Zimbabwe are Improving!

[SeamUp]

Zimbabwe's FC competition (Logan Cup) postponed for a 3rd time.

 

[SeamUp]

Good for Zimbabwe and Afghanistan cricket.

Zimbabwe will host Afghanistan senior team for 5 ODIs in
Harare on (Feb 17, 19, 22, 24, 26). Soon after the series
involving the A sides.

History :

1) Afghanistan Tour of Zimbabwe 2014-15

Afghanistan won 5 match odi sereis 3-2, T20 sereis - 2-0


2) Zimbabwe v/s Afghanistan in UAE 2015-16

Afghanistan won 5 match odi sereis 3-2, T20 sereis - 2-0



The Zimbabwe A squad has resumed camp in Harare, to
finalise their preparations to host Afghanistan A. Coach
Douglas Hondo, his assistant Wayne James, team analyst
Stanley Chioza, fielding coach Walter Chawaguta and fitness trainer Walter Karimanzira are working with a squad of 18 players. The Afghanistan A side is expected in Harare on Tuesday (Tuesday the 24th of January) for five one-day matches to be played at Harare Sports Club. The first match is on Friday, the second on Sunday, the third next Tuesday and the fourth next Friday. The tour ends with the fifth one-dayer on Sunday the 5th of February. On Monday, the Zimbabwe A players and their senior counterparts attended a three-hour session conducted by South African mental performance coach Christo Spies. On Tuesday, the Zimbabwe A side will play a 50-over match against their senior counterparts at Harare Sports Club. After the A tour, Zimbabwe will host the senior Afghanistan side for five one-day international matches. All the matches will also be at Harare Sports Club. They will be played on the 17th, 19th, 22nd, 24th and 26th of February.


ZIMBABWE A SQUAD :

Ryan Burl, Brian Chari,Tendai Chatara, Joylord Gumbie,Innocent Kaia,Charles Kunje,Neville Madziva,Tendai Maruma, Wellington Masakadza, Brandon Mavuta,Peter Joseph Moor (wk),Tapiwa Mufudza,Carl Mumba,Ryan Murray (wk), Tarisai Musakanda, Tinotenda Mutombodzi, Richard Ngarava,Victor Nyauchi

 

[Marius]

Going by the players' names, it looks like 7 of Zimbabwe's XI from yesterday's U-19 game are white.

8th Match: South Africa Under-19s v Zimbabwe Under-19s at Paarl, Jan 25, 2017 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

So it seems strange that there are so few white Zimbos in their domestic stuff. But I suppose lots of the guys go to SA, NZ, or the UK when they finish school.

 

[morgieb]

Going by the players' names, it looks like 7 of Zimbabwe's XI from yesterday's U-19 game are white.

8th Match: South Africa Under-19s v Zimbabwe Under-19s at Paarl, Jan 25, 2017 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

So it seems strange that there are so few white Zimbos in their domestic stuff. But I suppose lots of the guys go to SA, NZ, or the UK when they finish school.

Given how few whites are left in Zimbabwe...that's pretty embarassing and sad. And as you say, most of the whites will defect to a country which actually has an economy. They're going the way of Kenya.

 

[SeamUp]

Going by the players' names, it looks like 7 of Zimbabwe's XI from yesterday's U-19 game are white.

8th Match: South Africa Under-19s v Zimbabwe Under-19s at Paarl, Jan 25, 2017 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

So it seems strange that there are so few white Zimbos in their domestic stuff. But I suppose lots of the guys go to SA, NZ, or the UK when they finish school.

Much talk about Ryan Murray who is older than the majority and not eligible for the next u19 CWC so unbelievably got a call-up to their 'A' squad above. Interesting if he was notified. Another of their talented players Jayden Schadendorf didn't play that game yesterday as was rested so that 7 who played yesterday plus him. Let's how it goes for them + Madhevere - https://www.saschoolsports.co.za/cr...aints-zimbabwe-player-stars-at-cubs-week.html

Also out of interest both Madhevere (St Charles) & Taun Harrison (SACS) are schooling in SA.

From this embarassing game in the last u19 CWC : 9th Place Play-off Semi-Final: South Africa Under-19s v Zimbabwe Under-19s at Cox's Bazar, Feb 8, 2016 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

Shaun Snyder - Australia (cricket & rugby)
Brendan Sly - Pursuing professional golf career in SA.
Jeremy Ives - Cricket at Maties in SA
Ryan Murray - see above
Adam Keefe - cricket in Ireland

* Obviously others before the above in the previous u19 set-up in various parts of the world.

