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Hello and welcome to the first installment of my new Zimbabwean career which will begin in the aftermath of the teams failure to qualify the world cup and which will hopefully involve the team rising up the rankings.
Initial Rankings Test: 10th, 5 points, ODI: 10th, 9 points, T20I, 11th, 2 points.
The first test that the team faced was a challenging one, a t20 tri-series at home involving Australia and Pakistan. Bearing this in mind I selected a relatively experienced squad interspersed with some young and talented players and led by the veteran batsman Brendan Taylor. The batting looks reasonably strong on paper but the lack of bowling is a serious worry. To combat this several spinning all-rounders were selected. The only uncapped player in the squad was the promising young legspinner Brandon Mavuta.
Squad for home tri-series: Brendan Taylor (C/WK), Hamilton Masakadza, Solomon Mire, Craig Ervine, Ryan Burl, Malcolm Waller, Chamu Chibhaba, Peter Moor (WK), Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Graeme Cremer, Donald Tiripano, Brandon Mavuta, Tendai Chatara, Wellington Masakadza.
1st game v Pakistan: The pitch for this game was extremely flat and the outfield was reasonably quick. We went in with 2 spinners (Mavuta and Cremer), 2 pacers (Chatara and Tiripano), and 2 batting all-rounders (Williams and Raza).
Lineup: H Masakadza, S Mire, B Taylor (C), S Raza, R Burl, S Williams, P Moor (WK), D Tiripano, G Cremer, B Mavuta, T Chatara.
After losing the toss we were put into bat and made a paltry score of 7/108. After being reduced to 3/5 we struggled immensely before Ryan Burl (29) and Tiripano (18*) gave us some semblance of respectability. Unsurprisingly Pakistan chased down this small total with ease winning by 6 wickets as Zaman made 65*. Williams (4-0-3-27) and Tiripano (4-0-0-13) were the best bowlers. This match was a disappointing if expected beginning.
2nd game v Australia.
Our next test was a rampant Australian side who were fresh from an 87 run annihilation of Pakistan. As the pitch offered significant spin we made one change with Wellington Masakadza coming in for Tendai Chatara. We lost the toss and were told to field and responded by bowling reasonably well until the last few overs. At one stage Australia were 5/72 (11) but they recovered to make 6/164 after some slogging by Stoinis and Agar. Sean Williams (2/27) and Wellington Masakadza (2/18) were the best of the bowlers while Graeme Cremer (3/42) picked up wickets but was expensive. Our openers Masakadza (58) and Mire (59) began magnificently putting on 117 for the first wicket in just under 12 overs before being dismissed in the same over. This barely slowed us down however as Taylor (23*) and Raza (28*) easily took us home with 3 overs and 8 wickets to spare. This was an excellent victory set up by our strong and experienced top order.
3rd game v Pakistan: we went into this game with hopes of victory after our comprehensive defeat of Australia. On a turning pitch we went in with an unchanged side and once again lost the toss and were instructed to bowl. Pakistan began quickly but some good bowling by the frontline spinners (12-0-4-92) helped to keep Pakistan to a par score of 7/167. The openers once again began well before being tied down by the spinners who choked us through the middle overs. Despite some late hitting from Peter Moor (25* off 10) and Sean Williams ( 21 off 9) we eventually ended up 10 runs short at 7/157. Still, this was a reasonably good performance against a strong side.
4th game v Australia: After Pakistan defeated Australia in the other match this game became an effective semi-final. We made 2 changes bringing in Chatara and Waller for Mavuta (1 wicket at 88) and the slightly unlucky Burl. We won the toss and elected to bowl. This strategy failed as Australia made 7/200. Raza (2/23 off 3) and the recalled Chatara (3/34 off 4) were the best of the bowlers. In response we batted well but eventually fell short as several batsmen got starts but only Brendan Taylor (61 off 39) played a substantial innings. We were finally dismissed in the last over for 172.
This concluded the tri-series where despite finishing last we played quite well and also gained a ranking point due to our victory over Australia. Our next challenge was an even tougher one, a 5 match ODI series at home against Pakistan.
Squad for ODIs: Brendan Taylor (C), Hamilton Masakadza, Solomon Mire, Craig Ervine, Gary Chirimuuta, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, Peter Moor, Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams, Graeme Cremer, Nathan Waller, Brandon Mavuta, Tendai Chatara, Blessing Muzarabani, Wellington Masakadza.
Compared to the T20I squad this was a relatively inexperienced team with 3 uncapped players selected (Chirimuuta, Kanunhukamwe, Waller). These 3 came in for Ryan Burl, Malcolm Waller, and Donald Tiripano. In addition Muzarabani replaced Chamu Chibhaba to add some extra bowling depth.
