Printable View
Seeing as everyone else seems to be doing similar things, I have decided to play as Zimbabwe and try to take them to the top of both Test and ODI rankings. Because I know how boring it is to read all of the information in these things, I'll make them a lot briefer than the ones you normally see. The first series is a one day series against Sri Lanka, which I will post soon.
----------------------
ODI SERIES v Sri Lanka
----------------------
First ODI:
Sri Lanka 7/271 (G Brent 3/63, P Strang 2/39)
Zimbabwe 239ao (A Flower 82*, G Flower 39, M Vermeulen 32)
---Sri Lanka win by 32 runs
"Some promising signs from the loss with Brent getting a few wickets and Strang keeping the runs down while getting wickets, batting needs a little improvement with Andy Flower batting well but not having any partners other than Vermeulen and his brother."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Second ODI:
Sri Lanka 5/248 (T Friend 3/46, H Olonga 1/43)
Zimbabwe 4/251 off 49.3 overs (M Goodwin 95*, A Campbell 69*)
---Zimbabwe win by 6 wickets
"Ecstatic with this win, very exciting for the team. Main negatives were Grant Flower's 5 off 42 balls, but the controlled aggression in Goodwins 95* (88) and Campbell's 69* (61) got us home. Restricting Muralitharan to unflattering figures of 1/48 off 10 overs was also a win for the team. Travis Friend's bowling was also very promising, shame that we didn't see him bat, as he was next in the order."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Third ODI:
Zimbabwe 227ao (M Goodwin 72, S Carlisle 30)
Sri Lanka 7/230 off 49.2 overs (H Streak 3/33, T Friend 2/53)
---Sri Lanka win by 3 wickets
"Disappointed with the batting performance, not giving our bowlers much to work with. The bowlers did well, until Chaminda Vaas managed to get hold of a few balls from Henry Olonga (1/58) and somehow bring them back into the game. The bowlers did well, however, Heath Streak a standout, managing a wicket-maiden on the third-last over. Needing 17 off the last two overs, Olonga was disappointing under pressure when he gave away 14 off his over."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Fourth ODI:
Sri Lanka 8/202 (Strang 3/28, Price 2/44)
Zimbabwe 151ao (Goodwin 63, A Flower 21)
---Sri Lanka win by 51 runs
"Very disappointing batting performance again, the bowlers did their job well and were unrewarded by their batting teammates. Goodwins 60 off 40 balls was what the team needed, but it would've been nice to see him go on with it. Andy Flower also had a start and should've made a lot more of it, 21 off 70 balls being plenty of time for him to see himself in. Vermeulen's 10 off 53 was also an unfinished innings."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Fifth ODI:
Zimbabwe 213ao (A Flower 95, Goodwin 28)
Sri Lanka 5/214 off 49.1 overs (Friend 2/58, Price 1/34)
---Sri Lanka won by 5 wickets
"Unfortunately this was our last chance to draw the series, and we lost, but it was another close match that we just didn't have the experience to win. Andy Flower was once again our only reasonable runscorer, and Goodwin, as usual got a nice start before wasting it away.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Sixth ODI
Sri Lanka 5/217 (Brent 2/43, Price 1/33)
Zimbabwe 4/218 (G Flower 78, A Flower 74)
---Zimbabwe won by 6 wickets
"Great to get another win on the board, and good to see our Flowers blossom - no pun intended. Another good bowling performance gave us an easy target, and it was good to see that our batsmen could chase it properly this time. Other than the Flowers' obvious standout performances, Murray Goodwin managed a handy 31 not out, and Carlisle was looking good in his 19 before being bowled by Muralitharan."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"All in all, a series that was more promising with the ball than the bat, as the batsmen rely a bit too heavily on the Flowers. Goodwin and Vermeulen showed a bit of promise with the bat. With the ball, Brent, Friend, Streak, Price and P.Strang all looked quite good. Man of the series for Zimbabwe would have to be Andy Flower.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Good story. I like the format.
