The first game is probably our only shot at pulling off a surprise win.
Who you got in your XI? Mine ⬇️
Curran, Kaia, Ervine, Bennett, Wes, Raza, Maru, Evans, Nyamhuri, Cremer, Muzarabani
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Zimbabwe vs Australia
1st ODI · Harare Sports Club
Status
MATCH OVER
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ZCF OriginalVeteran
This was a great opportunity for Wes to carry us home. Well, he averages 22 for a reason.
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Quoted from zimbot in post #46763
This was a great opportunity for Wes to carry us home. Well, he averages 22 for a reason.
Not much he could do there tho he had to make a play at some point
Zimbabwe fan, long time lurker on the old ZCF
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Cremer in for legendary masakadza.
Retire wesley and pick burl or marumani, either one can play better than wes.
Marumani can keep wickets too so that will open up a spot if they decide to drop Taylor.
The only reason ZC is playing these 40 year olds is cuz they know they will lose every match if they put forward a total young side without raza, ervine etc. Same happened today. Ervine is 41 now but he looked okay for his half century.
All those who think Evans is not an all rounder and is just swinging it need to open their eyes. Who is a proper all rounder ? Wesley? Bennett? Burl? Only Raza bowls in every match and he is not the same bowler after his treatment. Evans is by far their best hitter in recent times and your best guy should be facing most number of balls. They dropped marumani down the order in t20 and it didnt work, they can do the same with Evans if things dont work out.
Retire wesley and pick burl or marumani, either one can play better than wes.
Marumani can keep wickets too so that will open up a spot if they decide to drop Taylor.
The only reason ZC is playing these 40 year olds is cuz they know they will lose every match if they put forward a total young side without raza, ervine etc. Same happened today. Ervine is 41 now but he looked okay for his half century.
All those who think Evans is not an all rounder and is just swinging it need to open their eyes. Who is a proper all rounder ? Wesley? Bennett? Burl? Only Raza bowls in every match and he is not the same bowler after his treatment. Evans is by far their best hitter in recent times and your best guy should be facing most number of balls. They dropped marumani down the order in t20 and it didnt work, they can do the same with Evans if things dont work out.
zayn.
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Quoted from Zolsky1 in post #46738
Quoted from zimbot in post #46663
Quoted from Zolsky1 in post #46660
Brian Bennett is not a natural ODI player. He should focus on his strengths as a test match batsman and a T20 batsman. I would not want to see his confidence get eroded by a bad series. Dion Myers or Milton Shumba would be a better fit in this format.
You're taking the p**s, right?
p**s is getting censored
No. I was not.
I read the post and was like, "who would say something so stupid", then I saw the name and it clicked.
One of the dumbest takes I've seen and the stats back this up. Zolsky with the blatant racism. Never surprises us.
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Wes stays in for nine.
He made a start and had a good last ODI series.
I do want to see Burl and Maru get a go at some stage.
He made a start and had a good last ODI series.
I do want to see Burl and Maru get a go at some stage.
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Was hoping to see Maru today, but might as well give BT a go
Marumani I think has so much talent, but again he has never fulfilled his potential. As for Taylor, he performed well in the NPL, average 125 from 10 games, he just needs his confidence back on the big stage. He looks so timid once he comes out, he just needs to remind himself of who he is, was, and always will be. Also to expect any cricketers to come in and just score heavy from here on until he hangs his boots up is not being real. BT has about a 1 in 4 chance of scoring a 50+ score if you go by his stats, as basically the highest run getter for Zimbabwe in Odis across 208 matches, he has the same average as Andy Flower in ODIs, give the guy a chance I say.. Note I'm not just replying to the above post but all of the suspected comments I'm sure will be coming after 1 game, his 3rd ODI since return.
Thomas Purcell
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ShareQuoted from Zayn_63 in post #46765
Cremer in for legendary masakadza.
Retire wesley and pick burl or marumani, either one can play better than wes.
Marumani can keep wickets too so that will open up a spot if they decide to drop Taylor.
