[Match Thread] Zimbabwe v Pakistan (1st ODI)

[maehara]

Zimbabwe v Pakistan: 1st ODI
QSC, 8 September 2011

Knock yourselves out.

[andybligz93]

need the middle order to stand up today

[TheBradDevil]

Wow! Hussey takes Jayawardene at galley, wat a blinder! Catches win matches, Aus have almost won this in an hour of play, I hope our fielders remember this and return to their high standards. Irony : when we couldn't bat we could field like Aus, now that we can, we can't grasp a catch for our lives.

[zimfan1]

Chibhabha back at number one
Thursday, 08 September 2011 02:00

From Lawrence Moyo in BULAWAYO
ZIMBABWE will have a new-look opening partnership for the first one-day international cricket match against Pakistan at Queens Sports Club today.
The match starts at 9.30 am.
Chamu Chibhabha resumes his international career and has been handed the task of opening the batting with Vusi Sibanda.

Sibanda goes into the match hoping to continue from where he left off against Bangladesh. He was the series' best batsman with 242 runs from the five matches at an average of 48,40.
Although they have 148 ODIs between them, Sibanda (56) and Chibhabha (92) have NOT opened together before.
With captain Brendan Taylor asked to bat at number four, Chibhabha will face the first ball for only the second time in his career which dates back to August 31, 2005 when he made his debut against

New Zealand at Harare Sports Club. The only time Chibhabha faced the first ball was against Bangladesh in Jaipur on October 13, 2006 and he scored 16 runs from 25 balls as Zimbabwe suffered a 101-run defeat while replying to the Tigers' 231.
Chibhabha - whose more familiar position is number three (32 matches), has however, batted number two in 12 matches but that role now belongs to Sibanda.

With a batting average of just 20,87, and a strike rate of 58,74, Chibhabha will be under some pressure to deliver in a challenging role.
Chibhabha does not seem to enjoy batting against slow bowlers and with Pakistan likely to rely on spin, he is better off facing the seam bowlers early on.
Hamilton Masakadza will remain at number three while the more experienced Taylor and Tatenda Taibu will occupy four and five.

Taibu did well against Bangladesh, scoring 158 runs at an average of 39,50 while Taylor struggled at number one as he scored a paltry 17 runs from four of the five matches against Bangladesh - a statistic that was overshadowed by his 106 in the other match.
Taibu and Taylor have a better record against spin and should be able to stabilise the ship in the event that the top three struggle. Zimbabwe's top-order batting has been a cause for concern as

batsmen make starts but fail to go all the way and the team has not been able to make big scores.
All-rounder Elton Chigumbura, who is yet to hit top form with both bat and ball, has been passed fit to play and will come in at number six.

Greg Lamb will bat at number seven, Malcolm Waller eight while former captain Prosper Utseya bats at nine, Raymond Price 10 and Chris Mpofu 11.
This means there is no place for Regis Chakabva who featured against Bangladesh. Brian Vitori, who was named man-of-the-series against Bangladesh last month, will not be playing as the selectors opted for home boy Chris Mpofu who is more experienced.

With a slow wicket, the selectors settled for just one specialist seamer and have more slow bowlers.
Thus Vitori will have to wait for the series to move to Harare for him to resume his ODI career after missing the last two matches against Bangladesh at Queens Sports Club.
Injury ruled him out of those matches against Bangladesh.

ZIM XI (in batting order)
Chamu Chibhabha, Vusi Sibanda, Hamilton Masakadza, Brendan Taylor (captain), Tatenda Taibu (wicketkeeper), Elton Chigumbura, Greg Lamb, Malcolm Waller, Prosper Utseya, Raymond Price, Chris Mpofu.

[TheBradDevil]

Wow, just watching Hussey taking Mahela a blinder at gulley snatching a wicket out of thin air
Catches win matches, and Aus halfway there within the hour of the first morning already.
Irony : when we batted terribly we fielded like Jonty, now that our battings om the up, we can't grasp sitters. Regret, regret, reget if only, sigh

[zimfan1]

Hmmm i think Taylor is at ,best at the top trying to bat through the innings. But IF this report is true (this is the herald after all) i am glad the Waller is getting a chance against top quality opposition. Looks like they have gone with a horses for courses selection in four spinners (Lamb, Price, Utseya and Part Time Waller) and three Seemers (Mpofu, Chibbha and Chigumbura)

[TheBradDevil]

Omitting Ervine for Chigz is a blunder. Do we need 6 bowlers (specialist) to bowl 50 overs? And I notice they say Chibz has 92 ODIs and Vusi 56, is that thr other way round?

[muyendesi]

Live link for todays game please.

[zimfan1]

http://www.hitcric.info/2010/12/hitcric ... tclic.html

[zimfan1]

Gone Mpofu gets Farhat early, not sure if i like Ray Price opening the bowling as it does mean that we are not taking advantage of the new ball and any swing on offer.