-----------------------
Test Series v Sri Lanka
-----------------------
First Test:
Zimbabwe First Innings
226ao (G Flower 120, H Streak 28)
Sri Lanka First Innings
372ao (R Price 4/110, G Brent 3/72)
Zimbabwe Second Innings
307ao (G Flower 115, P Strang 45)
Sri Lanka Second Innings
3/162 (R Price 3/54)
---Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets
"Grant Flower and Raymond Price played well. Apart from that, there's not much I can say about our performance. Our second-topscorers in both innings were from bowling all-rounders. The effort was a joke, and the only chance we had was from a lucky draw. Murray Goodwin's injury was just salt rubbed into the wound."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Second Test:
Sri Lanka First Innings
473ao (R Price 4/136, G Brent 3/99)
Zimbabwe First Innings
282ao (D Marillier 70, P Strang 46)
Sri Lanka Second Innings
224ao (R Price 3/78, G Brent 2/32)
Zimbabwe Second Innings
330ao (S Carlisle 132, A Campbell 125)
--- Sri Lanka win by 85 runs
"Much improved performance this match. First innings, Sri Lanka looked to be about to amass another huge win, but in the second innings, our bowlers came back beautifully. In the last innings, needing about 400 in three and a half sessions, we knew we would have to keep the scoreboard ticking to win this one. A 222 run partnership between Carlisle and Campbell looked to have us home and hosed, needing about 140 runs in the last session with 5 wickets in hand and two batsman in incredibly good touch, but our tail collapsed like nothing else, losing our last 5 wickets for 32 runs."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"Overall, was very disappointed with our effort in the first test, and the team seemed to get the message about half way through the second test and picked up their game dramatically. Best performers were Grant Flower, Ray Price, Gary Brent and Stuart Carlisle."
ODI Series v India
------------------
First ODI:
Zimbabwe 222ao (A Flower 72, Goodwin 57)
India 1/223 off 47 overs (Mbangwa 1/27)
---India win by 9 wickets
"Flower and Goodwin standout performers with the bat, but the tail collapsed, restricting our total to something that was definitely not good enough. With Olonga and Brent injured, we didn't have the bowling artillery that we would need to dismiss the likes of Dravid (117*) and Ganguly (89*), with Tendulkar still to come.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Second ODI:
India 8/204 (Streak 3/34, Price 2/50)
Zimbabwe 5/205 (A Flower 64, Goodwin 46)
---Zimbabwe win by 5 wickets
"Masakadza and Carlisle made the most of the early fielding restrictions, making 57 in their opening partnership off 8 overs, Carlisle finishing with 45 off 40 balls. Flower and Goodwin consolidated, making sure that our weak tail didn't have to win the match at the end. Douglas Marillier was not good enough again with 7 from 29, and will probably be dropped, and Grant Flower will make his return to the limited overs side for the final and deciding match.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Third ODI:
India 5/227 (Mbangwa 3/45, Whittall 1/47)
Zimbabwe 129ao (Whittall 24, Carlisle 23)
---India won by 98 runs
"Our bowlers bowled very well, very, very well, it was a good performance by the bowlers, they were very, very good, they did a good job those bowlers, a good, good job."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"Overall, I'm pretty ****ed off about that series, we had a reasonable loss in the first one, then a reasonable win in the second, and I would've expected a close last game. Unfortunately, our team is crap and we can't bat."
