Zimbabwe Triangular Series

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Boris

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Zimbabwe Triangular Series

The series is coming to its latter stages now, but has been an interesting series between Zimbabwe, India and Sri Lanka.

Points Table:
Code: 
Teams       Mat   Won    Lost   Tied	   N/R	   Pts	   Net RR	   For	            Against
Sri Lanka    3	   2	   1	   0	   0	   9	   +0.288	   631/113.4	   629/119.3
Zimbabwe     3	   2	   1	   0	   0	   9	   +0.176	   604/112.4	   598/115.2
India        4	   1	   3	   0	   0	   4	   -0.278	   990/193.3	   998/185.0

Results:

1st Match: Zimbabwe v India at Bulawayo - May 28, 2010
Zimbabwe won by 6 wickets (with 10 balls remaining)
India 285/5 (50 ov); Zimbabwe 289/4 (48.2 ov)

2nd Match: India v Sri Lanka at Bulawayo - May 30, 2010
India won by 7 wickets (with 39 balls remaining)
Sri Lanka 242 (49.5 ov); India 243/3 (43.3 ov)

3rd Match: Zimbabwe v Sri Lanka at Bulawayo - Jun 1, 2010
Sri Lanka won by 9 wickets (with 64 balls remaining)
Zimbabwe 118 (24.5/26 ov); Sri Lanka 119/1 (15.2/26 ov)

4th Match: Zimbabwe v India at Harare - Jun 3, 2010
Zimbabwe won by 7 wickets (with 70 balls remaining)
India 194/9 (50 ov); Zimbabwe 197/3 (38.2 ov)

5th Match: India v Sri Lanka at Harare - Jun 5, 2010
Sri Lanka won by 6 wickets (with 10 balls remaining)


Zimbabwe are going really well. It's hard to tell whether they have improved a lot, or whether it's just that India is quite bad at the moment with their young side, but India did ram home a win against Sri Lanka, only to then be beaten again against Zimbabwe and another loss to Sri Lanka to knock them out of the comp.

At the moment Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka are playing a dead rubber before the final on the 9th. Zimbabwe are looking pretty strong after sending Sri Lanka into bat. The Lankans got off to a good start, putting on a 122 run stand before the first wicket fell, but then Cremer, Utseya and Masakadza ensured some quick and cheap wickets fell to get them to 198/5 after the 38th over. Run rate isn't too bad for Sri Lanka, but they haven't much fuel left in the tank.

It looks like Zimbabwe's four prong spin attack is working well. Chigumbura is a little expensive early on in the innings as he opens the bowling, but that is about the only bad point I can see to it. They have improved quite a bit. Also the best thing I have noticed is that Zimbabwe's fielding has been great. They take all their standard catches and also cling on to the harder ones in general. They keep the run rate down with some good diving stops and there batting hasn't been too shabby either.

Bangladesh is also going quite well in England. Looks like this is the month of the minnows.

Not sure who to go for in this game. Sri Lanka is my third pick team, but Zimbabwe have been playing so much better now. Just hope for a good game.
 
Re: Zimbabwe Triangular Series

After some shabby running Samaweera is run out and Sri Lanka go 6 down, now for 200 runs at over 40.3.
 
Re: Zimbabwe Triangular Series

Mpofu take out two more. Sri Lanka 226/8 and falling down a little here. 4 more overs to go, the should be aiming for 250 but I doubt they will get there with the wickets left.

Still got to chase these down though, Sri Lanka's bowling attack is their strong point, especially when they are defending. They would want to get these wickets within the next couple of overs for as little runs as possible to ensure themselves a chance.
 
Re: Zimbabwe Triangular Series

I say it and they do it. Sri Lanka all out for 236. Still a decent amount to chase down against this side, but much better than the 300+ that was being threatened. Good effort Zimbabwe.
 
Re: Zimbabwe Triangular Series

someblokecalleddave;401372 said:
Boris - what do you reckon to Ray Price?
Click to expand...

I like him, just like all of the Zimbabwe spinners.

They are weird in a way though, they have a brilliant record of late, but there's nothing special about them

None of them get much flight, none get big turn, they don't have any variations. But what they do have is bowling to a plan.

