Zimbabwe vs Pakistan | 2nd t20 | 03 December 2024

[Googly]

Here's the squad we need going forward in the short term, barring someone else suddenly becoming Brian Lara. Can happen, but unlikely.
These are the batters with the best chance and the highest potential ceiling and possibly the best head space. I'm talking white ball. We have to move on from the Big 3. They have been magnificent and I have nothing but admiration and respect, legends of our game. Absolutely zero point in them retiring or becoming blind 6 months from the 2027 world cup and leaving us in the shit and giving 3 guys an impossible task. And we are not here to extend Raza's T20 career or his mate's. If they can guarantee to be fit and healthy and practicing hard aged 40 then maybe...surely highly unlikely? An ignominious undeserving departure when we are at an all time low, but they're so likely to cause a problem by being too good to replace and then suddenly fading at the 11th hour. Pay them well to stay in franchise and mentor if they would be willing.

Consider age and forget stats, forget form, forget colour, race, religion, tribe or sexual preference. Its all ZC lies and bullshit, we're way past any of it. Look only at guys who might make it on the international stage.
Look only at current ability and ability to go up a level and people who are willing to fight for our survival. Nothing else matters. End of. Go and get Andy Flower to do a one month selection with Salamander and his crew (keep David far far away) and they will likely pick the same batters, maybe one or two will be different. Ask them out of curiosity to pick the guy with the most potential.

Bennett
Marumani
Gumbie
Bhawa
Myers
Curran
N Welch
M Welch.
Naqvi
Campbell? Batting all-rounder.
Burl
K-long?

Try and get Byrom and Muyeye. Full disclosure on what the hierachy get paid and what they do. Full disclosure on the Batonka stadium. Nobody should be paid any more than an A grade franchise contract. Most were not even that level themselves, if they even played at all. We need to know what they take and what they do. We need people that work for the love of the game. We're so tired of this.

Can change the bowlers a bit depending on how they go, bowlers can develop quicker than batsmen.
Evans
Ndlovu
Masakadza
Mavuta
Mazarabani
Ngarava
Macheka
Banks?
Bones
Chivanga

The longer we spend on Musekiwa, Madande, Wes and Faraz the further we fall behind. They're taking up valuable space and time. We're now out of time. Sorry I mean absolutely no harm. They're good players and great guys, love you long time. Let them knock it out the park in domestic, smack thousands of balls a week, succeed in A games and prove us wrong and come back and knock it out the park. They're currently not international material.

[Googly]

Have we discovered what The Main Thing is yet?

[Pat_Bee]

Our brains trust will be neck deep in Green Label and Singo hookers tonite.

Discerning choices

[Pat_Bee]

We ain’t qualifying for the World Cup

Difficult to see where any confidence will come from. Afghanistan will destroy us, Ireland in January is it? They’re better than us now.

Month ago some were celebrating a raza ton and world record score against 95th placed Gambia here we are can’t even beat Pakistan B team and a part time off spinner picks up 5/3 in our worst t20 score ever

Old knackers must be rueing his life choices at this point.


The main thing is sit back and watch the trainwreck. Nothing else to do.

[secretzimbo]

Anyone else looking forward to the next Lord Mhishi ‘comprehensive strategic review’? I for one can’t wait. The last one made such a difference.

[secretzimbo]

What did the last one give us?

Sacked Houghton for Salmon. That’s going well.

A so called ‘comprehensive restructuring of domestic cricket’ which appears to amount to simply playing more matches in the provincial grounds and playing Pro 50 and Logan Cup back to back. Revolutionary.

Firing Hamilton. Except he’s still around. Basically getting the pay check but none of the scrutiny or responsibility. No idea what his exact role is now or what he does. ZC piss enormous money up the wall on salaries for guys they want to get rid of but presumably can’t. See also Houghton and Jarvis and previously Rajput. They are basically buying their silence.


‘Indoor centres in every province’. Well so far there is only progress on 1, in Harare obviously. It’ll probably be poorly equipped when it opens and it will probably end up as a wedding venue in a few years like Country Club and Universals and all the other indoor facilities we’ve had in the past.

[secretzimbo]

Googly’s posts as always speak so much sense. Sigh. If only anyone in the administration had such insight.

Only slight point I maybe disagree on is forcing out the big three. I do genuinely think Ervine and Williams will retire next year anyway, possibly after Trent Bridge. Raza is pretty fit. He looks more like 30 than 40. Not having the best series at the moment but let’s be honest the only games we’ve won in the past three years have been the games he’s performed well in. He’s very literally our only match winner currently, bat and ball. I think he’s probably got the appetite to play to 2027 and by all accounts he’s a passionate and good leader and probably an inspiration for other players.

Someone just needs to tell his mates to fuck off though. I’m looking at Faraz. And others.

[Googly]

Raza's great performances, mostly against lesser sides has given him a fantastic career. Most of the time the lone stand out performer. Would he have done as well in a moderately successful team?
What gave it away for me was him pushing his mate.
Also not calling out the ZC tricks at the T10. That was the big red flag for me. The aha moment

He's absolutely in a position to call people out and instead he's smiling and waving. I'm not expecting him to wear a black armband and go into exile or anything but if you are able, you're supposed to leave the game in a better place. He's letting it crash and burn.

[Googly]

Oh and joining Takashinga to try and beat Rangers. That was actually the big one.

[Googly]

If the public want to protest they should come in black and sit in silence. Unfortunately I don't think they realize we're at the end of the road.