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**TheOneWhoBlocksFullTosses** · 07-10-2020, 09:29 AM

5 match T20 series v Ireland.

Zimbabwe have never been a great T20 side, even against strong associate nations. For this reason, the 15 man squad selected had 3 debutants in M’ganyama, spinner Tapiwa Mufudza (superb domestic T20 record), and seamer Victor Nyauchi. Ryan Burl made the squad despite his poor test showing, as did Mutumbani, and the aggressive Tari Musakanda.

1st T20

We prepared a pitch that favoured spin, as due to our weak batting Raza and Williams will likely be required to bowl some overs.
Team Selected: 1. Mutumbani (WK), 2. M’Ganyama (debut), 3. Taylor, 4. Ervine, 5. Williams, 6. Raza, 7. Musakanda, 8. Jarvis, 9. Mufudza (debut), 10. Nyauchi (debut), 11. Chatara.
Ireland named an all-pace attack and handed a debut to young batsman James McCollum. Oddly, Simi Singh with a T20I batting average of 10 was listed at number 4.
Ireland Team: 1. Stirling, 2. O’Brien, 3. Balbirnie, 4. Singh, 5. McCollum, 6. Wilson (WK), 7. Delany, 8. Kane, 9. Adair, 10. Rankin, 11. Young.
Ireland won the toss and made 160 (all out). James McCollum hit 60(32) on debut, and Balbirnie chipped in with 36(31). For us, the debutants impressed as Nyauchi (4/27) and Mufudza (2/22) both starred. Concerningly Williams and Raza combined for 5-0-0-53 between them. The total looked to be about par.
Our chase started shakily as Craig Young dismissed quickly dismissed M’Ganyama (5) and Mutumbani (11). However, Brendan Taylor rebuilt the innings with a patient 42 before Sean Williams 65*(33) and Tari Musakanda 21*(17) took us home in the 19^th over.
Result: Zimbabwe win by 5 wickets, lead the series 1-0.
2^nd T20
We made 2 changes for the team for the 2^nd T20I due to a spinning pitch. PJ Moor (T20I average of 25) replaced Mudzinganyama in the opening position, while Wellington Masakadza came in for the expensive Kyle Jarvis. Ireland named an unchanged side.
Winning the toss, we elected to bowl first. Ireland reached 154/5 thanks to contributions from Balbirnie (46), Stirling (40), and Singh (36*). Nyauchi (1/23) was again the pick of the bowlers while Chatara (1/24 off 4) and Raza (2/19 off 2) also contributed. Williams was again expensive, highlighting our need for a genuine 6^th bowling option.
The chase was an absolute disaster as we were bundled out for 106. Ervine (29) and Mutumbani (21) were the only batsmen to contribute. Bowler Mufudza committed the ultimate batting sin by running out both Raza (16) and Musakanda (4) to effectively kill the chase. All 6 Irish bowlers took at least 1 wicket in a dominant team display.
Ireland win by 48 runs, series tied 1-1.
3^rd T20
We made 2 changes and prepared a pitch that was less suited to spin. Elton Chigumbura replaced the disappointing Raza (T20I average of just 13), and Ryan Burl replaced Musakanda to give us some extra bowling.
For the 3^rd consecutive game Ireland batted first and led by a brilliant 87 from Balbirnie scored 7/170. Tendai Chatara was the star of the bowlers with 6/26 including 4 late wickets, while Elton Chigumbura (0/21 off 3) was also tidy. The spinners were expensive however going for 89 runs off their 9 combined overs.
Unlike the last game our batting fired under pressure. After Young dismissed the openers yet again (becoming a sorry pattern) Burl hit a ferocious 53(26) and was well assisted by Taylor 38(31) and Chigumbura 32*(19) who sealed the game. Burl was particularly impressive as he dismantled Mark Adair, who finished with the horrid figures of 0/62 (4). We won with 11 balls to spare.
Zimbabwe win by 5 wickets, lead 2-1
4^th T20
For this match we made only a single change in an effort to find our best bowling attack. Jarvis replaced the underwhelming Masakadza.
And at the 4^th attempt we batted first! And we promptly failed. Mutumbani was last man out for 64. The opening batsman outlasted the rest of the team who combined for just 59 runs between them. Number 8 Mufudza was the second highest scorer with a paltry 14. Simi Singh took a hat-trick en route to 4/22 and Craig Young continued to impress with 3/13. We were left defending a low total of 124.
Ireland predictably chased down the total with ease as Balbirnie hit another rapid 50. Williams (1/11 off 3), Mufudza (1/21) and Jarvis (1/25) were the wicket-takers.
Result: Ireland win by 7 wickets, series tied at 2-2.
5^th T20:
The squad rotation continued as Mudzinganyama came in for PJ Moor who had made just 24 runs in 3 innings.
After our poor performance in the 4^th game we elected to bowl once more. Ireland made their way to a middling 7/159 as, after a fast start, an impressive spell from Nyauchi (3/31) reined back their scoring rate. Gary Wilson top-scored with 31 while Williams also took 2 wickets and Mufudza bowled tightly.
We fell narrowly short as the batting collapsed once again. Sean Williams hit 79*(49) to almost steal victory, but, as had happened so many times before, he lacked any semblance of support. He did ruin Delany’s day however by hitting him for 42 in 2 overs. Meanwhile Adair took 4/24. Our score ended on 147.
Result: Ireland win the T20 Series 3-2.
This was a disappointing result in a series that we expected to win. The bowling was solid, if not amazing, but the batting was wildly inconsistent and ultimately caused our 3 losses.

Stats from Ireland T20Is:

Batting:
Williams 175 runs at 58.33, SR 170, 2x50 ; 3 wickets at 34.67 (econ 8.67)
Mutumbani: 121 runs at 24.2, SR 133 , 1x50.
Taylor: 117 runs at 23.4, SR 117.
Ervine: 77 runs at 15.4, SR 135.
Burl: 53 runs at 17.67, SR 177. 1x50, 2x 0. 0 wickets (Econ 12.5)
Chigumbura: 36 runs at 18, SR 150. 0 wickets (Econ 8.75)
Musakanda: 25 runs at 25, SR 104.
Moor: 24 runs at 8, SR 96.
Raza, 21 runs at 10.5, SR 161; 2 wickets at 20 (Econ 10)
M’Ganyama: 5 runs at 2.5, SR 83.

Bowling:
Chatara: 8 wickets at 16.37 (econ 7.56), 1x 5 wickets.
Nyauchi: 8 wickets at 18 (econ 7.78)
Jarvis: 5 wickets at 17.2 (econ 7.17)
Mufudza: 5 wickets at 27.8 (econ 6.95)
W Masakadza: 1 wicket at 59 (econ 8.43)
There were both positives and negatives to take from this series. Williams batted well, and Mutumbani and Taylor contributed (though both were guilty of throwing away starts). Burl also played a superb innings before following it with a pair of ducks. Moor, Raza, and M’Ganyama were all very disappointing with the bat.
Among the bowlers Nyauchi showed great promise in his first series, while Chatara and Jarvis were solid. Mufudza was also very economical. It was not our bowling that cost us the series.

Our next test will be a 3 match ODI series away against a strong Australian side.

**TheOneWhoBlocksFullTosses** · 07-11-2020, 03:12 AM

Australia were coming off a 2-1 ODI series victory against England in which Alex Carey, Travis Head, and Mitch Marsh had starred. This would be a tough challenge.