Price bowls a leg stump line that works very well in ODIs. Normally bowling leg stump means either a negative plan or bowling that will get dispatched, but not the way he does it. He attacks the leg stump to a pretty heavy leg side field, and bowls different lengths and speeds with variation and slowly works out where they don't like it. Then bowls it there consistently. He bowls it exactly where the batsmen don't want it, which is the key to the Zimbabwe spinning attack. He then goes for the variation of the ball hitting or just outside off stump and does catch some batsmen out with it. He is very economical and gets some decent wickets, mostly from frustration of the batsmen.

This being said, though, I don't think it will work in Tests. I haven't seen Zimbabwe play in a Test for a long time, but spin bowling in Test matches as you know is quite different. A batsman will quite happily block all day on the leg stump, then hit the short or full ones for four, until the umpire calls him for a negative line. I think this is why Zimbabwe don't go so well in Tests as they are of late with ODIs.

It's a unique attack they have and it works quite well.
 
Re: Zimbabwe Triangular Series

Zimbabwe quite comfortably beat Sri Lanka in the end.

Brendan Taylor more than helped out with a 119* off 137 balls and along with a 58 (81) from Chibhabha stabilised the loss of an early wicket and went on for a match winning partnership.

They chased down the 236 in 47.5 overs, timed it perfectly.

I only got to watch highlights for the run chase as it was well past my bedtime but from what I see it was clinical (a very annoyingly overused word in the media :D) and it was like they were a top team in world cricket just going about their business.

Good game.
 
Re: Zimbabwe Triangular Series

And here is the final.

Sri Lanka has put Zimbabwe into bat in a series where nobody batting first has won.

Masakadza poked around for a 23 ball 4 after being toyed with by Kulasekara, and Fernando has also been bowling very well.

That is Zim's only wicket so far, the score 15/1 at over 6.2. The run rate is worrying, and the bowlers are pumped up. Taylor and Taibu have to survive this session of play to give Zimbabwe a chance IMO. Taylor's the man to make this happen, as he has been this whole series.
 
Re: Zimbabwe Triangular Series

Just as Taylor started things on track, a superman catch stops him.

Taylor breezed 19 off 22 quite easily, until Samaraweera put an end to it.

Brilliant catch at gully, Taylor opened the face and glided it off the middle of the bat very low and away to the right of Samaraweera. Fernando bowled it and was just as stunned as Taylor. Unfortunate, but brilliant fielding.

Ervine comes out, and first ball cops one to the head from Fernando. Sri Lanka are looking like going for the kill here.
 
Re: Zimbabwe Triangular Series

147/4 from 39 overs.

Zimbabwe have survived alright. Taibu made a good 71 (93) before a soft dismissal. Lamb and Chigumbura are in now, Lamb on 33 (66) and Elton on 7 (13).

Run rate is much behind. From the 30 over mark a score of about 215 looked likely. The loss of Taibu doesn't help, but they have wickets in hand. They need 250 to be able to do anything.
 
Re: Zimbabwe Triangular Series

Well it looks like this tournament is going to stay true to itself. Bowl first and you win.

Zimbabwe were looking alright for about an hour and a half, just needed to lift the run rate a little. I wonder if they should have taken the batting powerplay when Taibu and Lamb were set.

Too late now they. Once Taibu and then Lamb got out everything went downhill. Zimbabwe are all out for 199.

Sri Lanka should chase this down, unless the Zimbabwe bowlers somehow prove themselves better than what Sri Lanka just pulled off.
 
Re: Zimbabwe Triangular Series

Zimbabwe did everything right but win the tournament. It's a shame but they were the better side for most of the series with the exception of the final.
 
Re: Zimbabwe Triangular Series

It is a shame, but Sri Lanka didn't play too badly over the course of the series. Their first lost was to India with a couple of injuries and having to bat first (as the series seems to have been decided by), and the second one they lost they also had to bat first and Zimbabwe walked over them after they rested 4 of their key players.

It shows that Sri Lanka doesn't really have the best Second XI available right now, but their Firsts are pretty good and steady. What gets me now is that Ajantha Mendis was just dropped for 'strategy reasons' after having a very good series. He's been a bit wayward in the past couple of series but his form was nothing really to go dropping him over after his brilliant start to his career. Now he's out for strategy reasons. With Murali out with injury for the next few months as well it means Sri Lanka is down a front line spinner. Strange move, especially after he has bowled himself back into form, and I wonder just exactly what that strategy is.

All positives for Zimbabwe. Even though they had a loss in the final there really is nothing wrong with that series at all. Sri Lanka were the better team both times they played them and won, and when you can beat India consistently you know you are doing well. I can't remember when their next series is but I'm hoping against some stiff competition.
 
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