase for the spinners perhaps, but I'm expecting a deck which will favor seamers. You're much better off practicing your cuts, late cuts, and dabs behind square.

On surfaces where the ball is turning sharp, playing the assortment of sweeps becomes a less risky proposition because the ball is less likely to hit the stumps thereby significantly reducing lbw as method of dismissal. You could still get bowled and caught...but if you play the shot well/judiciously you can minimize those risks as well. I would put the reverse sweep away for good...its too much of a high risk stroke unless, there's a HUGE gap from gully to cover - which is almost never. Nothing wrong with touch and paddle sweeps, if they are played on merit (eg half volley ball sliding down leg). But sweeping because you don't have the technique to play straight, rarely ends well for any batter. More so if the wicket is keeping low, has variable bounce, or if the pitch isn't turning that much (leaves you vulnerable to an arm ball).

If there is significant turn, by all means sweep but do it judiciously. If its a flattish track with a modicum of turn, you are FAR BETTER off playing straight. And reverse sweeps should be kept to an absolutely bear minimum.

The focus should be rather on playing quality pace since, Bangladesh will likely have 3 seamers in the XI who all bowl at notch above the Afghan and Irish seamers. Its just a matter of how many "first choice" seamers we decide to rest and I use quotations only because the top 6 quicks in Bangladesh are all basically at the same level...there isn't really a first string or second string anymore. They are all "same string" now.

[aydee]

Are the tests in Bangladesh definitely on?

I've still not seen anything in any media about it.

[Kriterion_BD]

Are the tests in Bangladesh definitely on?

I've still not seen anything in any media about it.

Someone posted that 2 Tests are on (no white ball though) in the FTP thread, and thats historically always been accurate. The BCB are notoriously late in terms of publishing tour info so if its a late March tour, the official press release should be in the next 1-2 weeks.

[eugene]

What a great win, rarely do we beat anyone so resoundingly, well other than Gambia or Sierra Leone. Curran was under pressure and delivered. Ervine looked great also - he still has some life left in him!