Zim Progress

[tailender]

Guys what are your thoughts on progress made by Zim Cricket since the inception of Franchise Cricket. Personally I feel we have regressed from the time Walter was coach. Back then, we were losing matches, but team looked competitive, with players showing commitment to the game. Todays team looks opposite. Our bowlers are regressing, we havent been able to increase our depth, batsmen seem to be afraid to play shots, etc. The next coach could be selected as gratitude for grooming players, rather than to improve perfomance. How do you rate our Franchise competition. It has failed to attract quality players, hence we are not progressing. For me, watching Zim franchise cricket, I have found the level to be like SA schools cricket.

[lloydwinini]

its not that our franchyz is below par but i thnk its our selection policy thts kiling us. who in their ryt minds wud thnk that chakabva z beta thn elton o tht chamu is beta thsn raza. its jus that th zc admin z shit... mynd my french

[brmtaylor.com admin]

Zimbabwe cricket is in a much better position now than it was in 2008. How much of that can be attributed to the franchise league I don't know. I think it was inevitable to some degree that players like Taylor and Masakadza would become very good when they reached their mid to late 20's, and I can't think of any promising young players who got a break through the franchise league who wouldn't have made it into the domestic competition in any previous incarnation anyway.

That said, the franchise league has done some good things. Is it of a higher standard than the pre-2004 competition? Probably not, but that has to do with the exodus of players more than anything else. It's a definite improvement over what was around from 2005-2009 if for no other reason that it has attracted players back to Zimbabwe. Gavin Ewing, Sean Ervine, Grant Flower for a while, etc. The Stanbic tournament has provided a legitimacy to Zimbabwe cricket that it probably hasn't had since the 90's when county teams and other sides were willing to tour. Gayle, Tait, etc are quality players who otherwise would have no reason to voluntarily come to Zimbabwe to play cricket.

It has failed to attract quality players, hence we are not progressing.

I take it you mean there are no star international players in the Logan Cup? The thing is, no stars would waste their time playing for 6 months in such a low level of competition, basically for free. If players like Querl and Ballance are able to completely dominate the competition then can you imagine the records that would be set by a Jayawardene or a Pujara or a Mendis. It would make a mockery of the competition.

Test cricket is what will save Zimbabwe cricket. The rate of increase in centuries (Masakadza, Taylor, Mawoyo) and 5-fers (Jarvis) at Test level will be the true indication of how well Zimbabwe is progressing. The more Test cricket Zimbabwe plays, the more the players will be tested against quality opposition and the better their individual development will be. And that will flow back to other players at domestic level.

[sloandog]

I think Zimbabwe cricket peaked in 2010, honestly. For a number if reasons, and i've said it before. Guys like Chigumbura, Jarvis, Coventry, Chatara etc were all in form and looking excellent. Sponsers were pooring in, we had a wider selection of cricketers to choose from (guys like Butterworth, Nicholson, Duffin, Benade have all retired now), and there were quality players playing FC cricket as well as T20 cricket in Hall, Vincent, Tikolo etc.

And the national side looked really healthy with a good blend of youth and experience, black and white. No noise of ploitics or disagreements either which is an added bonus. Yes we did well in 2011, but in terms of Franchise cricket, the players that were around during the 2010 season were just not there which is a real shame.

For me we've regressed since then, for a number of reasons. The players seem shot to pieces for some reason. Hope we turn things around this summer as we have a bust home series.

[cock]

Sloandog it is quite simple why we are going backwards. There is a lack of money for player incentive. Who is going to train hard, bat for hours and bowl their hearts out for a couple of hundred bucks a month

[Boundary]

Zim has regressed and only 2 things will set it right: the intensity of domestic matches has to go up and we need more regular international matches. I bet in the Logan Cup you hardly find 5 or 6 guys around the bat when Mushangwe or Cremer, say, are bowling. If we get the intensity right (even if no one is watching in Masvingo on a Tuesday morning), then intensity of international cricket won't come as a shock. And the more international cricket we play in front of a worldwide tv audience, the calmer our nerves get, the more assured the stroke play or the catches in the field.

[eugene]

Money is at the center of everything. No money, no effort, no results.

[hhm]

BRM loves Zim cricket so it's hardly surprising that he sees the positives. eugene, sloandog, cock, tailender, lyod, and Boundary(unusally), will eat their words.

Mukondiwa highlighted in that interview, not sure where, that there are more professionals involved in the game than I was aware.

We just saw young sides go to SA and fare well against the Provinces there.

ZIm Cricket after the revolution is very young and financial and structural instability affects a lot. They've only just started playing Tests in 2011, while ODIs&T20s haven't been regular at any point.

With all the batting(Hami, Vusi, Taylor, Matsi, Williams, Mawoyo, Elton) and bowling(Mpofu, Cremer, Shingi, Vitori, Jarvis, Rainsford, Mushangwe) talent that we have, it's inconceivable that people will have anything but positives to say about ZImbabwe at the end of the year!

After all, they did beat a strong SA side, and full strength Bangladesh side(minus SAL) recently.

You should bear in mind that two key & senior Zim players Hami & Mpofu, let down the team due to their inconsistency.

Had Elton come in, in that position, he would've turned the game on its head. We would've lost but eh would've taken advantage of the situation to thrill you out of this sombre outlook!

It' spointless to even consider 2005-2012. We would've excluded 2010-11, but the drought we experienced in the following year, resulting in a poor WC undid everything. I confidentl hope 2012-2015 will be a better period in which the current generation will have fulfilled their potential. I wouldn't write off Taibu rejoining the team as well. Our boys have done ok before. Vusi, Matsi, Hami, Taylor, Taibu(wk), Williams, Elton, Cremer, Shingi, Jarvis, Vitori. I don't know why Shingi is not involved because he seems complete, but Jarvis and Vitori should have come of age in the next year or two - probably able to maintain 132kph. Sadly Taibu is not there, but we've got options.

[cock]

hhm I have never downed our players , i have just downed the inefficient or corrupt way ZC is being run. The money coming in is not going to the correct place ie: the players

[eugene]

I support our players all the way, ZC and its administration is the problem.