So from that team Murray, Mavuta and Ngarava are in their 'A' squad for Afghanistan.

 

[SeamUp]

Solomon Mire is back from the clouds to play Afghanistan !

No Hamilton or Williams.

Zimbabwe squad: Graeme Cremer (capt), Peter Moor (wk), Ryan Burl, Tarisai Musakanda, Sikandar Raza, Malcolm Waller, Elton Chigumbura, Wellington Masakadza, Donald Tiripano, Tendai Chatara, Christopher Mpofu, Nathan Waller, Craig Ervine, Solomom Mire.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Is there any chance of them playing him as what he actually is (top order bat)?

He's having a pretty decent year in Melbourne again, playing for Northcote.

 

[Prince EWS]

Is there any chance of them playing him as what he actually is (top order bat)?

Haha here's hoping.

 

[SeamUp]

Doesn't sound like the Zimbo's are too happy with the squad.

Solomon making it back from no where. Streak has said he is playing well in Aus and will be allowed to remain living there and be picked when available.
No Hamilton & Williams (later found out they weren't at the required fitness levels) with 2 others and have chance to prove fitness in the Pro50 starting today.
How Chigumbura, Mpofu and M.Waller are still in the squad etc

 

[vic_orthdox]

Nothing wrong with Solomon's fitness levels - rig in pristine nick.

 

[SeamUp]

Just need to try get Ervine for the 100th time and Jarvis back and it's a start.

Brendan Taylor‏Verified account @BrendanTaylor86 · 20m20 minutes ago
Just to clear the air,I am returning to represent my country again after 3 years and this time I plan to finish my career with @ZimCricketv

 

[SeamUp]

Squad for the Africa Cup

Zimbabwe squad: Peter Moor, Kudzai Sauramba, Ainsley Ndlovu, Brian Chari, Kevin Kasuva, Innocent Kaia, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, Tymcen Maruma, Nathan Waller, Neville Madziva, Rugare Magarira, Tinotenda Mutombodzi, Keith Jaure.

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Good news, he should know how important it is to play for country.




Innocent Kaia- the best name in international cricket.

 

[jimmy101]

Great news regarding Brendan.

 

[morgieb]

Yeah awesome to see Taylor back. Talk Jarvis might return too.

 

[SeamUp]

A new team added to their domestic cricket

Harare-based Rising Stars added to Zimbabwe domestic set-up

Zimbabwe's domestic set-up will return to a five-team structure with the introduction of a new outfit called Rising Stars. In its first year, the squad will be made up of players who travelled to the UK as part of an academy under the watch of Tatenda Taibu, the convener of selectors, this winter. The squad includes four Zimbabwe internationals - Ryan Burl, Carl Mumba, Tarisai Musakanda and Richard Ngarava.

The Harare-based Rising Stars will play some of their matches at Takashinga Cricket Club in the high-density area of Highfield, and others at Old Hararians.

The five-team structure is aimed at creating a more competitive domestic scene, as was the case between 2009 and 2014, when Zimbabwe had a franchised local league. In 2014, one of those teams, Southern Rocks, which was based in Masvingo, 300 kilometres south of the capital, was dissolved because they had become logistically difficult to run.

The domestic structure then returned to a provincial one with four teams, though the teams kept their franchise names. Eagles (Harare), Matabeleland Tuskers (Bulawayo), Mid-West Rhinos (Kwe-Kwe) and Mountaineers (Mashonaland) will continue to play in this season's competitions, with the Mountaineers also playing some matches at Takashinga.

According to a fixture list seen by ESPNcricinfo, Zimbabwe's domestic season is set to start on the October 4, with six rounds of first-class matches that will overlap with West Indies' tour of Zimbabwe that includes two Tests. There will be an interspersing of first-class and List A matches throughout December and January. The focus then shifts solely to 50-over cricket with the National League (a club competition) and more List A matches in February-March as Zimbabwe's national team gears up for the 2019 World Cup qualifiers. The T20 tournament will be held in April.

All this serves as another indication that cricket in Zimbabwe is slowly starting to find a more productive path after years of administrative fumbling and financial mismanagement.

