[Match Thread] UAE v Zimbabwe (World Cup Pool B)

[jimbo]

To all those people not giving UAE a chance against Ireland I say remember what a supposedly inferior Holland did to them in last 20/20 world cup

[bayhaus]

My thoughts on the game are here Wisden India (Feel free to critique this piece, I will be doing for the next game so any pointers or criticism is welcome thanks you)

What I had to say about Reggies precious knock

...while Regis Chakabva might as well have been looking to bat through into day two.

Ireland is going to be handful as they have a point to prove to the world that they are better than Zimbabwe so its not just the world cup they are playing for. We need to bring our A+ game. I have to say I am very nervous about Ireland.

[Kriterion_BD]

To all those people not giving UAE a chance against Ireland I say remember what a supposedly inferior Holland did to them in last 20/20 world cup

NED had beaten England before that, and then again after. They had also beaten BD in a 30 over ODI. Took ZIM to the last ball. Ran England close in the 2011 ODI world cup, IIRC. They have had a few big moments. Granted this UAE side is not a pushover, but Ireland are one of those sides that gets the job done without choking. South Africa could learn a lesson from them in mental strength. That west indies game was a must win for them and they were clinical. Usually Associates choke and fumble when they get close. Heck even BD and ZIM start choking when they get close.

I'm rooting for the leading Associates because its bullshit to restrict the world cup to 10 teams. I want as many of the top 8 teams out there to get knocked off.

[zimbos_05]

I'm rooting for the leading Associates because its bullshit to restrict the world cup to 10 teams. I want as many of the top 8 teams out there to get knocked off.

If it does not come at the expense of Zim, I am also rooting for the associate sides.

Restricting the cup to 10 teams is crap. It essentially makes the World Cup a glorified Champions Trophy. The stranglehold that teams like India and Australia have on the ICC is ridiculous. The current format is perfect. We should leave it as it is and keep the full members getting spots for now.

[eugene]

The current format isn't quite perfect but it is better than a 10-team tournament. I think a good format would be the following:

3 Groups of 5 (based on current rankings, would look like this)

Group A
Australia
England
Pakistan
Afghanistan
Assoc.

Group B
India
New Zealand
West Indies
Ireland
Assoc.

Group C
South Africa
Sri Lanka
Bangladesh
Zimbabwe
Assoc.

Super Sixes
Semifinals
Final

This cuts down on meaningless group matches but also means that one upset loss doesn't condemn a team to elimination, like in 2007 with India and Pakistan.

[Kriterion_BD]

I'm rooting for the leading Associates because its bullshit to restrict the world cup to 10 teams. I want as many of the top 8 teams out there to get knocked off.

If it does not come at the expense of Zim, I am also rooting for the associate sides.

Restricting the cup to 10 teams is crap. It essentially makes the World Cup a glorified Champions Trophy. The stranglehold that teams like India and Australia have on the ICC is ridiculous. The current format is perfect. We should leave it as it is and keep the full members getting spots for now.

The 10 team idea is a veiled attempt at keeping BD and ZIM out too. The hope is we will get knocked out in the qualifiers and lose the money which comes with a world cup. The way its going WI will be joining us soon. And SL too after their big 4 retire. Which is why I'm loving the bashing England is getting and laughing my ass off at India being #7 in tests.

[jaybro]

Getting back to our bowling I've been impressed with what I've seen from Mire his figures haven't been crazy good but I agree with the commentators I like his action and I think he can improve, I think the more he bowls the better he will get. As for Chigs he simply must bowl you can't bat @8 and not bowl its that simple, either he bats top 6 and we play another all rounder or bowler or he sits out, what's the point of having a guy who just bats @8 but doesn't bowl unless you already have 2-3 allrounders in the team ......

[Jemisi]

Chigs is one of the few who cab hit them out of the park. I'd like him to get some wickets, but he is hard to leave out

[jaybro]

Chigs is one of the few who cab hit them out of the park. I'd like him to get some wickets, but he is hard to leave out

Yeah I just think with the balance of the squad we need our No.8 to bowl as well, if chigs can't bowl we need to bring in Mupariwa so then Chigs has to battle Ervine or Mire for the last batting spot in the middle order ......

We need either Chigs or Mire to bowl well at first change or we could bring in Mupariwa for Kamungozi but then our spin stocks are very low ......

[brmtaylor.com admin]

Mire's got promise because he can bowl consistently in the mid 130s and as high as 137/138.
Needs better control though. Hopefully he sticks around after the WC because I think there's a lot to work with there, a lot of upside.
If I was Chigumbura, I'd be a bit worried - they are basically the same player.

Chigumbura's bowling is a real concern. Going at 10 an over is a joke. All he needs to do is bowl like Masakadza - wicket to wicket at about 5 an over. If Chigumbura does that for 5 overs he's done his job.

I think the next time we bat first, Chigumbura should assert his authority. Either by opening the innings or coming in at number three, and going hell for leather in that first 10 overs. There's no point saving both himself and Mire for the last 10-15 overs when the game is already lost.

Imagine Raza and Chigumbura tee-ing off against Ireland - the score is 0/100 after 10 overs and suddenly all of that pressure is released. If there's one game we do not want any of this cautious batting rubbish, it's against Ireland. Ireland don't respect us, so they are going to hit us out of the park - we know that. So there's no point treating their medium pacers like Steyn and Johnson either.