The title says it all. But what ido the admin think and the rest of the Zimbabwe Cricket Forum users think.
Personally, I critique a great number of issues I see, but I give him credit when it's deserved, such as this instance, and for Zimbabwe Cricket and it's increased fixtures list over the last few years, particularly against stronger opposition. Fighting for Zims inclusion into the WTC, hopefully for the Next addition, 2027/2029. This is historic none the less, the first member from Zimbabwe Cricket to hold such a huge role on the running of the ICC . He was also an advocate for the Olympic committee to take on cricket prior to ro the ICC really jumping on board, his vision was for the 2020 Olympic games of course.
But what do you think ? .....🤔?
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New ICC deputy Chairman Zimbabwe Crickets Chairman Mr. Tavengwa Mukuhlani
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Quoted from AusBiggestZimCricFan in post #46809
The title says it all. But what ido the admin think and the rest of the Zimbabwe Cricket Forum users think.
Personally, I critique a great number of issues I see, but I give him credit when it's deserved, such as this instance, and for Zimbabwe Cricket and it's increased fixtures list over the last few years, particularly against stronger opposition. Fighting for Zims inclusion into the WTC, hopefully for the Next addition, 2027/2029. This is historic none the less, the first member from Zimbabwe Cricket to hold such a huge role on the running of the ICC . He was also an advocate for the Olympic committee to take on cricket prior to ro the ICC really jumping on board, his vision was for the 2020 Olympic games of course.
But what do you think ? .....🤔?
Agreed.
There are certainly areas where the current administration deserves credit. Zimbabwe's senior representative teams have played plenty of cricket against strong opposition in recent years, and I certainly hope Mukuhlani becoming ICC VP will help facilitate Zimbabwe's inclusion in the Test championship.
The NPL deserves credit as well. This year's competitions were well organised, and I think the NPL has the potential to become an important bridge between schools cricket and FC cricket. I still hold the view that national team players should not be selected using NPL performances.
Women's cricket is also receiving considerably more attention. Again, that's a positive.
My biggest concern, however, is less an administrative issue in isolation and more a systemic one.
We still have 40+ year olds playing international cricket! Taylor, Raza, Ervine and Cremer have all served Zimbabwe extremely well, so this isn't a criticism of them. If they remain among the best players available, they have every right to be selected.
The problem is that Zimbabwe should not still be dependent on 40 year olds. A healthy cricket system should constantly be producing younger players capable of challenging established internationals and eventually replacing them. Instead, Zimbabwe has struggled to produce enough younger batsmen who have demonstrated that they can displace BT's generation at international level.
Mukuhlani has been at the helm for a long time now. I would genuinely like to hear his explanation for why Zimbabwe has struggled so badly to develop international standard batsmen during that period.
Where does he think the system is failing? Is it schools cricket? Club cricket? Coaching? The transition into franchise cricket? The standard of domestic competition? Player identification and development? Something else entirely?
And, most importantly, what is Zimbabwe Cricket doing differently now to ensure that we aren't having exactly the same conversation after the 2027 World Cup?
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Quoted from AusBiggestZimCricFan in post #46809
The title says it all. But what ido the admin think and the rest of the Zimbabwe Cricket Forum users think.
Personally, I critique a great number of issues I see, but I give him credit when it's deserved, such as this instance, and for Zimbabwe Cricket and it's increased fixtures list over the last few years, particularly against stronger opposition. Fighting for Zims inclusion into the WTC, hopefully for the Next addition, 2027/2029. This is historic none the less, the first member from Zimbabwe Cricket to hold such a huge role on the running of the ICC . He was also an advocate for the Olympic committee to take on cricket prior to ro the ICC really jumping on board, his vision was for the 2020 Olympic games of course.
But what do you think ? .....🤔?
Agreed.
There are certainly areas where the current administration deserves credit. Zimbabwe's senior representative teams have played plenty of cricket against strong opposition in recent years, and I certainly hope Mukuhlani becoming ICC VP will help facilitate Zimbabwe's inclusion in the Test championship.
