**Official** Bangladesh A in Zimbabwe

[marc71178]

Obviously Streak's played a hell of a lot more cricket than Utseya. As for Paul Strang, he was OK, yes (Bryan was better IMO).
Of course Utseya can't be called as good as any of those 3 yet,

So why did you just do it then?

 

[Richard]

Do you seriously think anyone in Zanu PF is going to concede anything at all because of a bunch of cricketers? Absolute tosh.. Whats relevant to them is whose balls they are connecting to electrodes..

This isn't sports mad apartheid SA we are dealing with remember..

I think the "rebels" not being perceived to have "broken ranks" would be better than them being perceived to have done so.
I don't think the "rebellion" will have much effect on Zanu PF - but it's not like it wasn't worth doing.

 

[Richard]

There's a difference between players walking away to earn better money and players walking away because of a regime.

How many walked away to earn better money?
Neil Johnson - possibly - but he's a South African anyway, and it's not like he made it clear he was heartbroken to be leaving the wonderful ZCU (as then), exactly.
Goodwin, Campbell, Andy Flower, Olonga and Guy Whittall all expressed extreme dissatisfaction with the ZCU, as did the Strangs.

 

[Richard]

You seem to be overestimating these players that went.

They weren't World-class, but they were sure as hell a better bunch than the ones they were landed with after WC2003.

 

[Richard]

Utter codswallop.

He bowls in the middle overs and almost never looks like taking a wicket (as the opposition can push him around for 4 an over), allowing sides to bat into the last few overs with a lot of wickets in hand, and thus making big scores more often than not.

Because the rest of the bowling besides him is so appalling - if it were better the totals would be smaller.
And last I looked he doesn't often allow people 4-an-over.

 

[Langeveldt]

I think the "rebels" not being perceived to have "broken ranks" would be better than them being perceived to have done so.
I don't think the "rebellion" will have much effect on Zanu PF - but it's not like it wasn't worth doing.

Im not sure who has benifited at all from the players leaving.. Save the players themselves financially..

 

[Richard]

So why did you just do it then?

I didn't phrase it brilliantly - I hope the updated version is better.

 

[Richard]

Im not sure who has benifited at all from the players leaving.. Save the players themselves financially..

Of course no-one has benefited yet, and of course we can't know that anyone will benefit at all, because we won't know whether the end of Zanu PF would have been quicker or the same speed had they kept playing... either way, they've forced ICC to at least acknowledge the possibility of a problem in The ZCU \ ZC, even if they've as-usual pretended it doesn't exist ITE.

 

[BoyBrumby]

They weren't World-class, but they were sure as hell a better bunch than the ones they were landed with after WC2003.

Goodwin & (especially) Andy Flower arguably were.

I do agree tho that Zimbabwe's shallow cricket talent pool has been drained for reasons other than solely cricketing ones tho.

 

[Richard]

Neil Johnson was better than both of them in ODIs.
And he could bowl (if not brilliantly) as well.

 

[Hasib]

No-one can possibly be certain how talented these current Zimbabwean lot are, because they just should not be playing international cricket.
They might have turned-out good if they hadn't been chucked on the scene so early, but as it is I'll be amazed if more than 2 or 3 of them become of anything.

ok 2 things...they shudnt be playing international cricket... but i will add AT THIS MOMENT. As for talent... yeah these guys have the talent... but they must be taught to use this talent properly.

 

[Richard]

And they won't learn by being thrashed in Test-matches and ODIs... all that'll do is destroy their belief, and provide the opposition with what is not their due.

 

[marc71178]

And he could bowl (if not brilliantly) as well.

But not as good as 2 in 15 Utseya.

 

[Richard]

4.87-an-over
3.73-an-over
Tell me - which is better?
Neil Johnson was brilliant but to say he was a better bowler than Utseya is plain crazy.

 

[marc71178]

Wickets.

 

[Richard]

Because Neil Johnson with his fantastic average of 34 sure took wickets at a good rate, didn't he?
He either bowled total nonsense or incredibly well.

 

[crickmate]

Four more rebel players will join A team against Bangladesh A:
Heath Streak, Stuart Carlisle, Ray Price and Trevor Gripper

details:
http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2005/FEB/188488_ZIM_24FEB2005.html

this will be an interesting match to watch.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Very interesting.

Of course we won't know what went on behind the scenes for years, but it does look like a bit of a climb-down from the rebels. I bet both sides will try to apply a PR sheen to it ("point made" & "important concessions won" will be the players' spin; "we're not racist, look they're straight back in the team" & "Zimbabwe cricket is bigger than individuals" from the ZC), but Taibu remains captain as I type...

BTW, hadn't Price signed as a Kolpak? I suppose Grant Flower is the only big name from the rebels not to have returned now.

 

[Richard]

Yeah, Price isn't coming back... don't know where he got that one from.
Probably the same place he got me having something against the country of Bangladesh...

 

[BoyBrumby]

Yeah, Price isn't coming back... don't know where he got that one from.
Probably the same place he got me having something against the country of Bangladesh...

TBF cricinfo agrees with crickmate that Price is coming back, which was why I was surprised.