Squad for Australian ODIs:

With our eyes on qualifying for the 2023 World Cup we selected an inexperienced squad. Only 6 players had more than 50 ODI caps.
Mufudza and Nyauchi received their maiden ODI call-ups after their impressive T20I performances against Ireland, and Gary Chirimuuta (list-A average of 32.15, SR 87) was brought in as a potential finisher. Additionally, the experienced Elton Chigumbura was recalled, as was Prince Masvaure (batting average 29, bowling average 32). Due to our lack of stars I intended to rely heavily on all-rounders. Opener Tinashe Kamunukhanwe also received another chance to translate his domestic form onto the international level.

Batsmen: Craig Ervine, Brendan Taylor, Tinashe K’Khanwe, Gary Chirimuuta, Richmond Mutumbani (WK), Regis Chakabva (WK)

Allrounders: Sean Williams (C), Sikandar Raza, Elton Chigumbura, Prince Masvaure

Bowlers: Victor Nyauchi, Tendai Chatara, Brandon Mavuta, Tapiwa Mufudza, Carl Mumba.

1^st ODI

On a flat Perth pitch, we handed debuts to Mufudza and Nyauchi. The in-form Mutumbani edged out Chakabva as keeper.

1.Tinashe K’Khanwe, 2. Richmond Mutumbani (WK), 3. Craig Ervine, 4. Sean Williams (C), 5. Brendan Taylor, 6. Sikandar Raza, 7. Elton Chigumbura, 8. Tapiwa Mufudza, 9. Carl Mumba, 10. Victor Nyauchi, 11. Tendai Chatara.

Australia named a full-strength side with an all pace attack.

David Warner, 2. Aaron Finch, 3. Steve Smith, 4. Marnus Labuschagne, 5. Alex Carey, 6. Mitch Marsh, 7. Marcus Stoinis, 8. Jhye Richardson, 9. Mitch Starc, 10. Pat Cummins, 11. Josh Hazlewood.

We won the toss and elected to bowl. Australia began oddly defensively and after 20 overs they were just 1/49. After this point they began to attack our fifth bowler, taking 66 runs from the overs of Raza, Chigumbura, and Williams. Labuschagne made 76(62) and was supported by 50s from Finch and Smith. This took Australia to 279 all out. For us Mufudza (2/32) was impressive while Mumba (3/61) and Chatara (4/56) took wickets at the death, but also conceded 85 runs between them off the last 9 overs.

In response we slipped to 4/62 despite contributions from Williams (27) and Kamunukhanwe (18). It was at this point that Taylor (88) and Raza (93) combined to add 171 runs for the 5^th wicket. Raza’s dismissal however triggered a dramatic collapse, as we lost our last 7 wickets for just 14 runs (with 7 an over needed). Josh Hazlewood (7/24) annihilated our lower order and was the clear man of the match. Ducks from 7,8, and 9 were very disappointing, as we lost a golden opportunity to defeat Australia.

Result: Australia win by 32 runs, lead series 1-0.

2^nd ODI

The pitch for this match favoured pace bowling and frustratingly for us did not assist spin.

We made 2 changes with Masvaure and Chirimuuta coming in for K’Khanwe and Chigumbura. Australia brought in Darcy Short for Stoinis, who had bowled poorly in the first game.

Australia won the toss and elected to bowl. On a seaming pitch we were dismissed for just 217 in the last over, with Sean Williams left stranded on 98*. Aside from his fine effort Taylor made 38, and Victor Nyauchi fought hard from number 10 with a crucial 18(43) in a 57-run partnership with Williams that lifted us from 8/139 to a defendable, if below-par total. Starc was the best bowler with 4/39.
Australia chased the total down rather easily, passing our score with 10 overs and 6 wickets remaining. Masvaure (1/30) got his first international wicket while Mufudza (2/51) was also good. Ultimately, we lacked penetration and half centuries from Warner (72) and Smith (74) saw Australia comfortably home.

Result: Australia win by 6 wickets, lead series 2-0.

3^rd ODI

Australia served up another road, but this time rain was forecast. Both sides went in unchanged.

Rain struck immediately and the match was reduced to 43 overs. We bowled extremely well dismissing Australia for 195. Nyauchi (4/32 off 8) was superb, and Chatara (3/34 off 9) also bowled excellently. A fighting 65 from Labuschagne saved Australia from an indefensible total, but this was still very chaseable.

The rain returned and DLS favoured Australia. Our new target was 151 in 27 overs, which really should have been 130-135. The chase was dramatic as the strong Australian attack went for wickets. We reached 2/75 and seemed to have things under control before the dismissal of Mutumbani (27) triggered a collapse, as Pat Cummins (4/34) took 3 wickets within an over. Raza 43*(29) played another great innings to take us over the line with just one wicket in hand. Victor Nyauchi also hit the most important 13 runs of his career from Number 10.

Result, Zimbabwe win by 1 wicket, Australia win series 2-1.

Stats from Australia ODIs:

Batsmen:

Williams, 152 runs at 76, 1 wicket at 55
Raza, 139 runs at 69.5, 1 wicket at 58
Taylor, 126 runs at 42
Mutumbani, 33 runs at 11
Chirimuuta, 31 runs at 15.5
Masvaure, 25 runs at 12.5, 2 wickets at 25 (econ 5.77)
Ervine, 24 runs at 8.
T K’Khanwe, 18 runs at 18.
Chigumbura, 0 runs, 0 wickets (econ 4)

Bowlers:

Chatara, 14 runs at 14, 8 wickets at 18 (econ 5.05)
Nyauchi, 31 runs at 10.33, 4 wickets at 29.5 (econ 5.02)
Mufudza, 3 runs at 1, 4 wickets at 28.75 (econ 3.97)
Mumba, 0 runs at 0 (3 ducks), 4 wickets at 35.5 (econ 5.92)

This was a solid series from us, as our bowling impressed once again. Dismissing Australia twice was an achievement, and the newcomers contributed well with Mufudza bowling very tightly on unhelpful pitches, and Nyauchi sending down a match winning spell in the 3^rd ODI. Our batting was more mixed, but there were several standout innings from Williams, Raza, and Taylor. Outside of these 3 stars there were few contributions. Ervine was a major disappointment, outscored by even Nyauchi. Mumba also made 3 consecutive ducks from number 9 (soon to be 10).

Our next series is another challenging test, 3 ODIs at home against India.

**TheOneWhoBlocksFullTosses** · 07-11-2020, 07:02 AM

We made two changes to the squad from the Australia series. Uncapped bowling-allrounder Mohammad Faraz Akram replaced Carl Mumba, and Mutumbani was dropped for opener Brian Chari (leaving Chakabva as the only keeper in the squad).

Batsmen: Craig Ervine, Brendan Taylor, Tinashe K’Khanwe, Gary Chirimuuta, Regis Chakabva (WK), Brian Chari.

Allrounders: Sean Williams (C), Sikandar Raza, Elton Chigumbura, Prince Masvaure, Mohammad Faraz Akram (uncapped)

Bowlers: Victor Nyauchi, Tendai Chatara, Brandon Mavuta, Tapiwa Mufudza.

India thumped Mashonaland in the practice game, scoring 6/356. Shreyas Iyer hit an unbeaten 130, and Kohli (63), Gill (47) and Hardik Pandya (41*) all contributed. The only bowler in national contention playing in the match was Luke Jongwe who took 2/77 (10). In response Mashonaland made 198 all out with 22-year-old Aarsh Jha hitting 88(99) on list-A debut. Promising keeper Ryan Murray made a golden duck. Shami sent out warning signs taking 5/35.