The NPL deserves credit as well. This year's competitions were well organised, and I think the NPL has the potential to become an important bridge between schools cricket and FC cricket. I still hold the view that national team players should not be selected using NPL performances.
Women's cricket is also receiving considerably more attention. Again, that's a positive.
My biggest concern, however, is less an administrative issue in isolation and more a systemic one.
We still have 40+ year olds playing international cricket! Taylor, Raza, Ervine and Cremer have all served Zimbabwe extremely well, so this isn't a criticism of them. If they remain among the best players available, they have every right to be selected.
The problem is that Zimbabwe should not still be dependent on 40 year olds. A healthy cricket system should constantly be producing younger players capable of challenging established internationals and eventually replacing them. Instead, Zimbabwe has struggled to produce enough younger batsmen who have demonstrated that they can displace BT's generation at international level.
Mukuhlani has been at the helm for a long time now. I would genuinely like to hear his explanation for why Zimbabwe has struggled so badly to develop international standard batsmen during that period.
Where does he think the system is failing? Is it schools cricket? Club cricket? Coaching? The transition into franchise cricket? The standard of domestic competition? Player identification and development? Something else entirely?
And, most importantly, what is Zimbabwe Cricket doing differently now to ensure that we aren't having exactly the same conversation after the 2027 World Cup?
Well said. Apologies for the late post reply. I honestly think they actually have the senior guys covered post 2027 ODI world cup, how that's done, in terms of the transition etc, I'm not too sure. But I believe the point we will see who at the least Zimbabwe are investing in, will be the squads for the domestic season. I think your Nick Welch &;Matt Welch, the Frosts, and the Campbell's, are all in a position to take over from the seniors. I think a large portion of players will be through the under 19 players the best of them, I believe some of the Ahsan Ali, I think Naqviz I honestly think it's already been put in motion. Infact the world cup is going to bring in more juniors in grass roots, especially if we do well. I think the biggest stress is the board itself. We need fresh eyes on the product. Cricket is interesting when it comes to coaching, players are picked because the talents there already, they don't need to be coached in that sense, they need to know when to attack when to defend when to leave, understand game situations, and sports psychologist to help read game situations, and realise in ODI cricket and test cricket you have so much more time than you think. I think our bowlers is the stressful issue in terms of quality that can land a ball 6 times in the same area. I don't know what it is, but people talk of Zimbabwe and it's incredible bowling attack, and granted it's not the worst it's been, but it's very inconsistent, including Brad Evans. They need to invest in a real great bowling coach. Courtney Walsh great bowler, is he a great coach ? Not sure yet, we need a spin coach, Cremer maybe the man. I honestly could go on forever, and I know I'm rambling now, so I'll stop.. Cheers .
Thomas Purcell
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You are way more optimistic than I am Tom. Maybe I am blowing things out of proportion, but things could get nasty after 2027. Here's why:
Batters frequently need time to find their feet in international cricket.
No need to expand too much on this. It's a well known fact, and there are even academic studies supporting the idea.
Players coming from a weaker domestic environment may require even more time to adapt.
The Logan Cup simply isn't a particularly high standard of cricket. Tsiga was scoring centuries for fun in the Logan Cup last season, yet has barely passed 15 in all his Test outings. I have no doubt that he's a good player, but he probably needs time to adjust to the enormous jump in quality. Or maybe he is just another Maruma. Time will tell.
The same applies to Naqvi, Ali Frost, Matt Campbell, Taruvinga and others coming through the system. They will need international innings to learn what works, what doesn't, and how to deal with bowlers and conditions they simply do not encounter regularly in domestic cricket. The problem is that they aren't being given much of that time now.
Somehow, the plan appears to be to get through the 2027 World Cup with the old guard and then expect the next group to jump into international cricket afterwards and figure it out on the fly.
Over-reliance on Ervine, Raza and Taylor through 2027 risks creating an experience cliff afterwards.
Throw Williams into that group as well if he returns for the World Cup.