1st ODI: H Masakadza, S Mire, C Ervine, S Raza, B Taylor (c/wk), G Chirimuuta (debut), S Williams, N Waller (debut), G Cremer, T Chatara, B Muzarabani.
On a flat pitch we opted to play an extra allrounder which meant that Nathan Waller made his debut ahead of Wellington Masakadza. Middle order batsman Chirimuuta (list a average of 37) also came in for his first game.
Sent in to bowl we struggled to contain the Pakistani batsmen as a Fakhar Zaman century led them to 6/296. Muzarabani (3/52) showed his potential while allrounder Williams (2/43) bowled tidily continuing his good form from the t20 series. In response we batted well but ultimately fell short of a daunting total being dismissed for 271 in the 48th over. Raza (72 off 67) and Masakadza (49 off 60) led the way.
2nd ODI. On a more bowling friendly pitch Moor came in for Chirimuuta (who made an ugly duck in the first ODI) and took the gloves from Taylor. Losing the toss for the 5th time in 6 matches we were sent in to bat. In response we made a below par 9/220 which could have been far lower if not for Sean Williams who hit a superb unbeaten 90 off 88 balls to help us partially recover from 6/102. Pakistan easily chased down this total as our lack of bowling penetration was exposed. Another rapid century from Zaman didn't help matters as Pakistan cruised home by 7 wickets.
3rd ODI. With the series on the line we made several changes. Tinashe Kamunhukamwe and Brandon Mavuta both made their debuts at the expense of Mire and Nathan Waller slotting in at numbers 1 and 9 respectively. Electing to bowl first we performed extremely well as Pakistan were restricted to 9/227. After the fall of a few early wickets Williams (3/38 off 10) and debutant Mavuta (1/30 off 10) strangled Pakistan throughout the middle overs to restrict them to a below par score. Our fielding was also excellent as for the first time in 6 matches we didn't drop a catch. Considering our batting I rated us as a 50/50 chance at this stage. And after a decent batting performance we finally had a win as led by Ervine (77 off 83) and Raza (80 off 109) we got home by 4 wickets and kept the series alive with Moor (19* off 32) hitting the winning runs in the 49th over. This was an excellent performance which showed us that provided that we weren't forced to attack from the beginning we could perform well against stronger sides.
4th ODI: After an excellent victory we went in unchanged on a spinning track and once again opted to bowl first. Unlike the previous game we were unable to contain Pakistan as despite a superb spell from young Mavuta (1/26 off 10) Shoaib Malik made a rapid 130 to take Pakistan to 6/302. Once again we batted well but our effort was crippled as Hamilton Masakadza (65) ran out Sikandar Raza (4) and then Craig Ervine (46). Some late hitting from Mavuta (55* off 45) highlighted his potential as an allrounder. Mavuta was the last man standing as we were eventually bowled out for 279 in the last over as Muzarabani sought to send one into orbit. With this loss the series slipped away and only a single dead rubber ODI remained.
5th ODI: On a seaming pitch we made 2 changes with Mire recalled at the expense of K'Kamwe (9 runs in 2 innings) and Wellington Masakadza coming in for the expensive Graeme Cremer. These changes meant that Mavuta moved to number 8 in order to give him further batting opportunities. Under cloudy skies we elected to bowl yet again in the hopes that our seamers could do some early damage. This did not prove to be the case as our bowling once again struggled. Zaman (125) and Malik (94) continued to dominate our bowling as Pakistan reached an imposing total of 4/301. Williams (1/31 off 8), Chatara (2/46 off 8) and Hamilton Masakadza (1/27 off 5) were the wicket takers. In chase of an improbable target we batted superbly to fall agonizingly short and at one stage we were 4/187 off 31 overs. However the dismissals of Williams (56) and Ervine(55) damaged our hopes. Mavuta was the last man out for 31 as we eventually folded for 289.
With this loss Pakistan took the series 4-1. Despite the lopsided scoreline I was happy with how we had batted if admittedly concerned about our lack of bowling penetration. The emergence of Mavuta (86 runs at 86, 2 wickets at 51, econ 3.40) was a major positive as were the runs scored by WIlliams (205 runs at 51.25, 7 wickets at 25.43), Raza ( 201 runs at 40.2, 3 wickets at 41), Ervine (206 runs at 41.2) and Masakadza (179 runs at 35.8, 1 wicket at 27). The main issue was with the bowling as the pace attack was mostly ineffective (10 wickets at 52, econ of 5.8) and Cremer (3 wickets at 63.3, econ of 6.9) endured a terrible series. Overall it wasn't an awful performance but there was significant room available for improvement.
