Match Thread: Only Test Zimbabwe v Ireland (6th -10th February 2025)

[TapsC2]

It definitely isn't acceptable. I just want to understand the thinking. Fine, 2 senior guys suddenly can't play. You bring in Wes who is in form. That's fair. I just want to know when that was the final 11 they came up did they really believe it was a winning combination. If they thought it was the right mix of youth, experience and batting power.

I will reserve my overall judgement for the coaching staff until the whole tour is over but I'm honestly not convinced their approach is the right approach. I can't see a clear direction. Nobody forced them to take the jobs. I just want to understand what their overall objective is.

My main issue is that whilst I understand you want to build a squad. It just doesn't make sense to overdo it with your final selections. There must be a balance. Especially in the bowling department. We gave had so many debuts since they took over.

[Googly]

The players are very impressed with Salamander and Deon.
If Wes hitchhikes from Harare and they keep punting Trevor and Newman they're not the ones calling the shots, it's that simple.
Mutendira and Chigumbura should just take over the coaching.
Surely if you know how to coach, and they do, then you also can figure out who the best players are? It just doesn't mean sense.

[Kriterion_BD]

We wont know until they are tested against elite teams.

ireland are the weakest attack in world cricket.

Its a decent attack even without Little. McCarthy can push to the upper 130s, Adair can swing it with accuracy an McBrine is crafty. Still early days for that young SLA, but he could actually be world class possibly (I think I've only seen him bowl a few overs in an ODI).

Its still an attack that has won 3 Tests in a row now. Its not spectacular, but its disciplined, knows its limitations, and bowls very well to their plans.

[Kriterion_BD]

Abject. Losing a Test at home to Ireland is an absolute nadir. But it’s okay because we can make some convenient excuses about our elderly 40 year olds not being available (again). How convenient!

How much longer must we persist with a head coach who by all accounts is so totally out of his depth?

More crucially, how much longer must we persist with a board which has now overseen two decades of total failure and incompetence with absolutely zero consequence? You can all keep blaming players or even selectors, but who’s really accountable for it all? We know who. Unless those at the top change, nothing will change. We’ll still be here in ten years from now making excuses ‘what if’, when continuing to lose against poor teams. Ireland showed very little quality in this match. They are a really really bang average side.

‘It doesn’t matter because Ervine wasn’t playing’ - fuck that excuse. That’s pathetic. Probably the same people who have been saying he’s past it and we need to ‘blood new players’ for the last five years anyway.

Can’t make excuses for losing a test at home to Ireland. That’s a properly horrendous result. Why are people sugar coating this and looking for positives? Ireland haven't played domestic first class cricket since 2019! And now they've beaten us home and away.

Anyway, thought I’d stick my head above the parapet briefly. Will probably regret it!

They did finally make some decent selections:

1) Wez was in form, and I think a majority of posters didn't have a problem with him being selected.
2) Everyone's been clamoring for Welch and Campbell and they finally got a chance.
3) Same with Curran from the Afghan series.
4) People have turned against Gumbie, and he wasn't selected.
5) The biggest weakness is in the WK and specialist spinner slots...no one seems to be putting their hands up.

[ZIMFAN]

Abject. Losing a Test at home to Ireland is an absolute nadir. But it’s okay because we can make some convenient excuses about our elderly 40 year olds not being available (again). How convenient!

How much longer must we persist with a head coach who by all accounts is so totally out of his depth?

More crucially, how much longer must we persist with a board which has now overseen two decades of total failure and incompetence with absolutely zero consequence? You can all keep blaming players or even selectors, but who’s really accountable for it all? We know who. Unless those at the top change, nothing will change. We’ll still be here in ten years from now making excuses ‘what if’, when continuing to lose against poor teams. Ireland showed very little quality in this match. They are a really really bang average side.

‘It doesn’t matter because Ervine wasn’t playing’ - fuck that excuse. That’s pathetic. Probably the same people who have been saying he’s past it and we need to ‘blood new players’ for the last five years anyway.

Can’t make excuses for losing a test at home to Ireland. That’s a properly horrendous result. Why are people sugar coating this and looking for positives? Ireland haven't played domestic first class cricket since 2019! And now they've beaten us home and away.

Anyway, thought I’d stick my head above the parapet briefly. Will probably regret it!

Nice to see you again .

[Googly]

The one opener that's been out of the mix and looks like he can play at this level is Prince Masvaure, he's made some runs recently

[TapsC2]

The one opener that's been out of the mix and looks like he can play at this level is Prince Masvaure, he's made some runs recently

Yes he is a decent choice. He was injured but is back. He 100% would have played all these tests if he didn't get injured.

I'm hoping they really do change the Bangladesh tour to 2 tests. It's a rumour for now. We have a few more unanswered questions before we play England, SA and NZ. We need to see Prince, Evans, Nick, Chivanga, Gumbie, Ben and Wes play before those big games.

[sam_ahm]

Don't feel like commenting anymore, because we keep discussing the same old things with no progress whatsoever.

One last hope I can see is for Antum Naqvi to be eligible and hope he can be that player who can turn things around and help Zimbabwe in winning games against the likes of Ireland and Afghanistan.

Others are all at par. They are average players and nothing special. I don't think anyone is even at par with Ervine and Williams forget Brendan Taylor, Tatenda Taibu, Gary Ballance or the legendary Andy Flower.

[ZIMDOGGY]

Don't feel like commenting anymore, because we keep discussing the same old things with no progress whatsoever.

One last hope I can see is for Antum Naqvi to be eligible and hope he can be that player who can turn things around and help Zimbabwe in winning games against the likes of Ireland and Afghanistan.

Others are all at par. They are average players and nothing special. I don't think anyone is even at par with Ervine and Williams forget Brendan Taylor, Tatenda Taibu, Gary Ballance or the legendary Andy Flower.

Taibu? What was his test average again?

[Kriterion_BD]

Don't feel like commenting anymore, because we keep discussing the same old things with no progress whatsoever.

One last hope I can see is for Antum Naqvi to be eligible and hope he can be that player who can turn things around and help Zimbabwe in winning games against the likes of Ireland and Afghanistan.

Others are all at par. They are average players and nothing special. I don't think anyone is even at par with Ervine and Williams forget Brendan Taylor, Tatenda Taibu, Gary Ballance or the legendary Andy Flower.

The first rule of avoiding misery is having realistic expectations. I didn't start following cricket until the 2003 World Cup, but by 2010 I realized that Bangladesh are never going to be at the same level as India or Australia, and that the BCB was always going to be a mediocre board at best. Same with Pakistan...they may have once been a far superior side to India, but that was in an amateur era. The PCB is not as well-run as the BCCI and thus even if the talent production is similar, the PCB will always lag behind.

Now, ZC might be the worst run board amongst the full members...but you kind of just have to accept it unless you want to quit following ZIM cricket and get on with your life. But where's the fun in that?

Lets look at the positives:

- a lot of younger, deserving players (Welch, Campbell) got selected
- Madhevere has returned to form (we'll see how long it lasts, but its his highest international score to date)
- Blessing and Ngarava bowled very well in tandem
- young players have stepped up (Bennet and Curran vs Afghanistan, Welch vs Ireland)

Usually, ZIM have at most 1 positive from a series. Are there some negatives? Sure, but thats part and parcel of the game.

Its all about building and moving forward rather than hyper-focusing on how shit ZC are...ya'll have been doing that for 20 years and it won't magically make things better. So just save your angst and just enjoy whats there to be enjoyed.