To be clear, I don't begrudge any of them for getting picked. If they are good enough to be selected, they should play.
The problem is succession.
After 2027, most or all of them will be gone. At least Bennett, Kaia and Curran should still be around and will have accumulated some international experience, which helps enormously. But behind them could be a group of batsmen being asked to make the transition from Logan Cup cricket to international cricket almost simultaneously.
That is a hell of a difficult way to rebuild a batting order.
Put all of the above together, and I think sub-200 totals could become considerably more frequent.
Zimbabwe's batting isn't particularly strong even now, but Raza, Ervine, Taylor and Williams have repeatedly rescued us over the years. On occasion, they have won matches almost by themselves.
Curran, Kaia and Bennett are very good players, and one or more of them may develop into genuinely consistent international batsmen. But without the 40+ guys around them, they suddenly become the experienced core of the batting line-up rather than the players developing alongside it. That is a completely different burden.
If they struggle for form, Zimbabwe could end up with a batting order containing several players who are all trying to learn international cricket at the same time.
And that leaves Zimbabwe with one obvious route to winning matches: the bowlers.
Muzarabani, Ngarava, Newman and Evans have shown that they can keep Zimbabwe competitive. They can defend modest totals, take wickets and squeeze opposition batting line ups.
But "squeeze the opposition in the field" cannot be your entire long term strategy. Against weaker batting sides, or in helpful conditions, it might be enough. Against strong batting sides on flat wickets, Zimbabwe could get absolutely pummelled.
Talented as the next generation may be, the danger is that we wait until the old guard retires before giving that next generation the international innings they need to become good enough.
Batters frequently need time to find their feet in international cricket.
No need to expand too much on this. It's a well known fact, and there are even academic studies supporting the idea.
Players coming from a weaker domestic environment may require even more time to adapt.
The Logan Cup simply isn't a particularly high standard of cricket. Tsiga was scoring centuries for fun in the Logan Cup last season, yet has barely passed 15 in all his Test outings. I have no doubt that he's a good player, but he probably needs time to adjust to the enormous jump in quality. Or maybe he is just another Maruma. Time will tell.
The same applies to Naqvi, Ali Frost, Matt Campbell, Taruvinga and others coming through the system. They will need international innings to learn what works, what doesn't, and how to deal with bowlers and conditions they simply do not encounter regularly in domestic cricket. The problem is that they aren't being given much of that time now.
Somehow, the plan appears to be to get through the 2027 World Cup with the old guard and then expect the next group to jump into international cricket afterwards and figure it out on the fly.
Over-reliance on Ervine, Raza and Taylor through 2027 risks creating an experience cliff afterwards.
Throw Williams into that group as well if he returns for the World Cup.
To be clear, I don't begrudge any of them for getting picked. If they are good enough to be selected, they should play.
The problem is succession.
After 2027, most or all of them will be gone. At least Bennett, Kaia and Curran should still be around and will have accumulated some international experience, which helps enormously. But behind them could be a group of batsmen being asked to make the transition from Logan Cup cricket to international cricket almost simultaneously.
That is a hell of a difficult way to rebuild a batting order.
Put all of the above together, and I think sub-200 totals could become considerably more frequent.
Zimbabwe's batting isn't particularly strong even now, but Raza, Ervine, Taylor and Williams have repeatedly rescued us over the years. On occasion, they have won matches almost by themselves.
Curran, Kaia and Bennett are very good players, and one or more of them may develop into genuinely consistent international batsmen. But without the 40+ guys around them, they suddenly become the experienced core of the batting line-up rather than the players developing alongside it. That is a completely different burden.
If they struggle for form, Zimbabwe could end up with a batting order containing several players who are all trying to learn international cricket at the same time.
And that leaves Zimbabwe with one obvious route to winning matches: the bowlers.
Muzarabani, Ngarava, Newman and Evans have shown that they can keep Zimbabwe competitive. They can defend modest totals, take wickets and squeeze opposition batting line ups.