First ODI
We prepared a spinning pitch, a risky move against India, however with 4 spinners in the XI it played to our strengths. Chakabva replaced the dropped Mutumbani, Chigumbura returned to the side in place of Chirimuuta, and Mavuta replaced the temporarily discarded Carl Mumba.

Regis Chakabva (WK), 2. Prince Masvaure, 3. Craig Ervine, 4. Sean Williams, 5. Brendan Taylor, 6. Sikandar Raza, 7. Elton Chigumbura, 8. Brandon Mavuta, 9. Tapiwa Mufudza, 10. Victor Nyauchi, 11. Tendai Chatara.

India oddly played 5 bowlers with Kuldeep Yadav coming in at 7. This could present us an opening.

Rohit Sharma, 2. Shikhar Dhawan, 3. Virat Kohli, 4. Shreyas Iyer, 5. Risabh Pant, 6, Hardik Pandya, 7. Kuldeep Yadav, 8. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9. Jasprit Bumrah, 10. Yuzvendra Chahal, 11. Mohammad Shami.

We won the toss and elected to bowl, hoping to restrict India to a middling total. India played an odd innings as other than a blistering 126(97) from Dhawan, the batting failed to fire. They were eventually dismissed for 271 in the 45^th over as Pant (61*) ran out of partners. The attempts of the tail to slog were very counter-productive, and from 4/231 India should have scored at least 300. Mavuta (2/64) Mavuta’d taking the vital wickets of Kohli and Iyer, while also being expensive. Nyauchi (3/45) cleaned up the tail and Raza (2/29) also bowled well. India’s extra bowler meant that this would be a tough chase, however.
The chase led to yet another honourable defeat as we were bowled out for 231 in the 47^th over. Masvaure (32) and Chakabva (27) started us off well, but we were still reduced to 74/4 after Chahal took 3 quick wickets. Taylor (62) and experimental number 6 Ervine (63) rebuilt the innings, but with the run-rate climbing both perished. Kumar (3/24) and Chahal (3/44) were the best of the bowlers, while Kuldeep (0/66) was poor, bowling a number of no-balls and full-tosses,
Result: India win by 41 runs, lead series 1-0.

2^nd ODI:

In similar conditions both sides went in unchanged. We strongly considered bringing in Faraz Akram for Chigumbura, but that would have left us with an unacceptably long tail.
Unlike in the first game we were able to expose the long Indian tail, but their end score of 261 all out was still solid. Mavuta (3/68) again took vital wickets but was expensive. He is becoming difficult to fit into the side as more control is required in a team that usually relies on containment rather than on blasting opposing lineups out. Nyauchi (3/57) cleaned up the tail, and Chatara (2/35) bowled an excellent initial spell.

And we finally put in a team performance with the bat! Ervine won the game with 70*(69) but Raza (63), Chakabva (48), and Nyauchi (17*) all contributed as we lost wickets but stayed on top of the run-rate. Despite Chahal taking 4/40 we were able to regroup after losing wickets and complete a famous victory. With the series level at 1-1 we went into the last game with a shot at defeating India in a series!

Result: Zimbabwe win by 2 wickets, series level at 1-1.

3rd ODI

Faraz Akram came in for Mavuta as we looked to neutralise the Indian spinners by asking the groundsmen to prepare a pitch which favoured seam bowling. Chirimuuta also replaced Chigumbura who had just 22 runs in 3 games this year.

India won the toss and sent us in to bat, having named an unchanged side.

Our innings was an absolute disaster as the top-order collapsed, with Masvaure (4), Chakabva (1), and Williams (6) all falling within the first 6 overs. Taylor (48) attempted to rebuild the innings, but no-one could craft a substantial innings with only Raza (26), Faraz Akram (21) and Chirimuuta (20) passing 15. We were dismissed in the 39^th over for a miserable 149. For India Kuldeep Yadav took 5/30, and we had no answers to his mystery spin.

The chase was a formality as India won by 7 wickets with 25 overs to spare. Faraz Akram (1/43) took his first international wicket, but his 5^th over went for 18 runs. Raza and Chatara were the other wicket-takers. Dhawan hit 67 runs finish with 252 runs @ 84, and was the clear player of the series.
Result: India win by 7 wickets, win series 2-1.

Stats from India ODIs:
Ervine: 134 runs @ 67, 2x 50.
Taylor: 120 runs @ 40, 1x50
Williams: 82 runs @ 27.33, 1x 50, 0 wickets (econ 10.25)
Chakabva: 76 runs @ 25.33
Masvaure: 52 runs @ 17.33, 0 wickets (econ 8)
Mufudza: 43 runs @ 14.33, 3 wickets @ 34.67 (econ 4.73)
Raza: 26 runs @ 8.67, 3 wickets @ 24 (econ 6.55)
Chigumbura: 22 runs @ 11, 0 wickets (econ 5.8)
Faraz Akram: 21 runs @ 21, 1 wicket @ 43 (econ 8.6)
Chirimuuta: 20 runs @ 20
Nyauchi: 18 runs @ 9, 6 wickets @ 22.83 (econ 6.52)
Chatara: 7 runs @ 7, 4 wickets @ 27 (econ 4.15)
Mavuta: 2 runs @ 2, 5 wickets @ 26.4 (econ 7.01)

Ervine and Taylor again batted well, while Chakabva batted reasonably as a keeper. The other batting spots remain an issue as Masvaure continues to struggle at international level, and Raza and Chigumbura had poor batting series.

Amongst the bowlers our lack of control was shown, as only Mufudza and Chatara conceded less tham 6 runs an over. The all-rounders were particularly expensive.

Our next series was a limited overs tour of Sri Lanka, in which we would have a genuine chance at victory after strong showings against Australia and India (2 victories, 2 narrow losses, 1 comfortable defeat, 1 thrashing). Despite our positives so far we had only a draw and three series losses to show.

**TheOneWhoBlocksFullTosses** · 07-12-2020, 04:04 AM

Tour of Sri Lanka

For the Sri Lanka ODI series we made 5 squad changes. Nyauchi suffered a serious knee injury and was replaced by uncapped paceman Cuthbert Musoko. Aside from this Masvaure, Chigumbura, K’Khanwe and Faraz Akram were all dropped, replaced by the experienced Chamu Chibhaba, Peter Moor, Luke Jongwe, and Kyle Jarvis.

Batsmen: Craig Ervine, Brendan Taylor, Gary Chirimuuta, Regis Chakabva (WK), Brian Chari, Peter Moor (WK), Chamu Chibhaba.

Allrounders: Sean Williams (C), Sikandar Raza, Luke Jongwe.

Bowlers: Tendai Chatara, Brandon Mavuta, Tapiwa Mufudza, Cuthbert Musoko (uncapped), Kyle Jarvis.

Practice Match against Nondescripts.

Our warm-up match was against the domestic side with the best name in world cricket. On a turning pitch we played 2 spinners, while Jongwe, Chari, and Jarvis came in for their first 50 over games of the season.

Brian Chari, 2. Regis Chakabva (WK), 3. Craig Ervine, 4. Sean Williams (C), 5. Brendan Taylor, 6. Sikandar Raza, 7. Luke Jongwe, 8. Brandon Mavuta, 9. Tapiwa Mufudza, 10. Kyle Jarvis, 11. Tendai Chatara.