Our next series was yet another daunting one, an away ODI and T20I series against South Africa which I will cover in the next installment of this career/story.
Initial Rankings Test: 10th, 5 points, ODI: 10th, 9 points, T20I, 11th, 2 points.
The first test that the team faced was a challenging one, a t20 tri-series at home involving Australia and Pakistan. Bearing this in mind I selected a relatively experienced squad interspersed with some young and talented players and led by the veteran batsman Brendan Taylor. The batting looks reasonably strong on paper but the lack of bowling is a serious worry. To combat this several spinning all-rounders were selected. The only uncapped player in the squad was the promising young legspinner Brandon Mavuta.
Squad for home tri-series: Brendan Taylor (C/WK), Hamilton Masakadza, Solomon Mire, Craig Ervine, Ryan Burl, Malcolm Waller, Chamu Chibhaba, Peter Moor (WK), Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Graeme Cremer, Donald Tiripano, Brandon Mavuta, Tendai Chatara, Wellington Masakadza.
1st game v Pakistan: The pitch for this game was extremely flat and the outfield was reasonably quick. We went in with 2 spinners (Mavuta and Cremer), 2 pacers (Chatara and Tiripano), and 2 batting all-rounders (Williams and Raza).
Lineup: H Masakadza, S Mire, B Taylor (C), S Raza, R Burl, S Williams, P Moor (WK), D Tiripano, G Cremer, B Mavuta, T Chatara.
After losing the toss we were put into bat and made a paltry score of 7/108. After being reduced to 3/5 we struggled immensely before Ryan Burl (29) and Tiripano (18*) gave us some semblance of respectability. Unsurprisingly Pakistan chased down this small total with ease winning by 6 wickets as Zaman made 65*. Williams (4-0-3-27) and Tiripano (4-0-0-13) were the best bowlers. This match was a disappointing if expected beginning.
2nd game v Australia.
Our next test was a rampant Australian side who were fresh from an 87 run annihilation of Pakistan. As the pitch offered significant spin we made one change with Wellington Masakadza coming in for Tendai Chatara. We lost the toss and were told to field and responded by bowling reasonably well until the last few overs. At one stage Australia were 5/72 (11) but they recovered to make 6/164 after some slogging by Stoinis and Agar. Sean Williams (2/27) and Wellington Masakadza (2/18) were the best of the bowlers while Graeme Cremer (3/42) picked up wickets but was expensive. Our openers Masakadza (58) and Mire (59) began magnificently putting on 117 for the first wicket in just under 12 overs before being dismissed in the same over. This barely slowed us down however as Taylor (23*) and Raza (28*) easily took us home with 3 overs and 8 wickets to spare. This was an excellent victory set up by our strong and experienced top order.
3rd game v Pakistan: we went into this game with hopes of victory after our comprehensive defeat of Australia. On a turning pitch we went in with an unchanged side and once again lost the toss and were instructed to bowl. Pakistan began quickly but some good bowling by the frontline spinners (12-0-4-92) helped to keep Pakistan to a par score of 7/167. The openers once again began well before being tied down by the spinners who choked us through the middle overs. Despite some late hitting from Peter Moor (25* off 10) and Sean Williams ( 21 off 9) we eventually ended up 10 runs short at 7/157. Still, this was a reasonably good performance against a strong side.
4th game v Australia: After Pakistan defeated Australia in the other match this game became an effective semi-final. We made 2 changes bringing in Chatara and Waller for Mavuta (1 wicket at 88) and the slightly unlucky Burl. We won the toss and elected to bowl. This strategy failed as Australia made 7/200. Raza (2/23 off 3) and the recalled Chatara (3/34 off 4) were the best of the bowlers. In response we batted well but eventually fell short as several batsmen got starts but only Brendan Taylor (61 off 39) played a substantial innings. We were finally dismissed in the last over for 172.
This concluded the tri-series where despite finishing last we played quite well and also gained a ranking point due to our victory over Australia. Our next challenge was an even tougher one, a 5 match ODI series at home against Pakistan.
Squad for ODIs: Brendan Taylor (C), Hamilton Masakadza, Solomon Mire, Craig Ervine, Gary Chirimuuta, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, Peter Moor, Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams, Graeme Cremer, Nathan Waller, Brandon Mavuta, Tendai Chatara, Blessing Muzarabani, Wellington Masakadza.
Compared to the T20I squad this was a relatively inexperienced team with 3 uncapped players selected (Chirimuuta, Kanunhukamwe, Waller). These 3 came in for Ryan Burl, Malcolm Waller, and Donald Tiripano. In addition Muzarabani replaced Chamu Chibhaba to add some extra bowling depth.
