So a comprehensive thrashing at the hands of Bangladesh as Zimbabwe lost the third and final test by 186 runs. There were a few talking points, Hamilton Masakadza showed reasonable consistency at number three but would have been very disappointed in the manner in which he got out today. Regis Chakabva was undoubtedly the find of the tour batting at number five, he reminds me so much of Tatenda Taibu, not because of his very similar build to the former Zimbabwean captain, but he has similar shots as well. Like most short batsmen, he plays the pull and cut shots with authority, and he sweeps the spinners very nicely as well. But when you lose a test series 3-0 to Bangladesh, there is very little to talk about. This once again raises fears of Zimbabwes future in the test arena and indeed the international arena. The first problem that needs to be resolved with immediate effect is the fall out between Sean Williams and Steven Mangongo. Unfortunately, both Mangongo and Williams are very headstrong people, but all of this needs to be put aside for the good of the country and the performance of the team. The next problem, and this is a very serious problem is the current coaching staff who have had no international exposure to test cricket. Yes, Mangongo has all the qualifications he needs, but Duggie Hondo who is on tour with the team is the only cricketer who has a bit of test experience. But as Alistair Campbell so rightly said in a recent interview, nobody is able to talk to the batsmen and try and correct their mistakes when playing the left arm spinners because none of them have ever played against left arm spinners on the sub continent. We as Zimbabweans sit back and see how the likes of Grant Flower and Heath Streak make their presence known as Pakistan and Bangladeshs batting and bowling coaches respectively, and nothing is done to rectify the situation. We have five ODIS to look forward to now, and although I personally dont think it will be a whitewash, I think Bangladesh will win the series 4-1 or 3-2 at best. Man of the series Shakib al Hasan said that although Bangladesh have improved considerably as a test playing nation, the shorter version of the game is still their strength, and given the fact that they will be playing in front of packed venues on the traditional turning and bouncing pitches, it is hard to see Zimbabwe being to much of a threat. But on previous tours to Bangladesh, Zimbabwe have always managed to go 1-0 up, probably due to a bit of complacency shown by Bangladesh, but the tigers would always come back very strongly and win the series. Dean du Plessis.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 16:01:39 +0000
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