The only reason ZC is playing these 40 year olds is cuz they know they will lose every match if they put forward a total young side without raza, ervine etc. Same happened today. Ervine is 41 now but he looked okay for his half century.
All those who think Evans is not an all rounder and is just swinging it need to open their eyes. Who is a proper all rounder ? Wesley? Bennett? Burl? Only Raza bowls in every match and he is not the same bowler after his treatment. Evans is by far their best hitter in recent times and your best guy should be facing most number of balls. They dropped marumani down the order in t20 and it didnt work, they can do the same with Evans if things dont work out.
We need a finisher, why have him bat earlier, the guy will burn out and his bowling will drop, perfect example Heath Streak. As soon as he started essentially being a all rounder his stats for his bowling dropped considerably. While Richie is out especially. .
Thomas Purcell
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ShareNewman Nyamhuri congratulations on a 5fer, but damn that's the worst 5fer I have ever seen, and just so Zolsky thinks I'm racist, Evans 5/54 against India 4 years ago was just as overrated. Forgive me for sounding harsh, and granted he is still a kid basically, but he cannot land the ball in the same area twice. His wickets came from being erratic, to his benefit though, the Aussies never knew where he was going to pitch it. Infact I question all the bowlers. If some said to all our bowlers I want you to land 6 deliveries all in the exact same spot consistently like a Glenn McGrath, no one could do it. Why? Well based on what I've seen over the last however many years now, it's just bowl the ball and hope it lands in the area I want. Brad has become a little more consistent, but in the first 10 overs of Australias batting, they literally were bowling 3 or more balls an over in the exact same spot and getting dcracked to the bounty, now you carn't be that brain dead and think, I'll try it again, and again and just hope he makes the same mistake. So predictable their bowling. Clearly Blessing us a bowler who bowls well in partnerships, because once Richie went down Bless has being a shell of his self from last year. Maybe I'm being to harsh. Lastly guys like Bennett and Taylor and Curran today need to remember, there is so much more time in a 50 over game then you think, Taylor was 4 off 12 balls, and this is what the t20 format has done to the game, they think that they're falling behind the 8 ball, if you need to bat out a couple of maidens if it means you getting your eye in, so be it, breathe, take every ball as it comes, and prepare for 1 ball at a time. Just panic so unnecessary. Sorry for being overly critical I'm just a frustrated Zimbabwe supporter after 25+ years. When do things change, when do players mindsets change, when will we get a sports psychologist in its like groundhog Day watching sometimes headbutting the 🤦🏻🙇🏻🤜🏻🚪🫂
Thomas Purcell
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ShareQuoted from Pat_Bee in post #46748
Quoted from admin in post #46745
Quoted from dandy in post #46742
Well, Maru for the next game for me
Brendan Taylor since his return, ODIs only:
3 innings, 24 runs,
Average: 8.00,
Highest Score: 20
Strike Rate: 45.28
😂😂
He should never have come back
Taylor performed well in the NPL, he just needs his confidence back. He looks so timid once he comes out, he just needs to remind himself of who he is, was, and always will be. Also to expect any cricketers to come in and just score heavy from here on until he hangs his boots up is not being real. BT has about a 1 in 4 chance of scoring a 50+ score if you go by his stats, as basically the highest run getter for Zimbabwe in Odis across 208 matches, he has the same average as Andy Flower in ODIs, give the guy a chance I say.. Note I'm not just replying to the above post but all of the suspected comments I'm sure will be coming after 1 game, his 3rd ODI since return his first in a year. Fans including myself tend to forget what certain players have done for this team. It shows that people's, again including mine at times are extremely short. What were Bennetts previous 6 ODI scores, before today even, what were Razas what were Ervines. If a guy like Wes and Wellington can get game after game to prove themselves, then I think it's only fair Taylor gets that chance. Most players will go through patches of form before it's just a simple case of law of averages. Every 4 innings Taylor should be scoring 50+. Sometimes he or anyone else could get 3 or 4 of them in a row, then a few 30's etc before your found out and then you get out for low scores, I carn't think of any player for Zimbabwe that hasn't been like that, including virtually every other nation. The Elites, the best of the best, are probably more like 1 in 3 or 1 in 3.5 innings to score 50+.