Nondescripts named a strong side with 4 current internationals and young gun Pathum Nissanka

Pathum Nissanka, 2. Niroshan Dickwella, 3. Lahiru Udara, 4. Nimesha Gunasinghe, 5. Lahiru Thirimanne, 6. Mahela Udawatte, 7. Chaturanga de Silva, 8. Lahiru Ambuldeniya, 9. Lasith Malinga, 10. Dilesh Gunaratne, 11. Sachinda Colombage.

We won the toss and elected to bowl under cloudy skies. Our bowling performance was highly impressive as we dismissed them for just 165. Chatara (3/12 off 7) and Mavuta (4/45) were the stars. Jongwe (1/36) also bowled a tight spell. Only Thirimanne (39) and Chaturanga de Silva (32) passed 30.

The chase was comfortable, if filled with several embarrassing errors. Chari (68 off 94) and Ervine (52 off 47) took us to 2/155 before we lost 4 quick wickets and limped over the line. Luke Jongwe (0) was run out by the bowler, as he was ecstatic to middle a forward defensive and set off for a non-existent single. Still, it was a comfortable win, albeit one that showed a lack of discipline.

1^st ODI:

On a flat pitch Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat

Avishka Fernando, 2. Dimuth Karunaratne, 3. Kusal Mendis, 4. Angelo Mathews, 5. D De Silva, 6. Kusal Perera (WK), 7. Wanindu Hasaranga, 8. Akhila Dananjaya, 9. Lahiru Kumara, 10. Asitha Fernando, 11. Nuwan Pradeep.

We went in unchanged from the warm-up match. Our bowling looked strong, but Jongwe at 7 left a long tail.

Karunaratne led from the front with a fine 132(136) but received little support as Sri Lanka were dismissed for 244. For us Jarvis starred with 5/39 including a late hat-trick, while Tendai Chatara (2/29 off 7) and Mavuta (1/36 off 10) were also solid. Jongwe (0/44 off 6) was erratic.

The chase was a very solid one as Chari (71), Ervine (67) and Williams (54*) all hit half-centuries. We won by 4 wickets with 4 balls remaining, despite a few setbacks. Chari impressed, as his cautious knock anchored our innings and ensured that Williams and Ervine could play their shots. This was a professional victory against a decent team. Lahiru Kumara was the best bowler taking 4/33.

Zimbabwe win by 4 wickets, lead 3 match series 1-0.

2^nd ODI:

On a pitch offering nothing to bowlers we made 2 changes. Chamu Chibhaba came in for Jongwe, and Musoko replaced the conditional Mavuta to make his debut. Sri Lanka made one change, bringing in bowling all-rounder Isuru Udana for Nuwan Pradeep.

They again won the toss and elected to bat under cloudy skies at the SSC.

Sri Lanka reached 7/251 on the back of a fine 83(65) from Avishka Fernando and a patient 78*(101) from Angelo Mathews. For us, Musoko continued the impressive debutant trend taking 2/39 (10). Jarvis took 2/48, and Williams bowled out for the first time this season in the absence of Jongwe, taking 3/60.

The run-chase was another heartbreaker. Despite a valiant 49 from Ervine we had sunk to 8/146 before Kyle Jarvis (35 off 33) added 72 with Musoko to take us to 9/218. Still requiring 34 for victory, Musoko played a series of beautiful shots on debut but was ultimately stranded on 62*(47) as last man Chatara was LBW to Dananjaya with 8 runs still required. Considering that Musoko had a list-A average of 8.67 before this knock, it was a truly outstanding innings. He was man of the match on debut

Result: Sri Lanka win by 7 runs, series tied at 1-1.

3^rd ODI

For the third ODI the pitch was extremely flat. As such we decided not to make any changes. Sri Lanka on the other hand made a single change, bringing in Dasun Shanaka for Isuru Udana. This meant that they batted deep, with Hasaranga at 8. They won the toss and elected to bat.

A decent bowling performance kept them to 9/270. Jarvis (4/45) was the star, while Mufudza (2/37) and Chibhaba (1/31 off 6) also performed their roles. Williams (0/32 off 3) was awfully expensive. The Sri Lankan batting performance was a team effort with Avishka Fernando’s aggressive 55 the highest individual score.

The chase was possibly the best by Zimbabwe in an ODI as we won by 8 wickets with 6 overs to spare. After the early loss of Chari (5), Chakabva made an aggressive 35(35). His dismissal left us at 2/91. It was at this point that Williams came to the crease to join Ervine, who was, at that stage, on 42*. Together they added an unbeaten 180 as Ervine (138* off 154) and Williams (87* off 79) both played superb innings. The Sri Lankan bowling barely created a chance for 30 overs, and the result was a comprehensive Zimbabwean victory.

Result: Zimbabwe win by 8 wickets, win series 2-1.

With this victory our ODI ‘score’ moved to 9points, leaving us just 3 points behind 9^th placed Sri Lanka, and 2 points clear of 11^th placed Afghanistan.

Stats from Sri Lanka ODIS:

Ervine: 254 runs @ 127, 1x 100, 1x 50.
Williams: 159 runs @ 159, 2x unbeaten 50, 3 wickets at 35 (econ 7.00)
Chari: 86 runs @ 28.67, 1x 50
Chakabva: 63 runs @ 21
Musoko: 62 runs @ infinite, 1x 50, 3 wickets at 33.33 (econ 5.26)
Jarvis: 35 runs @ 35, 11 wickets at 12.00 (econ 4.74)
Taylor: 28 runs @ 14
Raza: 13 runs @ 6.5, 1 wicket @ 36 (econ 9)
Jongwe: 14 runs @ 14, 0 wickets (econ 7.33)
Chibhaba: 12 runs @ 12, 1 wicket @ 31 (econ 5.17)
Mufudza: 11 runs @ 11, 3 wickets @ 43.33 (econ 4.33)
Chatara: 9 runs @ 9, 3 wickets @ 47.67 (econ 5.30)
Mavuta: 1 wicket @ 36 (econ 3.6)

Ervine, Williams, and the returning Jarvis were the stars of the series for us as the first two crafted match-winning innings, and the third bowled superbly in all 3 matches. Musoko also performed well in his first series, while Chari was solid if slow. Mufuza continued to be tight but his lack of wickets was starting to become an issue at this level. Raza and Chatara endured rare poor series, but this did not prove costly.

The next linked series was a pair of 2 T20s against Sri Lanka. Even a single victory would see us gain important ranking points in our bid to get into the top 8 of the rankings (and thus avoid the group stage of qualifying at the 2021 T20 World Cup).

**TheOneWhoBlocksFullTosses** · 07-12-2020, 07:57 AM

T20s v Sri Lanka

Since our last T20 series against Ireland, we had played 9 separate ODIs against 3 teams (4 wins, 5 losses). As such we made several changes to the squad which had underperformed in the Ireland series. Nyauchi was still recovering from injury and was replaced by the veteran seamer Tiripano. Legspinner Natsai Mupashingwe, known to be very economical, came in for his first T20I series since 2014, and Ryan Murray received his first T20 call-up after playing 5 ODIs in 2019. PJ Moor was dropped, as were Chamu Chibhaba and Brian Mudzinganyama.

Batsmen: Brendan Taylor, Craig Ervine, Richmond Mutumbani (WK), Ryan Murray (WK, uncapped), Brian Chari, Tari Musakanda, Ryan Burl.

Allrounders: Elton Chigumbura, Sean Williams (C), Sikandar Raza

Bowlers: Tapiwa Mufudza, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Donald Tiripano, Natsai Mupashingwe.

