troll3y
Active Member
Despite having not played international cricket for many months, Zimbabwe looked alright in their sole warmup game. Unfortunately, they've been completely outdone in the first two ODIs -- they've at least improved with the bat, but their bowlers just aren't taking wickets. Zimbabwe are better than this; it saddens me that the world will make a passing glance at the series (if we're lucky) and make the unfair assumption that they're hopeless and even undeserving of Test status.
Where's Ray Price for this series? Where's Elton Chigumbura? Graeme Cramer? Brian Vitori? Charles Coventry, even? At least Price (and Cramer) will be there for the Tests, but the bowling ranks really missed someone of his calibre and experience. M'Shangwe looks okay, and Mutombodzi less so; their respective forms haven't been outstanding, and I can't really justify their selections. Kyle Jarvis and Chris Mpofu are pretty good front-line bowlers on their day, but when it's not their day (like Mpofu in the first game), there's no one (in the current squad) who can step up and take some of the weight off. I'm afraid that with the West Indies' form in the first two games, I don't see Zimbabwe's bowlers stopping a whitewash.
Anyway, I'm glad to see some improvements from the men in red, and I dearly, dearly hope it translates to the longer format of the game.
Where's Ray Price for this series? Where's Elton Chigumbura? Graeme Cramer? Brian Vitori? Charles Coventry, even? At least Price (and Cramer) will be there for the Tests, but the bowling ranks really missed someone of his calibre and experience. M'Shangwe looks okay, and Mutombodzi less so; their respective forms haven't been outstanding, and I can't really justify their selections. Kyle Jarvis and Chris Mpofu are pretty good front-line bowlers on their day, but when it's not their day (like Mpofu in the first game), there's no one (in the current squad) who can step up and take some of the weight off. I'm afraid that with the West Indies' form in the first two games, I don't see Zimbabwe's bowlers stopping a whitewash.
Anyway, I'm glad to see some improvements from the men in red, and I dearly, dearly hope it translates to the longer format of the game.