Thomas Purcell
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ShareQuoted from admin in post #46681
Quoted from Andy31 in post #46678
Boys have done there homework.
Head has gone out like that three times in the last month or so.
Who are you supporting? Must be weird rooting for Zim against your own country.
Apparently "root" is a bad word in Aus 😂
We say rooting for .... as well here in Aus. It just depends what context you using it in. The English language has alot of words in general like that. Well at least here in Australia. Root, a plants roots, rooting for Zimbabwe even though I'm an Australian, and rooting, that special time of the week if you're incredibly lucky after the first 6 months of the relationship are complete. At least in my case hahaha 🤣😂.
Thomas Purcell
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ShareQuoted from Andy31 in post #46683
Felt Newman would be the one to get Marsh. That unpredictable line and length.
So true, trust the 2 Aussies to pick up on that.
Thomas Purcell
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Quoted from AusBiggestZimCricFan in post #46775
Newman Nyamhuri congratulations on a 5fer, but damn that's the worst 5fer I have ever seen... His wickets came from being erratic, to his benefit though, the Aussies never knew where he was going to pitch it
I agree to an extent. A 5fer against Australia is still an impressive stat to have on your CV as a 20 year old, regardless of how you got there.
Quoted from AusBiggestZimCricFan in post #46775
If some said to all our bowlers I want you to land 6 deliveries all in the exact same spot consistently like a Glenn McGrath, no one could do it. Why? Well based on what I've seen over the last however many years now, it's just bowl the ball and hope it lands in the area I want. Brad has become a little more consistent, but in the first 10 overs of Australias batting, they literally were bowling 3 or more balls an over in the exact same spot and getting dcracked to the bounty, now you carn't be that brain dead and think, I'll try it again, and again and just hope he makes the same mistake.
🎯 Bull's-eye!
This is probably my biggest frustration with our seamers. Blessing could be almost unplayable if he learnt to land the ball in the right areas consistently, but he seems to dish out at least one pie and over.
Evans can get a little too greedy looking for that magic ball that starts on leg and takes the top of off. He ends up bowling too full and too straight sometimes.
Newman, at this stage, mostly seems to run in, hit the deck hard and hope for the best. There is plenty to work with, but he sprays the ball all over the place. The raw materials are there. The consistency isn't.
Quoted from AusBiggestZimCricFan in post #46776
Taylor performed well in the NPL, he just needs his confidence back.
Here, I disagree.
The standard of cricket in the NPL simply isn't high enough for performances there to convince me that Taylor should be in the national side.
Taylor always had a s***ty technique and relied heavily on exceptional hand eye coordination. He's older now, and whatever used to allow him to compensate for those technical flaws doesn't look as sharp anymore. I just don't think he still has the goods for international cricket. I'll repeat, I hope he proves me wrong.
If it were up to me, I would drop Taylor and bring in Matty Campbell or Panashe Taruvinga.
Quoted from Andy31 in post #46767
Wes stays in for nine.
He made a start and had a good last ODI series.
I do want to see Burl and Maru get a go at some stage.
Man, I like Wes, but I'm starting to wonder whether he has reached his ceiling.
He's been around international cricket long enough now that we should be seeing more than promising starts. He is good enough for a sexy 20 or 30, but he still hasn't figured out how to consistently turn those starts into match-defining scores. At some point, potential has to become production.
Do we really want another Vusi Sibanda in the team?
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Edited
[/quote]
Man, I like Wes, but I'm starting to wonder whether he has reached his ceiling.
He's been around international cricket long enough now that we should be seeing more than promising starts. He is good enough for a sexy 20 or 30, but he still hasn't figured out how to consistently turn those starts into match-defining scores. At some point, potential has to become production.
Do we really want another Vusi Sibanda in the team?