1^st T20I:
The pitch was quite flat, and as such we played Tiripano (also a capable batsman) ahead of Natsai. Chari came in for his 4^th T20I, and Murray made his debut at the expense of Raza.

Brian Chari, 2. Richmond Mutumbani (WK), 3. Craig Ervine, 4. Sean Williams, 5. Brendan Taylor, 6. Ryan Murray (debut), 7. Ryan Burl, 8. Donald Tiripano, 9. Kyle Jarvis, 10. Tapiwa Mufudza, 11. Tendai Chatara.

Sri Lanka named a similar side to their ODI squad:

Kusal Mendis, 2. Avishka Fernando, 3. D De Silva, 4. Angelo Mathews, 5. Kusal Perera (WK), 6. Danushka Gunathilleke, 7. Dasun Shanaka, 8. Wanindu Hasaranga, 9. Akila Dananjaya, 10. Lasith Malinga, 11. Asitha Fernando.

They won the toss and elected to bat. Our bowling effort was disappointing as Sri Lanka reached 6/202. Mendis (73) and Fernando (69) took apart Jarvis (2/36) and Chatara (2/32) and added 135 for the first wicket. The part-timers were also quite expensive, although Sean Williams (1/34) bowled respectably.

Our top order started superbly as Chari (40 off 24) and Ervine (55 off 40) kept us in the hunt. After 10 overs the score was 2/101. Unfortunately, this was where it fell apart. Williams (26 off 15) and Taylor (24 off 9) both started well, but fell in quick succession, the second run out by Ryan Murray (1 off 7) who played and missed 4 successive times before being bowled. Not a great debut. Eventually we were dismissed for 163 in the 19^th over. Our poor bowling had cost us.

Result: Sri Lanka win by 39 runs, lead series 1-0.

2^nd T20I

Mupashingwe and Musakanda came in for Murray and Tiripano on another flat pitch. Sri Lanka again won the toss and chose to bat, after bringing in Karunaratne for Gunathilleke.

We turned in a much-improved bowling performance, restricting Sri Lanka to 6/165. Mupashingwe (0/27) bowled tightly, and Williams (2/33) and Chatara (2/34) were among the wickets. Dhananjaya de Silva (57) and Avishka Fernando (42) were the stars with the bat.
The chase was all about Brian Chari (90* off 45). In just his 5^th T20I the normally dour opener went berserk and demolished the Sri Lankan attack. The rest of the line-up stuttered aside from Taylor’s 26, but Chari’s magnificent knock saw us over the line by 3 wickets with Jarvis (9*) hitting the winning runs. It seemed that we had found a new T20I star.

Result: Zimbabwe win by 3 wickets, series drawn 1-1.

Stats from Sri Lanka T20Is:

Chari: 130 runs @ 130, SR 189.
Ervine: 60 runs @ 30, SR 139.5.
Williams: 52 runs @ 26, SR 157.6, 3 wickets @ 22.33 (econ 8.37)
Taylor: 33 runs @ 16.5, SR 194.1, 0 wickets (econ 18)
Burl: 9 runs @ 4.5, SR 100, 0 wickets (econ 15)
Mutumbani: 7 runs @ 3.5, SR 58.
Musakanda: 6 runs @ 6, SR 100.
Mufudza: 12 runs @ 6, 1 wicket @ 65 (econ 9.29)
Jarvis: 9 runs @ 9, SR 128.6, 3 wickets @ 25.33 (econ 9.50)
Chatara: 2 runs @ 2, 4 wickets @ 16.5 (econ 8.25)
Murray 1 run @ 1, SR 12.5
Mupashingwe: 0 wickets, (econ 6.75)
Tiripano: 0 runs @ 0, 0 wickets (econ 10.33)

Chari was the star of the series with two exceptional knocks. Ervine and Williams also performed well, while Burl failed again. With the ball Chatara looked dangerous while Mufudza struggled, and Mupashingwe showed promise.

We gained 1 ranking point in this series (taking us to a measly total of 3), and were still 10 points behind 8^th placed Afghanistan, who we would get a chance against in the last series of the year.

Our next series however was a limited overs tour of Pakistan with 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is. Winning would be a serious challenge against a Pakistan side who had just reached the semi-finals of the world T20 (won by India), but we had performed well lately and went into the series with a real chance of victory.

**TheOneWhoBlocksFullTosses** · 07-13-2020, 03:39 PM

Tour of Pakistan:

The domestic season in Zimbabwe finally began and thus we were able to pick a few star performers to bring into the national side along with the returning Nyauchi. Seamer Daniel Jakiel (22 wickets at 12) forced his way in through sheer weight of wickets, and Wesley Madhevere joined him. Musoko was unfortunate to be dropped, along with the out-of-form Tapiwa Mufudza. Ryan Murray also replaced Gary Chirimuuta.

Batsmen: Craig Ervine, Brendan Taylor, Ryan Murray (WK), Regis Chakabva (WK), Brian Chari, Peter Moor (WK), Chamu Chibhaba.
Allrounders: Sean Williams (C), Sikandar Raza, Wesley Madhevere.
Bowlers: Tendai Chatara, Brandon Mavuta, Kyle Jarvis, Daniel Jakiel (uncapped), Victor Nyauchi.

1^st ODI

The pitch looked to be one which would take significant spin. As such we played Madhevere ahead of Chibhaba and left out Nyauchi due to his average economy (5.73).

Brian Chari, 2. Regis Chakabva (WK), 3. Craig Ervine, 4. Sean Williams, 5. Wesley Madhevere, 6. Brendan Taylor, 7. Sikandar Raza, 8. Daniel Jakiel, 9. Brandon Mavuta, 10. Kyle Jarvis, 11. Tendai Chatara.

Pakistan named a strong side as expected.

Imam ul-Haq, 2. Fakhhar Zaman, 3. Haris Sohail, 4. Mohammad Rizwan, 5. Abid Ali, 6. Asif Ali, 7. Shadab Khan, 8. Imad Wasim, 9. Usman Shinwari, 10. Mohammad Amir, 11. Shaheen Afridi.

Under cloudy skies we won the toss and followed our usual MO by deciding to bowl first.

And we delivered an exceptional performance. Aside from the dangerous Zaman (70) none of the Pakistani batsmen got going. Jarvis (4/40) took wickets at the start and end of the innings, and in between Mavuta (2/40), Raza (1/28 off 8) and Jakiel (1/43) stifled the Pakistanis. They were dismissed for a below-par 219.

We made hard work of the chase but got over the line in the end. Sean Williams (86 off 115) stood alone, as the other 6 batsmen tallied just 60 runs between them. At 6/114 he found an ally in Jakiel 49*(77) who batted with great composure, even after Williams was dismissed with 37 off 37 still required. At that point Mavuta (20 off 15) came in and played some nice shots, ensuring that the run-rate was not an issue. He was dismissed by Shaheen Afridi in the 49^th over however, and Jarvis followed for a 2-ball duck. Number 11 Chatara faced 2 nervy deliveries before Jakiel sealed the win with a cover drive for 4. For Pakistan 4 bowlers took 2 wickets each, although Wasim (2/64) was expensive at the death.

Result: Zimbabwe win by 1 wicket, lead series 1-0.

2^nd ODI:

As the pitch was not taking as much turn Chigumbura returned in place of Madhevere (which also strengthened the lower order). Pakistan were unchanged despite their loss and sent us in to bat.

