Can Zim upstage Kiwis?

as three One-Day Internationals and a Twenty20.
It’s been a long time since Zimbabwe last toured the land of the long white cloud, December 2000 to be exact.
And what a memorable tour it was for a number of reasons.
Comprising a single test match as well as three One-Day Internationals, the Test ended in a dull draw due to persistent rain.
But Zimbabwe will have very fond memories of that Test as the late Trevor Madondo became the first black Zimbabwean to score a half century at this level.
He blazed a trail for many more talented batsmen to follow in his foot steps.
The ODI series was always going to be a tough one as New Zealand would have been very keen to bounce back after the 2-1 series loss they suffered against Zimbabwe earlier that year.
But it was not meant to be as Zimbabwe, thanks to consistent performances from players such as Andrew Flower, Alistair Campbell and Heath Streak, whose match and, indeed, series-winning 79 not out in the third ODI gave Zimbabwe another 2-1 series win.
However, there have been dramatic changes both in the game and in the squads since those unforgettable glory days and the advent of Twenty20 cricket has also had a distinct mark on players and spectators alike. The end of New Zealand’s last tour to Zimbabwe will still be very fresh in the minds of the players for two reasons.
The first one that comes to mind would be the successful run chase in the third and final ODI.
The second would be Zimbabwe’s spectacular collapse in the second innings of the Test match when they lost seven wickets in the final session handing New Zealand victory after Brendan Taylor, Tatenda Taibu and Tino Mawoyo put the home side in a very strong position.
Looking at the squad that has been announced one can’t really fault it but the main concern is at the top of the order, with the exclusion of Vusi Sibanda, who declined the contract of franchise cricket to instead play grade cricket for a club side in Australia.
Although Sibanda has had selectors and supporters ripping out their hair in handfuls because of the manner in which he constantly gets himself out while appearing to be well set, he still remains a very important member of the team.
But Zimbabwe Cricket have taken a very strong stance on players who are or were not part of the franchise system, which is perfectly understandable, as they would like domestic cricket to be as strong as possible.
Losing quality players such as Sibanda to club cricket will do the sport more harm than good.
So now the question is who will open the batting with Tino Mawoyo in the Test match?
Will Brendan Taylor come up from number four to the top of the order?
This would be a shame as he has been very successful batting at four in the Test matches the country has played so far. And will Mawoyo be a part of the ODI series as well?
He has already shown that he has good temperament at the top of the order in the longer version of the game, but if he does play in the One Day International matches, which seems very likely, will we be able to find that second gear and rotate the strike more freely?
Stuart Matsikinyere’s supporters will be jumping for joy to see him back in the team and traveling, though there are those who say that he has had more than his fair share of chances and not made use of them.
The truth is that Zimbabwe does not have a huge pool of players to choose from and if a vastly-experienced player such as Matsikinyere is consistently scoring runs which he is, then there should be no reason why he shouldn’t be a part of the team.
And one can only hope that for his, and more importantly, the country’s sake, he will prove his critics wrong in the best possible way.
The spinning attack will be bolstered considerably by the welcome return of Graeme Cremer after a major knee operation kept him out of action for most of the season.
Even though he can be costly at times, it is his ability to produce wicket taking deliveries that should make him an automatic selection in the Test.