Ryan Higgins Turned Down Zimbabwe Approach

[Googly]

ZC wanting yet another supposedly ready made player just shows they are pretending to do shit here.
Where is the HPC and Coach, where are the indoor centres, bowling machines etc?
A quick fix so they can enjoy figuring out how to loot from the stadium funds without making it too obvious. Cricket is just an embarrassing side show for them.
Why can't ICC just send them money and we not have to play cricket, its a real inconvenience? They should petition ICC, there will be a crook there that might bite.

[secretzimbo]

It’s almost as if ZC can’t win here?

You know I agree with your general points above , but surely it’s not a bad thing going out to the diaspora and trying to strengthen our pool that way as well. I don’t see how this is a bad thing.

[Googly]

It's a good thing. But it's a cop out for not developing local talent.
The more diaspora guys that come back the better, but let's get a quality coach also working in a professional environment with our top 10 batters 3 or 4 days a week. Or give them stuff to work on with their own throwers.
Let's get 6 merlins in here and 6 indoor centres. Level the playing field for local guys.

[Googly]

Higgins doesn't really have any roots here. He and his family moved out years ago. They won't double his salary I don't think. The attraction for him they're thinking is international cricket. We don't play much of it, it's expensive and embarrassing.
They don't really have the right carrot to dangle for him.
Once you're married and settled it's not easy.

The real attraction for most of our players is to do well in T20 and hopefully get well paid T20 gigs. To copy Raza essentially. And it's because they need it to make a living and save some money, buy a house, plan for retirement, get a side business etc etc

[Googly]

Someone asked about Ballance because I said don't discount a comeback. Why would that be impossible?
A lot would depend on his financial circumstances, I don't know them. His family farms. A shit year or two and he'd need to make some money. El Nino is here.

Don't discount BT. Who's turning down 10k a month and a world cup? We need a better team environment and admin. You tick that box and he'll give it a go.

Muyeye is out of favor in Kent and currently not doing do well. ECB are desperate for a black player with a fairy story but Tawanda isn't banging the runs. You'll find he doesn't mind Zanu too much.

Cartwright I know nothing about. Roots, family and money are what would potentially make him consider.

Byrom has family there, but has roots here, and currently not doing that well. WC is a big carrot.

In a perfect storm you'd have a lot of good players vying for not a lot of spots.

[Pat_Bee]

Muyeye is out of favor in Kent and currently not doing do well. ECB are desperate for a black player with a fairy story but Tawanda isn't banging the runs. You'll find he doesn't mind Zanu too much.

Yes I’m convinced it will happen one day. ZC would be foolish to not at least try. He’d suit their own agenda of having a gun black batter seeing as Wes and Marumani haven’t exactly come up with the goods. Out of favour at Kent is a major red flag Rob Key with his connections should be pulling strings to get Tawanda as much game time as possible if the ECB are dead set on him.

Higgins; I can see why they’ve gone for him. He wouldn’t be first choice on my shopping list however. I’d personally be looking for an out and out batter like Eddie B or Tawanda, that’s where we really need shoring up. Sure our bowling isn’t setting the world alight but it’s in far healthier condition than our batting. It’s the batting or lack of that sees us lose time and time again.

Williams and Raza do contribute some overs but really they are batters, Ervine is a batter and nothing else, once the big three have retired then the gaping hole in our side is in the batting. Higgins strikes me as another middle order all rounder of which we have many. He’d be a useful addition to the squad but hardly single handedly winning games for us.

[Pat_Bee]

BT is the most possible.

Ballance, I’m not sure. Seem to remember part of the deal when he signed for us was he couldn’t sign for another county for two years but after that was fair game. If anyone would take him then I’d say he’d take that gig over us. I don’t really know how it would work for him though since playing for us, like whether that would make him an overseas guy now or not. Guess that would come into it.

Eddie B is making runs but not on the ECB’s radar any time soon, I wouldn’t think. He’ll be on sweet dollar at Glamorgan so the draw for him would be international cricket.

I also know nothing about this Cartwright fella

[Donald]

Byrom just hit 86 in latest County match. Had been a little out of form.

[secretzimbo]

Honestly there’s more chance of me playing for Zimbabwe than Ballance or BT going forward.

[Pat_Bee]

Honestly there’s more chance of me playing for Zimbabwe than Ballance or BT going forward.

If you can hold a bat you’re in the team bro