Sean Williams (118) continued his magnificent form with another fine innings. He now had 597 ODI runs @ 75 in this season. With this knock, and with contributions from Ervine (39), Taylor (27), and Chari (24) as well as 4 scores between 10 and 20 we were able to reach 9/289. Usman Shinwari (2/38) was the best of the bowlers, as the others went for a run a ball or more.

Pakistan were never in the hunt as Kyle Jarvis (2/24 off 10) bowled out from the opening over. Mavuta (1/35) also bowled tightly, while Jakiel (2/54) took wickets. Sean Williams finished the match off with 3/21 after our main bowlers were out of overs. Pakistan were eventually dismissed for 173. Imam ul-Haq top scored with just 38. This was a much more convincing victory than the first, and our second great bowling performance in succession.

Result: Zimbabwe win by 116 runs, lead series 2-0.

3^rd ODI:

With the series won we replaced Chigumbura with Ryan Murray. Sikandar Raza remained in the side despite his relatively poor season due to his all-round abilities, narrowly keeping out Madhevere.

Pakistan made one change bringing in Iftikhar Ahmed for Haris Sohail. On a spinning pitch they won the toss and elected to bat.

Taking advantage of 3 dropped catches Pakistan reached a strong total of 4/317. Imam ul-Haq (136) controlled the innings from the start, while Rizwan (69 off 60) and Iftikhar (52 off 69) also batted well. All of the bowlers struggled with Jakiel (1/77) being smashed at the death. Tendai Chatara (0/49) was the most economical. Still, this was a meek performance, and showed how dependent we had become on Jarvis and Chatara taking early wickets.

The chase was another excellent one as we punished an out of form Pakistan attack. Craig Ervine 125*(120) was the star and was crucially supported by Brendan Taylor 70*(40) as we got home by 6 wickets. The 4 batsmen dismissed also contributed, making between 21 (Chari) and 31 (Raza). All the Pakistani bowlers were expensive, and their decision to bowl Wasim (1/70) at the death hurt them badly. This completed a series victory for us, we had trounced a very disappointing Pakistan side away in an unexpected triumph.

Result: Zimbabwe win by 6 wickets, win series 3-0.

With this win we moved to 11 ranking points, just 1 behind 9^th placed Sri Lanka. Pakistan dropped to 5^th place (21 points).

Stats from Pakistan ODIs:

Williams: 229 runs @ 76.33, 4 wickets @ 12 (econ 6.86)
Ervine: 171 runs @ 85.5
Taylor: 113 runs @ 56.5
Jakiel: 68 runs @ 68, 4 wickets @ 43 (econ 5.73)
Raza: 63 runs @ 21, 1 wicket @ 80 (econ 4.71)
Chakabva: 55 runs @ 18.33
Chari: 51 runs @ 17, 0 wickets (econ 9.5)
Mavuta: 27 runs @ 13.5, 3 wickets @ 43.3 (econ 4.33)
Chigumbura: 15 runs @ 15
Chatara: 10 runs @ 10, 3 wickets @ 41.33 (econ 5.17)
Madhevere: 1 run @ 1, 0 wickets (econ 4.5)
Jarvis: 0 runs, 7 wickets @ 17.86 (econ 4.57)
Murray, 1 game, DNB.

The experienced batsmen again starred and won us the series. Jakiel also played 2 handy knocks from number 8, but his bowling was merely average. Jarvis was the best of the bowlers by some distance, but Mavuta was disciplined, and Williams took some important wickets. This was an impressive series, but our over-dependence on a few players was a concern, especially as all of our best players were over 30.

Next up were 3 T20Is which would conclude our tour of Pakistan.

**TheOneWhoBlocksFullTosses** · 07-14-2020, 10:12 AM

T20 series against Pakistan:
We made several changes for this series. Victor Nyauchi replaced Tiripano, and Mufudza, enduring a terrible run of form was replaced by Mavuta (3 T20Is). Other than that, we stuck with the side that had drawn against Sri Lanka.

1^st T20.

Mutumbani (WK), 2. Chari, 3. Ervine, 4. Williams, 5. Raza, 6. Taylor, 7. Burl, 8. Mavuta. 9. Jarvis, 10. Nyauchi, 11. Chatara.

Mavuta played ahead of M’shingwe and Raza received another chance.

Imam ul Haq, 2. Fakhar Zaman, 3. Iftikhar Ahmed, 4. Mohammad Rizwan, 5. Asif Ali, 6. Safaraz Ahmed, 7. Imad Wasim, 8. Shadab Khan, 9. Usman Shinwari, 10. Mohammad Amir, 11. Shaheen Afridi.

Babar Azam continued to be injured and as a result Pakistan played 2 keepers, their bowling looked strong, however.

On a pitch assisting seam we lost the toss and were compelled to bowl first.

We bowled superbly and restricted Pakistan to 7/132. Chatara (2/19) took 2 wickets in the first over, and Mavuta (3/23) bowled exceptionally in the middle overs. Sarfraz batted well, but his 30 off 13 was too brief to give Pakistan any sort of momentum.

The chase was a simple won as we won by 6 wickets with 39 balls to spare. Williams (44 off 25) and Chari (41 off 24) were the main contributors. In the end this was a very straightforward win, a surprise against such a good side.

Result: Zimbabwe win by 6 wickets, lead series 1-0.

2^nd T20I

With the pitch taking spin M’shingwe and Moor replaced Nyauchi and Mutumbani.

Bewilderingly Pakistan dropped their best player from the previous match, replacing Sarfraz with Abid Ali. All I can say to their selectors is thank you.

This bowling effort did not go so well. Rapid 50s from Saad Ali at 3 and Asif Ali at 5, along with a frenetic opening partnership of 57 took Pakistan to 7/195. Mupashingwe impressed with 2/29, but the other bowlers were expensive, although Raza did take 2/36.

The less said about the chase the better. We slipped to 4/21 before Taylor (39), Raza (25) and Burl (24*) showed some fight. We were dismissed for just 110. Shadab Khan was the star bowler with 4/28.

Result: Pakistan win by 85 runs, series tied 1-1.

3^rd T20I

On a flat pitch we kept the same side, and were sent in to bat first.

We batted quite well to reach 8/175, as the lowest score among our top 5 was 18 (Moor). Williams (44 off 23) and Ervine (39 off 24) starred, although neither could go on and convert our total into a truly unchasable one. Shadab was again the best bowler with 1/24 off his 4. The others were quite expensive (especially Shinwari with 1/47)

And we won by a single run to seal the series! Pakistan looked as though they would get home after reaching 1/121 courtesy of Zaman (65) and Iftikhar (53), but 2 quick wickets from Mavuta (2/40) changed the game. The run-rate slowed and Jarvis (1/26) and Chatara (1/28) were able to restrict the runs just enough to take us to victory, despite Pakistan having 5 wickets in hand.

This completed another series victory for us, and a 5-1 overall record against Pakistan on this tour.

Result: Zimbabwe win by 1 run, lead series 2-1.