[/quote]
I will try and give my reasoning some context. Hopefully it makes sense.
Wes career for me can be measured in pre dope and post dope.
Pre dope ban
Test average 0
ODI average 22
T20i average 22
Promising start and then over selected in poor form.
Post dope
Test average 29
ODI average 27
T20i average 13
I believe as batter, his more an ODI and Test man.
He would need to be able to bowl 4 overs a game to be considered in T20i and even then is a stretch at the moment.
Through out time I don’t think Zim have had many players averaging 40 for sustained times in most formats.
So at best we have one or two world class batters at a time.
A few handy 30s as well.To me a pass mark average for a national batter needs to be above 25.
I come at this number not to celebrate mediocrity but just trying to be realistic.
At the moment Wes above that post ban and hope he continues to improve on that.
Now the argument about being gifted games over others and others not getting as long as a rope. I feel others are quick to blame Wes and others, instead of just calling out the selectors.
Man, I like Wes, but I'm starting to wonder whether he has reached his ceiling.
He's been around international cricket long enough now that we should be seeing more than promising starts. He is good enough for a sexy 20 or 30, but he still hasn't figured out how to consistently turn those starts into match-defining scores. At some point, potential has to become production.
Do we really want another Vusi Sibanda in the team?
[/quote]
I will try and give my reasoning some context. Hopefully it makes sense.
Wes career for me can be measured in pre dope and post dope.
Pre dope ban
Test average 0
ODI average 22
T20i average 22
Promising start and then over selected in poor form.
Post dope
Test average 29
ODI average 27
T20i average 13
I believe as batter, his more an ODI and Test man.
He would need to be able to bowl 4 overs a game to be considered in T20i and even then is a stretch at the moment.
Through out time I don’t think Zim have had many players averaging 40 for sustained times in most formats.
So at best we have one or two world class batters at a time.
A few handy 30s as well.To me a pass mark average for a national batter needs to be above 25.
I come at this number not to celebrate mediocrity but just trying to be realistic.
At the moment Wes above that post ban and hope he continues to improve on that.
Now the argument about being gifted games over others and others not getting as long as a rope. I feel others are quick to blame Wes and others, instead of just calling out the selectors.
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If NPL is questionable when ZC use those stats to pick takaz players then it’s equally questionable to use to justify BT 😂
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ShareBut what other cricket can you really base performance on, yeah it's no secret the NPL is weak, but the domestic cricket season don't start to October, the only cricket to play and perform at is the NPL. You can only play what's in front of you too, I hope he proves doubters wrong . Yes BT never has had a great technique, but let's face it Sean Williams doesn't, Brian Bennet doesn't, some of the best batsmen historically have s***ty techniques.. Hand eye coordination and having a great is enough, Bennett, Williams, Raza, Ervine , Taylor, who's technique is ahit, they're all pretty bad. I suppose I just hope he shows the fans he is still head and shoulders above anyone ready to take his place... 🤝🏻✌🏻🤞🏻
Thomas Purcell
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Quoted from AusBiggestZimCricFan in post #46806
But what other cricket can you really base performance on, yeah it's no secret the NPL is weak, but the domestic cricket season don't start to October, the only cricket to play and perform at is the NPL. You can only play what's in front of you too, I hope he proves doubters wrong . Yes BT never has had a great technique, but let's face it Sean Williams doesn't, Brian Bennet doesn't, some of the best batsmen historically have s***ty techniques.. Hand eye coordination and having a great is enough, Bennett, Williams, Raza, Ervine , Taylor, who's technique is ahit, they're all pretty bad. I suppose I just hope he shows the fans he is still head and shoulders above anyone ready to take his place... 🤝🏻✌🏻🤞🏻
I think he showed he's still got it in the 2nd ODI.
The world cup is still a while away and we have plenty of matches lined up. He should earn his way to the world cup with runs not his reputation. Same goes for all the other 40+ year olds.
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how many is plenty? Saw in one of the matches Australia had like 12 including this series before the World Cup. Seems crazy.
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