-----------------------
TEST SERIES v Sri Lanka
-----------------------
First Test
Sri Lanka First Innings
221ao (I Engelbrecht 4/74, Brent 3/51)
Zimbabwe First Innings
253ao (M Goodwin 100, G Whittall 51)
Sri Lanka Second Innings
230ao (Whittall 4/48, Streak 2/29)
Zimbabwe Second Innings
3/199 (A Flower 82*, G Flower 79)
---Zimbabwe win by 7 wickets
"Great win by the team, some very promising signs with Engelbrecht picking up 6/154 on
debut. Goodwin's century was vital to keeping us in front after the first innings, and that
was well backed up by Guy Whittall's slow half century. Whittall showed off his all-round
ability by following his half century with a 4/48 that really put us in the driver's seat."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Second Test:
Sri Lanka First Innings
342ao (Mbangwa 5/100, Engelbrecht 2/55)
Zimbabwe First Innings
267ao (G Flower 75, Vermeulen 62)
Sri Lanka Second Innings
174ao (Engelbrecht 4/38, Mbangwa 4/59)
Zimbabwe Second Innings
6/250 (Masakadza 102, G Flower 58)
---Zimbabwe won by 4 wickets
"This win has shown that Zimbabwe will soon be a force to be reckoned with, with some top
quality young players showing their talent in this match. Mbangwa is 26, Engelbrecht is 22,
Vermeulen is 23, Masakadza is 19, and the way they performed was definitely up to test
standard. This home series has revived Zimbabwean cricket well and truly so far."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Sri Lanka First Innings
335ao (Brent 6/62, Engelbrecht 2/86)
Zimbabwe First Innings
239ao (Marillier 56, Whittall 46*)
Sri Lanka Second Innings
223ao (Streak 3/46, Engelbrecht 2/51)
Zimbabwe Second Innings
8/237 (Marillier 67, Goodwin 59)
---Match Drawn
"Despite the draw, I was happy with the way that we played, unfortunately we seemed to be
the only team going for a result, and Sri Lanka seemed to want a draw. Although the
scoreline may show that we were behind, I was happy with the way that we bowled, and the
way that we were able to bat aggressively and almost give ourselves enough time for a win.
The rain was a bit disappointing, as that 3 hours could have made a big difference. Good to
see Marillier perform well with the bat, confirming his position as the replacement for
Andy Flower."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"Overall, very impressed with the team, they all played really well this series. The fact
we had an unchanged side throughout the series is a tribute to the players and the way they
have performed."
great story mate! like the format very much! :) keep it coming
------------------------
ODI Series vs. Sri Lanka
------------------------
First ODI:
Sri Lanka 4/237 (Whittall 2/54, Engelbrecht 1/37)
Zimbabwe 177ao (Masakadza 38, A Flower 35)
---Sri Lanka win by 60 runs
"Continues our run of bad batting performances, we really need someone to stand up and give us some big scores. Neil Johnson is on the brink of getting into the team, despite him being 32 going against our youth policy. Another poor batting performance would see him in. Engelbrecht once again good, 1/37 a tidy bowling effort."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Second ODI:
Zimbabwe 6/183 (Goodwin 83*, Vermeulen 54)
Sri Lanka 1/184 from 49.2 overs (Whittall 1/32)
---Sri Lanka win by 9 wickets
"After being 3/15, Vermeulen and Goodwin did quite well to get our score back up to a competitive level, but it's a shame that they weren't able to play a bit more aggressively towards the end. Whittall's 25 from 24 and 1/32 was a good effort. Sri Lanka were never in any real danger, and paced their innings so well that it was insulting. The team is at an important stage now, and it will be interesting to see who stands up when we need to win the rest of these games."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Third ODI:
Sri Lanka 6/175 (Brent 3/38, Streak 2/22)
Zimbabwe 3/176 from 47.1 overs (G Flower 47, A Flower 42*)
---Zimbabwe win by 7 wickets
