Chevrons seek Irish double

Sports Reporter

IT is still early days, and there is still plenty of cricket left to play.

But Zimbabwe’s cricketers look to have found the right tonic to neutralise the chaotic situation they find themselves in.

Prior to their three-run victory over T20 World Cup-bound Ireland in Dublin on Friday, the story of the day had been how this relatively young Chevrons team would respond to the noise that surrounded their departure for the Ireland and Scotland tour.

Coach Lalchand Rajput is nearing the end of his three-year contract, and logic dictates a change of guard once it comes to an end next month.

With just a handful of victories across all three formats, the end is nigh.

The Indian gaffer is rumoured to be one of the reasons for the unexpected departure of skipper Sean Williams, who has expressed his desire to step away from the game once the tour comes to an end.

Williams will not be part of the on-going five-match Twenty20 series between Zimbabwe and Ireland, opting instead to play the One Day Internationals which have World Cup implications.

With white-ball skipper Chamu Chibhabha relegated to the Zimbabwe Emerging squad, as part of his rehabilitation after an injury and Brendan Taylor a late inclusion into the squad, the reins have been handed over to Craig Ervine.

Ervine is also the fifth player to take up captaincy since 2020, which has raised alarm in some quarters over the team’s apparent lack of true leadership.

Roy Kaia, not part of the tour but one of the players tipped for greater things in the future, has been suspended from bowling in international cricket.

This was after an independent assessment found the Zimbabwe all-rounder’s action to be illegal.

But despite all this, the Chevrons still found a way to block out the noise and snatch the unlikeliest of victories.

The question now is whether or not the Chevrons can continue to block out the noise and prove that Friday’s win was no fluke.

The Chevrons go into the second T20 today, buoyed by a three-run victory in which the team defended only their second lowest victory total ever.

The lowest was 105 against the West Indies in February 2010.

Commenting on his first win as captain, Ervine said: “After the first half, with only 117 on the board, we knew we were under par.

“The guys came out fired up, bowled well right from the start.

“The wicket was tricky, stayed low and it was difficult to find your timing.

“That was part of the reason why we felt we may have had the runs on the board,” he said.

Ervine showered Regis Chakabva with praise, as his 47 anchored Zimbabwe’s innings, and also paid tribute to the bowlers for their contribution.

“Chakabva held the innings well, a contribution like that got us across the line.

“We have a young bunch of guys and the energy comes with that.

“Guys did well with the gaps there to take the twos.

“The spinners all bowled well together.

“It helps having a leg spinner who can go for runs on another day, but Ryan took three.”

Going into the second of five T20 matches, the Chevrons also find themselves in another unlikely scenario or selection dilemma.

On any other day, it would be a no-brainer as to whether or not to play the trio of Brendan Taylor, Sikanda Raza Butt and Blessing Muzarabani.

The three missed the first match and if fit should be sure-ins for selection.

However, in sport, one always hesitates on tinkering with a winning side.

This should be another test of Rajput’s coaching tact.