Stats from Pakistan T20s:

Williams: 91 runs @ 30.33 SR 175, 0 wickets (econ 14.00)
Chari: 75 runs @ 25, SR 153
Ervine: 68 runs @ 22.67 SR 174
Raza: 58 runs @ 29 SR 116, 2 wickets @ 36.5 (econ 9.13)
Taylor: 48 runs @ 24, SR 120
Burl: 28 runs @ 28 SR 133 ,0 wickets (econ 12.00)
Moor: 18 runs @ 9 SR 112
Mutumbani: 4 runs @ 4, SR 80
Chatara: 5 runs @ 5, 5 wickets @ 18 (econ 7.50)
Jarvis: 10 runs @ 5, 3 wickets @ 26 (econ 7.09)
Mavuta: 4 runs @ 4, 5 wickets @ 20.4 (econ 8.50)
M’Shangwe: 2 runs, 3 wickets @ 20.67 (econ 7.75)
Nyauchi: 0 wickets (econ 7.00)

Williams batted well and 6 batsmen averaged more than 20. Considering our over-reliance on stars in the past this was a positive. The bowlers were generally solid, as none were smashed, and all picked up at least a few wickets. The keepers spot continued to be an issue, as Moor, and Mutumbani had both been given many chances and performed poorly. Still, the fact that we could have a series that was merely ‘ok’ and still win was a major positive.

Our next series was a test and T20 series away against Afghanistan, who had disappointed in the T20 world cup, but who were a rising force in international cricket. Playing against their spinners would be a serious challenge.

**TheOneWhoBlocksFullTosses** · 07-15-2020, 05:42 AM

Considering that we had played 4 full international series since our last test, the squad for this tour was radically different than the one selected in the Ireland series 10 months before. Mutumbani was injured and was replaced by young Aarsh Jha (FC average of 30) who had shown promise against India and who also had a century in each domestic format. Rodney Mupfudza (19, average of 39) and Wesley Madhevere (average of 42) also received their first test call-ups. Neville Madziva also came in due to his superb domestic record (bat average 30, bowl average 24).

Batsmen: Peter Moor (WK), Craig Ervine, Brendan Taylor, Ryan Burl, Wesley Madhevere (uncapped), Rodney Mupfudza (uncapped), Aarsh Jha (uncapped), Tarisai Musakanda, Regis Chakabva (WK)

All-Rounders: Sean Williams (C), Sikandar Raza, Neville Madziva (uncapped),

Bowlers: Tendai Chatara, Donald Tiripano, Carl Mumba, Kyle Jarvis, Natsai M’Shingwe, Tapiwa Mufudza (uncapped)

1^st Test:
On a spinning pitch we went in with 3 bowlers and Madziva. Wesley Madhevere narrowly missed out, but Mupfudza made his debut ahead of Jha. PJ Moor (average of 35 from 8 tests) would keep due to the injury to Mutumbani. Jarvis was the unlucky bower to miss out, and M’Shingwe was the sole frontline spinner.

B Mudzinganyama , 2. R Mupfudza (debut), 3. C Ervine, 4. S Raza, 5. S Williams, 6. B Taylor, 7. P Moor (WK), 8. N Madziva (debut), 9. N Mupashingwe, 10. C Mumba, 11. T Chatara.

Afghanistan named a squad with no debutants. Khan and Ahmad would be the main threats to our batting. Darwish Rasooli, their most destructive batsman was thankfully not selected. Nijat Masood had a habit of going for runs and was an odd selection in a 4-man bowling attack.

Ibrahim Zadran, 2. Mohammad Shahzad (WK), 3. Rahmat Shah, 4. Munir Ahmad, 5. Bahir Shah, 6. S Mangal, 7. Ihsanullah Janat, 8. Rashid Khan, 9. Qais Ahmad, 10. Nijat Masood, 11. Yamin Ahmadzai.

We won an extremely important toss and elected to bat. This would give us a chance to take advantage of Afghanistan’s spin heavy attack while the pitch was still good. Additionally, we would not have to face two world class spinners on a minefield.

Our batting effort was a disaster however as we were dismissed for just 156. Mupfudza batted nicely for 21 before attempting to hit Rashid Khan for 6 off the first ball of his spell, Williams made 28 and Raza made 45, but the others failed dramatically. Qais Ahmad (4/52) and Khan (3/45) were the chief destroyers, well supported by Masood (2/14). We would need a superb effort to get back in the game.

Our bowling innings started reasonably as we reduced Afghanistan to 5/190, but a 164-run partnership between Bahir Shah (155) and Rashid Khan (71) took the game away from us. Afghanistan were eventually dismissed for 420 early on day 3. Mumba (4/77) was the best bowler, and Chatara (3/108) was alright. The Madziva experiment failed as the usually economical allrounder went for 4 runs an over (2/95). M’Shingwe also bowled an unremarkable spell of 1/88.

The second innings was better, but many batsmen were guilty of throwing their starts away (Mupfudza 32, M’ganyama 32, Ervine 28). In the end it was only Sikandar Raza (111*) who compelled Afghanistan to bat again. Rashid Khan completed his 10 for the match taking 7/111. We were bowled out for 275. Afghanistan would need just 12 for victory.

We avoided a 10 wicket defeat due to a quick Chatara strike, but that was the end of our joy.

Result: Afghanistan win by 9 wickets, lead series 1-0.

2^nd Test:

Unsurprisingly Afghanistan prepared another turner. We made 3 changes after our poor display in the first test with Jarvis, Tapiwa Mufudza (debut) and Madhevere (debut) coming in for M’Shingwe, Madziva, and an out of form Brendan Taylor.

We again won the toss and again elected to bat.

We made 298 thanks to some solid contributions from Ervine (68) and Raza (57). Frustratingly Mupfudza (14) failed to hit Rashid Khan for 6 again after seeing off the openers, and Madhevere (29) was dismissed after a solid start. Qais Ahmad was the main destroyer this time taking 6/84. Despite the decent total we had again struggled against quality spin, this was become a recurring theme of our innings.

We bowled well, restricting Afghanistan to just 290. Kyle Jarvis (2/61) showed that it had been a mistake to drop him by dismissing both openers in an immaculate first spell. Chatara (2/59), and Mumba (3/86) also picked up wickets, but it was the golden arm of Williams (3/30) who dismissed top-scorer Gurbaz (110) as well as Bahir Shah (30) and Rashid Khan (33). This left us in a position of slight advantage halfway through the match due to the deteriorating pitch, which was starting to take significant turn.

For the first time in the series we managed to overcome the spin-threat. Ervine (126) followed his first-innings 50 with his 4th test century, and youngsters Madhevere (78) and Mupfuza (59) also played vital knocks. In addition M’ganyama, Williams, and Raza all got scores in the 30s. For Afghanistan Khan and Ahmad shared 9 wickets between them, while Masood was smashed everywhere and went wicketless at 5 runs an over (0/114). This took us to 419 all out and left Afghanistan chasing 428 in just over 4 sessions. The pitch was strongly assisting spin and seam bowling, and this was a game which we were in a great position to win. After the shock loss against Ireland in the last series however, the game was not yet entirely secure.

Afghanistan were never in the hunt however, and after the loss of early wickets were dismissed for 170 in just 52 overs. Mumba (3/30) blew away the top order before Mufudza (5/32) cleaned up the lower order in a fantastic debut spell. Gurbaz made 62, but he stood alone as wickets crumbled. This was a sharp contrast from the first test as we followed a huge loss with a thumping win.

Result: Zimbabwe win by 258 runs, series tied 1-1.