But "squeeze the opposition in the field" cannot be your entire long term strategy. Against weaker batting sides, or in helpful conditions, it might be enough. Against strong batting sides on flat wickets, Zimbabwe could get absolutely pummelled.
Talented as the next generation may be, the danger is that we wait until the old guard retires before giving that next generation the international innings they need to become good enough.
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Quoted from admin in post #47100
You are way more optimistic than I am Tom. Maybe I am blowing things out of proportion, but things could get nasty after 2027. Here's why:
Batters frequently need time to find their feet in international cricket.
No need to expand too much on this. It's a well known fact, and there are even academic studies supporting the idea.
Players coming from a weaker domestic environment may require even more time to adapt.
The Logan Cup simply isn't a particularly high standard of cricket. Tsiga was scoring centuries for fun in the Logan Cup last season, yet has barely passed 15 in all his Test outings. I have no doubt that he's a good player, but he probably needs time to adjust to the enormous jump in quality. Or maybe he is just another Maruma. Time will tell.
The same applies to Naqvi, Ali Frost, Matt Campbell, Taruvinga and others coming through the system. They will need international innings to learn what works, what doesn't, and how to deal with bowlers and conditions they simply do not encounter regularly in domestic cricket. The problem is that they aren't being given much of that time now.
Somehow, the plan appears to be to get through the 2027 World Cup with the old guard and then expect the next group to jump into international cricket afterwards and figure it out on the fly.
Over-reliance on Ervine, Raza and Taylor through 2027 risks creating an experience cliff afterwards.
Throw Williams into that group as well if he returns for the World Cup.
To be clear, I don't begrudge any of them for getting picked. If they are good enough to be selected, they should play.
The problem is succession.
After 2027, most or all of them will be gone. At least Bennett, Kaia and Curran should still be around and will have accumulated some international experience, which helps enormously. But behind them could be a group of batsmen being asked to make the transition from Logan Cup cricket to international cricket almost simultaneously.
That is a hell of a difficult way to rebuild a batting order.
Put all of the above together, and I think sub-200 totals could become considerably more frequent.
Zimbabwe's batting isn't particularly strong even now, but Raza, Ervine, Taylor and Williams have repeatedly rescued us over the years. On occasion, they have won matches almost by themselves.
Curran, Kaia and Bennett are very good players, and one or more of them may develop into genuinely consistent international batsmen. But without the 40+ guys around them, they suddenly become the experienced core of the batting line-up rather than the players developing alongside it. That is a completely different burden.
If they struggle for form, Zimbabwe could end up with a batting order containing several players who are all trying to learn international cricket at the same time.
And that leaves Zimbabwe with one obvious route to winning matches: the bowlers.
Muzarabani, Ngarava, Newman and Evans have shown that they can keep Zimbabwe competitive. They can defend modest totals, take wickets and squeeze opposition batting line ups.
But "squeeze the opposition in the field" cannot be your entire long term strategy. Against weaker batting sides, or in helpful conditions, it might be enough. Against strong batting sides on flat wickets, Zimbabwe could get absolutely pummelled.
Talented as the next generation may be, the danger is that we wait until the old guard retires before giving that next generation the international innings they need to become good enough.
You definitely have a point admin, but I can argue that the next line of players are a little more matured than the situation of 2004, with a team of virtually only teens. So we can be a litttle more optimist than that.
Zimbabwe fan, long time lurker on the old ZCF
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While it’s true the current crop isn't as raw as the 2004 post-rebellion squad, the step-up in quality from the Logan Cup to international level remains huge. The key issue isn't just maturity—it's exposure.
If we keep playing the senior core (Raza, Ervine, Williams, Taylor) in every non-crucial fixture, the newer guys like Naqvi, Welch, and Campbell won't get enough top-tier match overs under pressure before 2027. A phased transition—gradually rotation-resting the veterans during home bilateral series or non-WTC fixtures—might be the only way to avoid the "experience cliff" admin mentioned without throwing the youngsters completely to the wolves.
