Chubb
International Regular
Problem with Streak is that he went ICL so there would be that can of worms. Also, I think his performances for Warwickshire last year show a definate decline- and 34 is a bit too old to recover yourself. I did not select Blignaut for the simple reason that I think Elton Chigumbura is better than him with both bat and ball.We picked 7 of the same for our 1st XI and the other 4 you included are in my 2nd XI. So we have a pretty similar idea.
If Friend has declined, as reported in this thread, then Ill willingly take him out. However, why no Streak or Blignaut selection in your XI?
The XI you chose is really weak in quicks (as is Zim cricket). However, I included Mupariwa as a backup. I dont know much about him apart form an ok record and good energy. What have you seen?
Also, do Marillier and Ferreira play any more? If they do how does Sibanda get included above them?
I have to confess to forgetting Mupariwa. However, I still would not have him in the test XI, at least initially, as I feel Chiggers and Rainsy are better. Of course he would get a chance alongside the other quicks I selected if things didn't work out.
I think that Vusi is a better bet than both Ferreira and Marillier. He certainly has more talent and his improvement has been tremendous. He deserves a chance before either of them. Remember Neil Ferreira had been around for a long time when Zimbabwe had a decent side and never got a look-in- there is a reason for that. He is gritty and tries hard, but I can't see him ever hacking it. Vusi has proved on occassion that he can. Marillier, were he to make himself available, might get a chance to impress, but he would just be another off-spinning allrounder. For that reason, I would go with Vusi again.