Stats from Afghanistan Tests:
Raza: 245 runs @ 81.67, 1x 100, 1x 50, 0 wickets (econ 3.71)
Ervine: 233 runs @ 58.25, 1x 100, 1x 50.
Madhevere: 107 runs @ 53.5, 1x 50.
Mupfudza: 126 runs @ 31.5, 1x 50.
M’ganyama: 124 runs @ 31
Williams: 104 runs @ 26, 3 wickets @ 22.67.
Moor: 36 runs @ 9
Taylor: 19 runs @ 9.5

Bowlers:
Mufudza: 33 runs @ 16.5, 5 wickets @ 16.6, 1 x 5 wickets.
Jarvis: 16 runs @ 16, 2 wickets @ 52
Madziva: 31 runs @ 15.5, 2 wickets @ 51.5
M’Shingwe: 26 runs @ 13, 1 wicket @ 88
Mumba: 13 runs @ 4.33, 10 wickets @ 19.3
Chatara: 9 runs @ 3, 7 wickets @ 32.14

Our batting was solid as Raza and Ervine enjoyed excellent series. Mupfudza and Madhevere both showed promise on debut, and Mudzinganyama was solid. Moor endured a poor series and would almost certainly lose his spot for the next series. For the bowlers Mumba starred, while Chatara was solid. Williams picked up a few important wickets, and Mufudza bowled well on debut. Overall, it was a reasonable series statistically, but the gap between our best and our worst was shown to be extremely wide as highlighted by the contrasting nature of the results in the first and second tests.

At the conclusion of this series we had 7 test ranking points, just 1 point behind Bangladesh in 9^th place.

Our final series of the season would be a 3 match T20 series against Afghanistan. Winning it would keep us in contention to avoid the first round of qualifiers at the 2021 T20 World Cup.

**Lynx54321** · 07-17-2020, 11:22 PM

Enjoying this story! Feeling inspired to start a Zimbabwe save of my own, might use the editor to make Byrom, Welch, Rouse, Higgins etc eligible (if it works).

**TheOneWhoBlocksFullTosses** · 07-18-2020, 03:35 AM

I'm glad that you're enjoying it and I would definitely recommend playing with them! Adding players would make it more interesting though, given their lack of depth it is frustrating that many of their better young players are ineligible for national selection.

**TheOneWhoBlocksFullTosses** · 07-18-2020, 03:44 AM

We made 3 changes to the squad that had defeated Pakistan, 1 being forced (Murray in for Mutumbani). Mufudza returned to the side at the expense of Chigumbura and provided us with an extra spin option, and PJ Moor lost his spot to the uncapped Jha (171 runs @ 85.5 in the domestic T20 competition).

Batsmen: Chari, Taylor, Jha (uncapped), Murray (WK), Ervine, Musakanda, Burl

Allrounders: Williams, Raza

Bowlers: Mavuta, Mufudza, M’Shingwe, Jarvis, Chatara, Nyauchi

Surprisingly, Afghanistan prepared a flat pitch for the first match. Still, Mavuta retained his spot ahead of the expensive Jarvis, and Mufudza returned due to his fine test and domestic form. Jha made his debut and would open with Chari.

Chari, 2. Jha (debut), 3. Ervine, 4. Williams, 5. Murray (WK), 6. Raza, 7. Taylor, 8. Mavuta, 9. Mufudza, 10. Nyauchi, 11, Chatara.

Afghanistan named a side with 3 spinners. Perfect for the pitch they decided not to prepare. In addition, unheralded medium-pacer Bakturullah Atal, and Karim Janat were available to bowl. Their attack looked unbalanced and light on quality seam. The batting unit contained some excellent T20 players, however.

M Shahzad (WK), 2. I Zadran, 3. A Stanikzai, 4. M Ahmad, 5. K Janat, 6. R Gurbaz, 7. N Zadaran, 8. B Atal, 9. R Khan, 10. Q Ahmad, 11. M ur Rahman.

We won the toss and took the risk of bowling first. If we restricted them to an average score punishing their seamers would become a real possibility.

Our bowling was toothless on a flat pitch. Afghanistan reached 2/176 in their 20 overs, Mavuta (2/40) was the only wicket-taker. Ibrahim Zadran (109*) and Munir Ahmad (54*) did the bulk of the scoring. Raza bowled very tightly (0/13 off 3), and it was the pacers (0/85 off 8 between them) who were punished. This was a gettable score on a very flat pitch, but we would need to bat well.

Our batting effort was once again poor as we collapsed in the face of good spin bowling. Jha (20) started brightly with Chari (23), but our middle order struggled, with Murray looking out of his depth. Taylor (33* off 15) added some respectability to the scoreline, but we were still dismissed for 125. For Afghanistan Qais Ahmad was the star with 4/18.
Result: Afghanistan win by 51 runs, lead series 1-0.

2^nd T20:

We made just 1 change with Jarvis replacing the expensive Nyauchi. Murray would have one final chance to prove himself before being dropped for a significant amount of time.
Afghanistan prepared a more balanced (but still flat) pitch and went in unchanged. We won the toss and elected to bat first.

We batted superbly to reach 7/190. Jha (24 off 15) got us off to another good start, but this time he received support from the middle-order. Raza hit his highest T20I score (65 off 41) and Williams (34) and Taylor (23) also contributed. None of the Afghan bowlers were great, and Qais (1/32) was the most economical.

The returning Kyle Jarvis (4/27) won us the game in the powerplay dismantling the Afghan top order including first match centurion Zadran for a golden duck. After this Afghanistan did not bat badly, but 190 was a bridge too far. They ended their innings on 8/150 thanks to a few 30s from Najib Zadran and Shahzad. Chatara (2/35) and Mufudza (1/29) were the other
wicket-takers.

Result: Zimbabwe win by 40 runs, series tied at 1-1.

3^rd T20:

Both sides went in unchanged, and on a spinning pitch Afghanistan elected to bat first.

Ibrahim Zadran, known in real life to be a dour blocker, hit his 2^nd century of the series (101 off 59) to take Afghanistan to 9/179. The next highest score was Janat with 24, highlighting just how well Zadran batted. Mavuta (2/27) and Chatara (3/32) were the pick of the bowlers, while Williams and Raza (combined 0/55 off 4) were poor.

The chase was again a disappointment as we were dismissed for 119. Jha (38 off 22) highlighted his promise for the third successive game, while Ryan Murray was run out for 17 after finally getting a start. There were few other positives to take away from the match as Rashid Khan (4/26) and Qais Ahmad (3/3) continued to torment us. Thus, the series was lost.

Result: Afghanistan win by 60 runs, win series 2-1.

Stats from Afghanistan T20s:

Jha: 82 runs @ 27.33, SR 158
Raza: 81 runs @ 27, SR 142, 0 wickets (econ 7.5)
Taylor: 72 runs @ 36, SR 171
Williams: 66 runs @ 22, SR 132, 0 wickets (econ 8.9)
Chari: 46 runs @ 15.33, SR 147.
Murray: 26 runs @ 8.67, SR 162.5
Bowlers:

Mavuta: 28 runs @ 14, SR 175, 4 wickets @ 21.75, (econ 7.91)
Jarvis: 4 runs @ 4, 6 wickets @ 9.83 (econ 7.37)
Chatara: 2 runs @ 1, 5 wickets at 20.6 (econ 8.56)
Mufudza: 2 ducks, 3 wickets @ 27.33, (econ 8.20)
Nyauchi: 0 wickets (econ 11.50)

Jha showed promise on debut and Raza finally played a great T20 innings, while Williams and Taylor also performed. No individual batsman really starred though, and that hurt us in both chases. For the bowlers, Jarvis was the best by some distance, but Mavuta and Chatara also had their moments. Williams struggled and was unusually expensive and ineffective. Overall, this was an expected but disappointing result as Ibrahim Zadran led Afghanistan to a series win.

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