"Nice to start winning again, great stuff from the bowlers, particularly Heath Streak, who has returned from a form slump to get figures of 2/22 from 10 overs. The chasing was ridiculously slow up to the 35th over, including one dead period where 9 consecutive maidens were faced out. Luckily we snapped out of that slow period and started hitting a few big overs, including one 16-run over off Chaminda Vaas.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Fourth ODI:
Zimbabwe 9/306 (A Flower 96, D Marillier 68)
Sri Lanka 231ao (Englebrecht 3/62, Mbangwa 3/60)
---Zimbabwe win by 75 runs
"Great batting effort, nice change from the recent performances that our batsmen have put in. Main reasons for this big score is Marillier's 68 from 47 balls which included 7 fours and a six before being run out, and Andy Flower's 96 off 76 balls which included 14 fours. The batsmen were all sensible, seeing themselves in for 5-10 overs before lashing out in the way they did. The bowlers were under siege for most of the match, as you would expect considering the opposition were chasing 306. Englebrecht and Mbangwa were vital with the wickets they took, without them Sri Lanka had a real shot. The next match will be our real test, the deciding match for the series. We are confident as we have the momentum."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Fifth ODI:
Sri Lanka 4/253 (Whitall 2/72, Mbangwa 1/37)
Zimbabwe 249ao (G Flower 67, A Flower 51)
---Sri Lanka win by 4 runs
"Devastating loss for the team, they played well enough and deserved to win. Andy Flower, Mark Vermeulen and Douglas Marillier all played well and aggressively which put us in the box seat, needing 10 off the last two overs with four wickets in hand. To most, this would be an easy win. However, the 49th over went like this: W W W 2 1 1. The Mapa Bandaratillek hattrick was not what we wanted at the time. Thilan Samaraweera came on to bowl the last over, 6 runs needed, 1 wicket in hand. 2 W. All over."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"Very pleased this series the way we came back from 2-0 down to level the series, but that last game was there to be won and we shouldn't have wasted the opportunity the way we did."
-------------
TOUR of INDIA
-------------
Tour Match 1 vs Karnataka
Zimbabwe First Innings 417ao (Masakadza 95, Vermeulen 83)
Karnataka First Innings 219ao (Engelbrecht 6/63, Brent 2/56)
Karnatka Second Innings - following on 257ao (Engelbrecht 4/79, Mbangwa 3/43)
Zimbabwe Second Innings 1/60 (Masakadza 35*, G Flower 22)
---Zimbabwe win by 9 wickets
"Good to see a few young players getting into form, Masakaza (95 and 35*), Engelbrecht (6/63 and 4/79), and Vermeulen (83) proving that they are ready for the new season."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Tour Match 2 vs. Mumbai
Zimbabwe First Innings 275ao (Brummer 94, Duvall 57)
Mumbai First Innings 345ao (Vermeulen 4/101, Mbangwa 3/35)
Zimbabwe Second Innings 403ao (Marillier 96, Brummer 84)
Mumbai Second Innings 195ao (Streak 4/38, Duvall 3/23)
--- Zimbabwe win by 138 runs
"We put in a new-look Zimbabwean team just to see how they would perform, and they did quite well. Obviously stand-in captain Mark Vermeulen had decided before the match that he would bowl himself, as there were no recognised spin bowlers in the team, on a very sharply turning wicket. 21-year-old Alan Brummer did nothing to hurt his chances of getting a spot in the team, with a 94 and 84 in his first match for Zimbabwe. Duvall also showed a bit of promise, and Marillier looks ready to take over the reigns as wicketkeeper as soon as Andy Flower calls it quits."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
First ODI vs. India
Zimbabwe 294ao (Vermeulen 70, Friend 49)
India 296/4 (Mbangwa 2/58, Friend 2/63)
---India win by 6 wickets
"Due to a colossal mistake involving not changing the team from the second-string team that played against Mumbai in a tour match recently, the team was definitely not at its best. Despite this, the team batted very well, Mark Vermeulen and Travis Friend the standouts that almost pushed the team's score to 300+. Unfortunately, the last tour match was a four-dayer, and we only had four recognised bowlers. India achieved the score in 47.3 overs, although Mbangwa and Friend managed to get wickets, Friend claiming the prized scalp of Sachin Tendulkar (76).
