Craig Ervine Watch Begins

[bavuma_rabada]

Having been intrigued by a once again misleading-yet-stated-as-fact stance by a fellow forumite - that certain players belong in the dustbin while others are elevated on a pedestal, I was moved to sample just how damaging such fallacies can be.

Since Afghanistan went to Zimbabwe:
ODIs & T20s - 20*, 43, 11, 1, 1, 0, 4 (80 Runs, Average 13.11 over Zimbabwe's current series)

Tests since March 2013 (away tours to West Indies and Bangaldesh):
29, 23, 18, 8, 34, 10, 17, 21, 14, 16 (Runs 190, Average 19 over Zimbabwe's last two series)

I'm still scratching my head how Chakabva(like Panyangara) was determined to be Tests, only, while Chibhabha was determined to be ODIs only, yet certain players are said to be good enough for every format despite reality furiously arguing otherwise. How Hami missed even consideration for T20s plus Tests, yet was Zimbabwe's leading Test batsman in the last tour where Craig added to his shocking record and Sean Williams' non-existent record was absent as usual, I do not know.

And so Craig Ervine's watch begins.

Zimbabwe now go over to Bangladesh in what will be their toughtest assignment this year, tougher than the CWC. Slayers of England, India, Pakistan & South Africa. Let's see how Zimbabwe's best allround players do at the highest level of cricket. Hopefully certain individuals will decide to turn up in the first two ODIs as well as the 1st T20. Of course that should extend to the first two Tests in 2016 naturally. This tendency to turn up after the fact is not exactly helping the team as I'm sure we can all agree. Those deemed not good enough have developed a rather disturbing habit of turning up before series are concluded, which tends to affect what roles they occupy in our highly selective yet efficient FIFO memories. The squad should benefit greatly from their omission.

I have absolutely no doubt that Craig Ervine will rise to the occassion though.

[AngusBeef]

Craig has not really developed his T20 game yet. His career SR is only around 80 which is about the same as his ODI SR . Ideally, he would be able to work on this domestically till he got his T20 ability up to the same level of his ODIs but there is no opportunity. BPL would've been another option but his performances have not warranted a place in these teams. This makes the national team the only chance he gets at building the T20 side of his game. I can see the thinking of giving him an extended run in the T20 side, we know he is a talent just look at his ODI ability and if he could match that in T20 he would have a case for being our best player in the format.

If the T20 series was longer I wouldn't have minded experimenting with other players though and If he fails in the Bangladesh T20s he might lose his spot, and rightfully so. I'm hoping he does succeed (as I do all for all Zim players) but It may be that he just not cut out for T20s. Michael Clarke is a batsman that comes to mind and would fit this mould of being a talented ODI batsman but never really got going in T20s.

Having said all that, he isn't going anywhere from the ODI team any time soon and with so few tests I don't think you hold what happened in 2013-14 against him considering the CWC was irrelevant according to you in Sean's case.

[jaybro]

Yeah Craig isn't really a t20 batsman but it's hard for the selectors to pick a t20 team when we haven't had a domestic Como for 3 years .....

[eugene]

Presumably any big scores Craig Ervine does get will be discounted from bavuma_rabada's statistical analysis due to the fact the game was already won, already lost, the bowlers were hungry, there was a full moon, it was Chinese New Year, etc.

[Kriterion_BD]

Where was the prosper utseya watch? There's nothing wrong with a watch for anyone, but it should be even handed and balanced. Why no scrutiny for the game's most toothless spinner even while he was chucking at 3 times the legal limit?

bavuma, the guys you favor, Sibanda, Maruma, et al have played scores of matches...hundred plus caps for some of them, and have won a grand total of 50 games, 80% against associates like Kenya (doesnt even have ODI status anymore), Canada, and Bermuda. Surely, your aspirations must be higher than that???

[bavuma_rabada]

Kriterion I never wanted Utseya there in the first place after he was called for chucking. Like Ajmal, Narine etc he deserved to be given a chance, which he got and outperformed bowlers who had been using their normal actions for years. But having seen that the bowling was not as potent, plus the decision to select guys like Mupariwa, while e.g. Hami, Mire etc were in the side, he should not have been taken so no need fo a watch.

When you're overrated you deserve a watch to burst the myth so people can understand your true abilities game by game series by series.

[Kriterion_BD]

Kriterion I never wanted Utseya there in the first place after he was called for chucking. Like Ajmal, Narine etc he deserved to be given a chance, which he got and outperformed bowlers who had been using their normal actions for years. But having seen that the bowling was not as potent, plus the decision to select guys like Mupariwa, while e.g. Hami, Mire etc were in the side, he should not have been taken so no need fo a watch.

When you're overrated you deserve a watch to burst the myth so people can understand your true abilities game by game series by series.

Bavuma,you overate utseya so there should have been a watch on him 5 years before he got banned.

[jaybro]

So stats are irrelevant than??

I'm not the biggest stats man but BV is always shoving this stats down our throats when it suits him so he can't just dismiss the ones he doesn't like .....

[Kriterion_BD]

Bavuma might be a Zimbo nationalist, if not an anti white racist...and thats whatever. Europeans aka white people have screwed up most of the globe starting with colonialism, but for someone to take that out on anyone not "indigenous" is ludicrous.

Bavuma will get his wish eventually: a totally black African "representative" Zimbabwe side devoid of any whites. And Come 2030, that team will be playing in World Cricket League division 2 along with Bermuda, Kenya, Norway, and Denmark. Thats what Bavuma wants I guess.

[brmtaylor.com admin]

Bavuma will get his wish eventually: a totally black African "representative" Zimbabwe side devoid of any whites. And Come 2030, that team will be playing in World Cricket League division 2 along with Bermuda, Kenya, Norway, and Denmark. Thats what Bavuma wants I guess.

I think what will hopefully save Zimbabwe from that fate is that if the stars align (high profile match up, a good start for Zimbabwe, a weekend fixture, etc) you can get crowds of in excess of 8,000 at HSC to watch a game of cricket. That's a good look for the ICC and it's one less problem they have to worry about in terms of global development - people in Zimbabwe generally seem to like cricket, or at least be aware of it.

Places like Denmark and Norway, let's be honest it's probably a waste of money trying to make inroads there. It's not going to happen. So if you've got a country like Zim with an inbuilt supporter base, all the ICC has to do is maintain the status quo. I'm more bullish now about Zimbabwe's prospects of survival than I was last year because of the public support that exists.