A complete overhaul of the structures has seen many former players, including Taibu, return to the fold. The academy side that will form the new Rising Stars team was largely his brainchild. "Last year, I was thinking about player pathways and how there seems to be a drop-off after Under-19 cricket," Taibu told ESPNcricinfo. "The academy proposal was my way of solving this, and I was grateful that my employers shared my vision to help us get where we are now."

Funding for the academy came from ZC and private sponsors, which allowed Taibu, who has lived in the UK for several years, to collaborate with an English sports agency and secure club contracts for players picked as among Zimbabwe's most promising. The academy also had a programme of its own, set up a training base at Lancashire's county ground in Aigburth, and played 48 matches across all formats against local teams, including the Surrey second XI and the MCC. They won 29 of those games and lost only eight, with three draws and eight washouts.


Along the way, Taibu identified many potential internationals, including Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, who scored more than 1000 runs including seven fifties and a hundred across the tour, legspinner Brandon Mavuta, who topped the bowling charts with 54 scalps, and Blessing Muzarabani, a two-metre-tall pacer whose speeds neared 140kph and who Taibu believes has "all the raw ingredients to become a destructive opening bowler at the highest level".

The Academy is part of a five-year plan. Taibu's plans include overseeing more trips, giving continued exposure to newly capped national players to the rigours of the international game, and nurturing new talent to deepen Zimbabwe's player pool. "I see the academy as performing a dual role: to identify and develop the next generation of players, but also a high-performance centre and finishing school for young players in or around the national side," Taibu said.

"In the case of Burl, Mumba, Musakanda and Ngarava, it was about them learning the trade of being a professional cricketer, what it takes to succeed at the highest level and then putting that into practice. I'm confident they developed during their time with the academy, time will tell."

 

[SeamUp]

Zimbabwe squad to face the Netherlands

Graeme Cremer (Captain), Regis Chakabva (Wicketkeeper), Peter Moor (Wicketkeeper), Solomon Mire, Hamilton Masakadza, Sean Williams, Craig Ervine, Chamunorwa Chibhabha, Sikandar Raza, Donald Tiripano, Christopher Mpofu, Richard Ngarava, Tarisai Musakanda, Ryan Burl, Malcolm Waller, Tendai Chatara


Looking better. Add in Taylor, Jarvis to come.

Ervine lost cause. Cartwright was never in the picture and very much Australian now. Obviously same for Ballance.

Ed Byrom is one of the young u19 stars slipped from the radar. A lot of others have moved to other countries so wonder if any of them are back in the domestic mix. A few chose other sports though like rugby and golf.

 

[morgieb]

Yeah awesome to see Taylor back. Talk Jarvis might return too.

Confirmed now.

Jarvis leaves Lancashire to resume Zimbabwe career - ESPNcricinfo

I know Zimbabwe have had their fair share of false dawns...but getting their two best cricketers back in the mix is a great start.

 

[SeamUp]

Starting to look a bit more respectable.

Get Ed Byrom & a strike-bowler and it's looking better.

Reigis Chakabva
Hamilton Masakadza
Brendan Taylor
Sean Williams
Craig Ervine
Sikandar Raza

Nyasha Mayavo
Peter Moor

Solomon Mire
Malcolm Waller

Graeme Cremer
Tendai Chisoro

Kyle Jarvis
Christopher Mpofu
Chamu Chibhabha
Michael Chinouya

Former captain Brendan Taylor and bowler Kyle Jarvis were both included in the Zimbabwe test squad for the first time after lengthy absences when a 16-man party was named on Tuesday for the two-test series at home to the West Indies.

Taylor and Jarvis had opted to play county cricket in England under Kolpak contracts, which meant they could no longer play for Zimbabwe, but have since been convinced to return to the team.

Taylor, 31, has an average of almost 35 in 23 previous tests and brings a wealth of experience to the side. The 28-year-old Jarvis last played test cricket in early 2013.

Graeme Cremer will continue as captain but the squad has been overhauled after July's tour to Sri Lanka with allrounders Tendai Chisoro and Solomon Mire and wicketkeeper Nyasha Mayavo all in line for a first cap.

There were also recalls for bowlers Chamu Chibhabha and Michael Chinouya.

Both tests are being played at the Queens Club in Bulawayo. The first test starts on Saturday with the second scheduled for October 29 to November 2.

 

[NUFAN]

is there still no Windies vs.Zim thread？Im on my phone so too tricky to start, but this should be a.decent series.