1st ODI: H Masakadza, S Mire, C Ervine, S Raza, B Taylor (c/wk), G Chirimuuta (debut), S Williams, N Waller (debut), G Cremer, T Chatara, B Muzarabani.
On a flat pitch we opted to play an extra allrounder which meant that Nathan Waller made his debut ahead of Wellington Masakadza. Middle order batsman Chirimuuta (list a average of 37) also came in for his first game.
Sent in to bowl we struggled to contain the Pakistani batsmen as a Fakhar Zaman century led them to 6/296. Muzarabani (3/52) showed his potential while allrounder Williams (2/43) bowled tidily continuing his good form from the t20 series. In response we batted well but ultimately fell short of a daunting total being dismissed for 271 in the 48th over. Raza (72 off 67) and Masakadza (49 off 60) led the way.
2nd ODI. On a more bowling friendly pitch Moor came in for Chirimuuta (who made an ugly duck in the first ODI) and took the gloves from Taylor. Losing the toss for the 5th time in 6 matches we were sent in to bat. In response we made a below par 9/220 which could have been far lower if not for Sean Williams who hit a superb unbeaten 90 off 88 balls to help us partially recover from 6/102. Pakistan easily chased down this total as our lack of bowling penetration was exposed. Another rapid century from Zaman didn't help matters as Pakistan cruised home by 7 wickets.
3rd ODI. With the series on the line we made several changes. Tinashe Kamunhukamwe and Brandon Mavuta both made their debuts at the expense of Mire and Nathan Waller slotting in at numbers 1 and 9 respectively. Electing to bowl first we performed extremely well as Pakistan were restricted to 9/227. After the fall of a few early wickets Williams (3/38 off 10) and debutant Mavuta (1/30 off 10) strangled Pakistan throughout the middle overs to restrict them to a below par score. Our fielding was also excellent as for the first time in 6 matches we didn't drop a catch. Considering our batting I rated us as a 50/50 chance at this stage. And after a decent batting performance we finally had a win as led by Ervine (77 off 83) and Raza (80 off 109) we got home by 4 wickets and kept the series alive with Moor (19* off 32) hitting the winning runs in the 49th over. This was an excellent performance which showed us that provided that we weren't forced to attack from the beginning we could perform well against stronger sides.
4th ODI: After an excellent victory we went in unchanged on a spinning track and once again opted to bowl first. Unlike the previous game we were unable to contain Pakistan as despite a superb spell from young Mavuta (1/26 off 10) Shoaib Malik made a rapid 130 to take Pakistan to 6/302. Once again we batted well but our effort was crippled as Hamilton Masakadza (65) ran out Sikandar Raza (4) and then Craig Ervine (46). Some late hitting from Mavuta (55* off 45) highlighted his potential as an allrounder. Mavuta was the last man standing as we were eventually bowled out for 279 in the last over as Muzarabani sought to send one into orbit. With this loss the series slipped away and only a single dead rubber ODI remained.
5th ODI: On a seaming pitch we made 2 changes with Mire recalled at the expense of K'Kamwe (9 runs in 2 innings) and Wellington Masakadza coming in for the expensive Graeme Cremer. These changes meant that Mavuta moved to number 8 in order to give him further batting opportunities. Under cloudy skies we elected to bowl yet again in the hopes that our seamers could do some early damage. This did not prove to be the case as our bowling once again struggled. Zaman (125) and Malik (94) continued to dominate our bowling as Pakistan reached an imposing total of 4/301. Williams (1/31 off 8), Chatara (2/46 off 8) and Hamilton Masakadza (1/27 off 5) were the wicket takers. In chase of an improbable target we batted superbly to fall agonizingly short and at one stage we were 4/187 off 31 overs. However the dismissals of Williams (56) and Ervine(55) damaged our hopes. Mavuta was the last man out for 31 as we eventually folded for 289.
With this loss Pakistan took the series 4-1. Despite the lopsided scoreline I was happy with how we had batted if admittedly concerned about our lack of bowling penetration. The emergence of Mavuta (86 runs at 86, 2 wickets at 51, econ 3.40) was a major positive as were the runs scored by WIlliams (205 runs at 51.25, 7 wickets at 25.43), Raza ( 201 runs at 40.2, 3 wickets at 41), Ervine (206 runs at 41.2) and Masakadza (179 runs at 35.8, 1 wicket at 27). The main issue was with the bowling as the pace attack was mostly ineffective (10 wickets at 52, econ of 5.8) and Cremer (3 wickets at 63.3, econ of 6.9) endured a terrible series. Overall it wasn't an awful performance but there was significant room available for improvement.
Our next series was yet another daunting one, an away ODI and T20I series against South Africa which I will cover in the next installment of this career/story.
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