Zimbabwe vs Ireland | 3rd T20I | 10 December 2023

[secretzimbo]

I don't see it as positively as you guys.

We are a woeful T20 side and have been for many years even with our now very old star players. Without them we are even worse and there seems to be few if any signs of actual improvement. We are terrible at this format and this weekend we looked like a side more than capable of losing to Uganda and similar teams again.

Ireland really are not an impressive team either btw. It's not like we lost to a high quality side.

Further, it's not even surprising and to be honest I highly doubt we will see any improvement in this format for years to come. It will be a hard scrap to qualify again in 2026 but you never know we might just about scrape through. That's our best hope in T20's.

We'll continue to play 7 days of domestic T20 again this season, no doubt. And it will be at the end of the season when all the overseas/county players have left and when the pitches are tired and when everybody is just having a bit of a laugh and a giggle and no one is bothered.
Don't worry though, we'll have another 7 days of the T10 next winter where about 3 players in our national side might get a chance to bowl 2 or 3 overs in total or face 8 balls during the course of the week. Great stuff! They'll get some good practice running the drinks out to Hamilton, Chigumbura and the 45 year old Pakistani match fixing players though.

If they want to improve their T20 skills maybe they can turn to our batting coach, who averaged 7.62 with a strike rate of 92.68 in his illustrious T20 career. Yes, 7.62....... Clearly a true expert in T20 batting. He's only been in post for about 4 years and very clearly lots of our batters have obviously improved immeasurably


I'm trying to find positives from our performance but from a batting perspective there are almost zero. Madhevere and Marumani appear to be worse players than they were 12 months ago which is highly alarming. K Long is obviously capable but he will remain inconsistent as he always has been. Burl and Madande did a decent job of rebuilding in both matches but they struggled to accelerate which is crucial in this format, particularly Madande. It's the weakest format for literally all of our players. They honestly don't look like they know what they are doing out there in a T20 innings. We have a team that continues to look incapable of passing 150 or so in any match against any half decent opposition.

Ireland aren't that great. Reckon they are quite a bit behind Namibia at this stage.


Most international cricket teams that go through periods of failure come up with plans and strategies to turn things around and yet we've been dog shit at T20 for over a decade and there have been zero changes at any level in our approach to this format. Nothing has changed and I'm extremely certain that nothing will continue in the future either so good luck with it all boys, and let's look forward to another dogfight with Tanzania, Uganda and Nigeria in the next qualifier in 2025 where our sole half-decent T20 batter will be approaching his 40th birthday.

[Pat_Bee]

7.62 same calibre as an AK47 round. Quirky stat that hey.

I wouldn’t say I was upbeat positive, more glass half full positive. The guys today without any of the big three put on 140+. It’s something to build on. If they’d got steamrollered all out for less than a hundred I’d be panicking. Twice they put on 140+ without raz dawg and Williams didn’t contribute much in that second game (flashy 17 or something?).

[Pat_Bee]

They definitely need more t20 than the usual week. Could have a few week long blocks through the year, make use of the floodlights and make a few dollars. The novelty of the lights would be a draw the first time around for sure.

[Pat_Bee]

sole half-decent T20 batter will be approaching his 40th birthday.

Half decent ? Now who’s being harsh on him mate lol.

[secretzimbo]

I'm panicking because WITH the big three we haven't made it into the Top 20 sides in the world (that qualified for the WC) and therefore without the big three we are extremely unlikely to even be in the conversation.
We've also been approaching T20 cricket exactly the same way for over a decade with no results and there seems to be absolutely no urgency or appetite amongst almost anyone to do anything about it.

If reaching 140 on a good batting deck in good batting conditions, at home, against a really average bowling attack is considered good then we might as well give up. Senegal will be giving us a good contest before long.

[Pat_Bee]

lol I didn’t say 140+ was good, I said it’s something to build on. Which it is. Imagine the confidence that will give the boys that they posted that without any of the big three bailing them out for once. They did it all themselves today. Few boys up their game and that will turn into 180+ in time.

Will be baby steps until these boys find their feet post big three. We all accept there’s no like for like waiting in the wings when the big three retire and the next big three will have to earn that accolade. The concern is who are the three guys who will step up?! Ponsonby needs to and will, the polarising Knackers will if he gets his shot.

[Pat_Bee]

I joke about old Knackerville, too much perhaps, but I acknowledge a lot does ride on him. Need anybody we can get to bail water out this sinking ship and he looks to be able to and certainly appears to be willing.

[TapsC2]

This is a step in the right direction. Painful as it is, it needs to happen. The injuries to Williams and Ervine are not a surprise. They are almost 40. Somebody will eventually step up. That's the nature of sport and life in general. Somebody will... just like how BT and co had to..

[secretzimbo]

This is a step in the right direction. Painful as it is, it needs to happen. The injuries to Williams and Ervine are not a surprise. They are almost 40. Somebody will eventually step up. That's the nature of sport and life in general. Somebody will... just like how BT and co had to..

Losing a series at home to mediocre opposition is a step in the right direction

No wonder we are where we are.

[Pat_Bee]

This is a step in the right direction. Painful as it is, it needs to happen. The injuries to Williams and Ervine are not a surprise. They are almost 40. Somebody will eventually step up. That's the nature of sport and life in general. Somebody will... just like how BT and co had to..

They’re old men in cricketing terms, they could legit be plying their trade in these legends leagues etc. every game we get out of them going forward is a most welcome bonus. They would make that England test in 2025 if they concentrated on the longer forms, but t20 is all we really play so it’s catch 22 between protecting them and giving them game time. I’d dearly love for them to make it though, would be a fitting send off at the home of cricket (or Taunton ).