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Second ODI vs. India
India 3/256 (Mbangwa 1/40, Engelbrecht 1/49)
Zimbabwe 9/260 (Masakadza 56, Brummer 48)
---Zimbabwe won by 1 wicket
"Nail-biting win, dealt with beautifully by Engelbrecht, who hit a four off the last ball to win. Bowling is getting worse, but young batsmen Masakadza and Brummer reminded us of what is to come."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Third ODI vs. India
India 7/268 (Engelbrecht 2/51, Streak 2/44)
Zimbabwe 196ao (G Flower 52, Brummer 45)
---India won by 72 runs
"Shame to see our batsmen failed after so much improvement in that area, but the bowlers weren't particularly good either. Bad effort by the players."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"The ODI series was a large backward step for Zimbabwe, the only game that they won being the second game, which was a lucky win. Hopefully there will be an improvement in the test series."
First Test vs. India
India First Innings 5/603 dec. (Engelbrecht 3/185, Mbangwa 1/141)
Zimbabwe First Innings 233ao (Campbell 58, Flower 36)
Zimbabwe Second Innings Following On 115ao (Masakadza 30, Vermeulen 27*)
---India win by an innings and 255 runs
"Hopeless with batting and bowling. Two 200+ run partnerships were really costly, and our two innings were both a lot worse than what we are capable of. No excuse for that performance
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Second Test vs. India
Zimbabwe First Innings 343ao (Brummer 81, Masakadza 56)
India First Innings 7/511 (Lamb 4/137, Engelbrecht 1/147)
Zimbabwe Second Innings 205ao (G Flower 64, Lamb 40)
India Second Innings 2/40 (Mbangwa 2/23)
---India win by 8 wickets
"Improved, but was still not up to the standard that we set last season. Lamb was solid on debut, and showed us a bit of talent with the bat that was unexpected. Brummer contributed to the first innings, but nobody can honestly say they played well this game."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Third Test vs. India
India First Innings 574ao (Engelbrecht 4/152, Marillier 2/24)
Zimbabwe First Innings 308ao (Campbell 112, Streak 59*)
Zimbabwe Second Innings 233ao (Masakadza 121, A Flower 37)
--- India won by an innings and 33 runs
"Very disappointing effort again. Batsmen didn't do too badly, with Campbell and Masakadza making centuries. Bowlers really need to improve to get teams out for low totals as they did in Sri Lanka last year."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"What can I say about this series. India won it 3-0, twice by an innings, and we couldn't even make 350 for the whole series. Bowlers suck."
This is great stuff tassietiger keep it up!
Go Zimbos!
-----------------------
TEST SERIES vs. ENGLAND
-----------------------
First Test:
Zimbabwe First Innings 286ao (P Strang 45 rtd hurt, Vermeulen 36)
England First Innings 6/515 dec. (Streak 3/101, Brent 2/109)
Zimbabwe Second Innings 4/324 (Carlisle 160*, Vermeulen 101*)
---Match Drawn
"It's a shame that the rain had to come and ruin what would have been interesting. We were planning to set a total of 250+ in two sessions for England, and that would have been a good chase. Carlisle and Vermeulen played very well, as did the tail in the first innings. From 6/110 to 286 all out, Strang, Blignaut, Streak and Brent all showed that we can bat to 11. Disappointed with the bowling, but with Strang injured, it was hard to play as we had no spinner. Looking to win the series in the next match, which will be the decider now."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Second Test:
Zimbabwe First Innings 371ao (Goodwin 81, Flower 80)
England First Innings 213ao (Whitall 4/43, Brent 2/30)
Zimbabwe Second Innings 201ao (G Flower 80, S Carlisle 48)
England Second Innings 3/360 (Streak 2/102, Blignaut 1/122)
---England win by 7 wickets
"Almost enforced the follow-on, and still managed to lose. Very worrying for the team. Flower posted a couple of handy 80s, and Andy Blignaut's 45 not out and 19 not out will give him a promotion up the order. Bowling still isn't good enough when we need it to be."
