adminZIMBABWE’S next crop of batsmen suffered a batting collapse while chasing 254 against Bangladesh A in an unofficial One-Day International on Monday and the challenge will be to quickly resolve their deficiencies in the shortest possible time for the next match today.
The bowlers had set it up well in the morning by restricting the visitors to 252 on an otherwise flat track at the Harare Sports Club, but the batsmen just did not apply themselves whole-heartedly which led to them being skittled out cheaply for 112 inside 37 overs.
Brian Chari got an lbw decision, Kevin Kasuza played a high-risk shot chasing a wide delivery after being bogged down for 20 deliveries without a run, Peter Moor opened the face of his bat against pace and swing to edge into the keeper’s gloves.
Captain Tinotenda Mutombodzi got a rank long hop he could have deposited anywhere in the ground, but he found the hands of gully instead.
It is a learning curve for these four top order batsmen who had to carry the burden of chasing down the runs, but failed.
Mohammad Mithun’s hundred is a template to learn from for the hosts as he left well and did not go for the big shots initially to dodge Brian Vitori’s aggressive opening spell.
It got easier for Mithun the longer he stayed at the crease as scoring became easier when the spinners were in operation and with the field being spread.
As the innings progressed Mithun started to play with a bit more freedom and against the old ball the boundaries started to come.
There was a hint of application when Godwill Mamhiyo and Ryan Burl were at the crease as the pair put on 42 runs for the fifth wicket, a partnership which could have gained relevance had the top-order not capitulated.
Mamhiyo understandably fell in the act of increasing the tempo as the asking rate crept up, which left Ryan Burl with just the tail to bat with.
It was encouraging to see Burl not giving it up under the prevailing circumstances, as his unbeaten 41 demonstrated that when the application is there the Zimbabwe A batters actually do possess the requisite skill to put runs on the board.
Typical of most left-handers, Burl clipped well on anything on his legs and he played some elegant drives through the off-side, which enabled the opposition to respect him enough to put boundary riders, thereby opening up easy singles down the ground for Burl.
Despite the one-sided result on Monday, it was not all doom and gloom for the hosts, in view of the bowling performance which limited the score to 252 in conditions that did not offer much in terms of lateral movement and prodigious turn.
Brian Vitori showed signs that he is close to being back to his best with a spirited bowling performance that yielded two wickets for just 25 runs in eight overs.
Vitori attacked the crease hard and his deliveries went past the bat a lot, with good use of the short ball as an element of surprise.
For most of the bowling innings, Zimbabwe A were in control except for a period during the middle innings when Mithun and Shadman Islam put on a 77-run partnership.
The experience of this situation will improve Mutombodzi’s captaincy, which is primarily the reason why selectors entrusted a young player like him to learn the skills of the captaincy trade at this level.
The spin department also kept things quiet during the middle overs, ably led by Tapiwa Mufudza, who bowled clever lines and lengths to keep the opposition in check.
What the selectors would want to see today is a bit more fight and determination from Zimbabwe’s emerging players, mindful of the wider objective to create competition for places in the national side through performances which will raise the standard of play. — Zimcricket.
Online Reporter