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If we keep playing the senior core (Raza, Ervine, Williams, Taylor) in every non-crucial fixture, the newer guys like Naqvi, Welch, and Campbell won't get enough top-tier match overs under pressure before 2027. A phased transition—gradually rotation-resting the veterans during home bilateral series or non-WTC fixtures—might be the only way to avoid the "experience cliff" admin mentioned without throwing the youngsters completely to the wolves.
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Quoted from Junglebookonline in post #47102
While it’s true the current crop isn't as raw as the 2004 post-rebellion squad, the step-up in quality from the Logan Cup to international level remains huge. The key issue isn't just maturity—it's exposure.
If we keep playing the senior core (Raza, Ervine, Williams, Taylor) in every non-crucial fixture, the newer guys like Naqvi, Welch, and Campbell won't get enough top-tier match overs under pressure before 2027. A phased transition—gradually rotation-resting the veterans during home bilateral series or non-WTC fixtures—might be the only way to avoid the "experience cliff" admin mentioned without throwing the youngsters completely to the wolves.
Ideally this should be the path, but I guess we can't afford too many losses at this point, especially since we're on the way back from the wilderness of the last decade.
The aus series squad disappointed me. It was a no consequence series and ideal to experiment, but ZC just sent the same old squad with the addition of Taylor.
Zimbabwe fan, long time lurker on the old ZCF
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I actually feel like we have some good youngsters coming through - it seems more that the selectors are choosing to persist with the 40 year olds out of preference instead of need.
My All-time Zimbabwe XI
Neil Johnson, Brendan Taylor, Murray Goodwin, Andy Flower (w), David Houghton, Sean Williams, Heath Streak (c), Andy Blignaut, Paul Strang, Eddo Brandes, Blessing Muzarabani
Neil Johnson, Brendan Taylor, Murray Goodwin, Andy Flower (w), David Houghton, Sean Williams, Heath Streak (c), Andy Blignaut, Paul Strang, Eddo Brandes, Blessing Muzarabani
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Quoted from dandy in post #47101
You definitely have a point admin, but I can argue that the next line of players are a little more matured than the situation of 2004, with a team of virtually only teens. So we can be a litttle more optimist than that.
Agreed. The current crop of players is more mature than the 2004 group. I don't know if maturity will translate into test and ODI hundreds though. We'll find out after the world cup.
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Quoted from Junglebookonline in post #47102
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😂😂
Not even that streaming site old Sloan avoids like the plague? 🤔😂
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Quoted from Pat_Bee in post #47135
Quoted from Junglebookonline in post #47102
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😂😂
Not even that streaming site old Sloan avoids like the plague? 🤔😂
Especially that one 😂 I'm not a fan of gambling at all. Best to keep that crap away from this forum.
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Quoted from dandy in post #47101
You definitely have a point admin, but I can argue that the next line of players are a little more matured than the situation of 2004, with a team of virtually only teens. So we can be a litttle more optimist than that.
Agreed. The current crop of players is more mature than the 2004 group. I don't know if maturity will translate into test and ODI hundreds though. We'll find out after the world cup.
But sport is about wins and losses, I'd rather have our best Team play the WC and then transition the youngsters after that. Because regardless if we started transitioning the youngsters a year ago, Id have massive doubts if they'd be even good enough by 2027. I completely agree though with everything you're all are saying, and I would generally be 100% on board and agree that, we need transition asap. But it is Zimbabwe Cricket, things like this is actually quite easy to deal with being a supporter of Zimbabwe. I think blooding them in the tests and the T20i's is okay to do, but Odis are going to be played less frequently going forward in the next FTP, only really going to have focus on Odis in the last 12 to 18 months prior to the next ODI WC. They are thinking of giving them more context, like playing Triangular series and Quadrangular series in between, but generally speaking, not to be part of every bilateral series. So let the seniors play the Odis the juniors both T20i and Tests. 🤔 I hope they are going to choose a decent squad in the Ireland series coming up shortly .
Thomas Purcell
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