----------------------------------
ODI Triangular Series (ZIM, ENG, WI)
----------------------------------
First ODI vs. England
Zimbabwe 9/276 (G Flower 102, Carlisle 53)
England 150ao (Brent 3/37, Streak 3/32)
---Zimbabwe won by 126 runs
"Very good match for Zimbabwe. Grant Flower's 102 from 97 balls was a match-winning innings. The bowlers did better than they have recently, but it's easier to take wickets when the team is chasing a total like 276
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Second ODI vs. West Indies
Zimbabwe 208ao (G Flower 83, A Flower 36)
West Indies 6/209 (Streak 2/41, Blignaut 2/32)
---West Indies win by 4 wickets
"Needing 9 runs off the last over to win was a hard task, so the bowlers had put themselves in a winnable position. It was a shame we couldn't bat a little better, with Streak and Blignaut promoted up the order as pinch-hitters because of their recent performances, unfortunately they made 1 and 0 respectively.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Third ODI vs. England
Zimbabwe 8/269 (Carlisle 93, Blignaut 48*)
England 131ao (Mbangwa 4/52, Friend 2/12)
---Zimbabwe win by 138 runs
"Good signs with the bat and the ball, very similar to our last one-day encounter with England. Mbangwa's bowling and Blignaut's batting were very good to see. Also nice seeing Stuart Carlisle return to form."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Fourth ODI vs. West Indies
Zimbabwe 114ao (A Flower 24, Carlisle 21)
West Indies 2/118 (Mbangwa 1/27, Streak 1/13)
---West Indies win by 8 wickets
"Need to improve against the West Indies to beat them in the likely final. Batting was dismal, and bowlers weren't given a chance to do well or badly."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Fifth ODI vs. England
Zimbabwe 9/174 (Friend 39*, A Flower 25)
England 2/175 (Mbangwa 1/52, Streak 1/21)
---England win by 8 wickets
"This is a little annoying, as England were the one team that we could beat. Our bowlers are getting very frustrated with our batsmen, as they are not giving the bowlers a chance to win a game. Next time we win the toss we will definitely bowl. Friend batted well, stabilising the innings while everyone around him was losing their head. This next match is a must win, partly because it secures our spot in the final, and our team morale definitely needs it."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Sixth ODI vs. West Indies
Zimbabwe 150ao (Goodwin 46, Carlisle 29)
West Indies 2/153 (Whittall 2/38)
---West Indies won by 8 wickets
"Terrible display, Goodwin batted well, but nobody else can be pleased with their performance. Whittall picked up two wickets, but it was nowhere near good enough. Batting needs a huge amount of work. Hopefully the West Indies can beat England to put us in the final."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
ODI FINAL vs. West Indies
West Indies 9/156 (Watambwa 4/31, Mbangwa 2/29)
Zimbabwe 6/157 (Carlisle 61, Brummer 42)
---Zimbabwe won by 4 wickets
"Great stuff for the team. This win has excited the team enormously. Not only is it our first Triangular Series win in ODI history, it also puts us on top of England in the ODI rankings. Not sure if we really deserved the win, as throughout the series the West Indies were clearly the best team, but it is all about how you perform on the day. Bowling was superb, while not getting them all out, they kept the opposition to around 2 or 3 runs an over for the whole match until some last minute slogging. Gayle and Lara were in for a while, and the bowlers managed to keep the runs down well. Recognition must go to Heath Streak for 1/13 off 10 overs, and Stuart Carlisle for making sure that we got there, as we were quite scratchy in our chase."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Wow, great win there! Go Zimbabwe! Great story.
Over at Cricketgames.com a few years back I did a Zimbabwe story. I think it's on page 26 or so of the ICC forum archive there. I started in 2039. This is good, later on you'll get some really classy players like Grant Lang a Zim middle-order bat I had in 2039 who had a test batting average of 68! :wacko:
your getting somewhere good results here. carry it on.
i remember that story Chubb - it was a very good story too
Thanks
mate nice story
i enjoyed reading it keep it going. its funny you know taht a certain player in your zimbabwee team is actually playing for my club here in sydney..?
any guess who?
lol