Online Reporter
Bongani Ndlovu [email protected]
LADY Chevrons coach Mark Coles believes Zimbabwe made small but significant steps during their five-match T20 International series against South Africa, despite suffering a 5-0 clean sweep at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.
Coles, who took charge of the side shortly before the series, said yesterday’s 13-run defeat in the final match provided the clearest indication yet of what the team could achieve with more time and continued work.
Zimbabwe restricted South Africa to 164 for six before posting 151 for eight in reply, their second-highest total in T20 International cricket.
The performance was a marked improvement from the previous matches, in which South Africa won the first encounter by six wickets, the second by 64 runs and the third and fourth by 80 runs.
For Coles, however, the final result was less important than the progress he saw in the way his players approached the game.
“You can’t be three, four, five down with the bat and expect to score 150. Today we were two down and we started to understand what we needed to do,” said Coles.
“Yes, there are small gains. I’ve just been told that was our second highest score ever in a T20 International, the other one was against Mozambique. So to score 150 against these girls, all credit to our girls. We’ve made a lot of progress but there’s a lot more work to do.”
One of the clearest areas of improvement was the bowling.
Zimbabwe had been working with key performance indicators (KPIs), with the bowlers spending more time bowling at specific targets rather than simply bowling in the nets.
That work began to show in the final match as Zimbabwe restricted a powerful South African batting line-up containing Laura Wolvaardt, Anneke Bosch and Annerie Dercksen to 164.
“The bowling I’m really pleased with today. I thought that was the first day where we’d done our KPIs, we’d worked really hard in the open wickets hitting targets and that was a little glimmer of hope, a little shoot if you like of a flower coming through,” said Coles.
Michelle Mavunga was the pick of the Zimbabwe bowlers with three wickets, while the fielders also produced some outstanding moments, including Kelis Ndhlovu’s catch at deep square to dismiss Bosch.
Coles believes fielding is already one of the team’s strengths.
“Our fielding is pretty good. We’re up to scratch with our fielding,” he said.
He acknowledged, however, that there was still room for improvement after Zimbabwe dropped a couple of catches in the final match.
“We had one game where I didn’t think we fielded that well. We dropped a couple of catches today but we took a couple of really good catches. So that’s a work in progress,” he said.
Batting was another area where Coles saw progress.
Zimbabwe lost early wickets but were able to keep the scoreboard moving through strike rotation, allowing the middle order to keep the chase alive.
“And then the batting today, we were a lot more disciplined. We lost a couple of wickets early but we kept rotating the strike and the girls in the middle did a great job. We’ve done a lot of work with the girls with the bat as well which I was really pleased with,” he said.
The coach believes the bigger challenge is now to make those improvements consistent.
“The awareness is slowly getting better but we’re not great at cricket awareness. We come in and out of the game a little bit and we need to be a little bit more consistent,” said Coles.
That inconsistency was exposed during the series as Zimbabwe struggled to maintain pressure against a South African side with greater international experience.
South Africa repeatedly found players capable of changing the course of matches.
Bosch was the early match-winner, scoring 83 in the opening game and 65 in the second. Wolvaardt then produced a commanding 126 not out in the third match, while Miane Smit scored a century in the fourth.
Bosch finished the series as South Africa’s leading run-scorer with 214 runs, followed by Wolvaardt on 151 and Smit on 140.
For Zimbabwe, Michelle Mavunga led the batting with 110 runs, while Nyasha Gwanzura and Kelis Ndhlovu also made important contributions.
Annerie Dercksen led South Africa’s bowling with seven wickets, while Mavunga was among Zimbabwe’s leading wicket-takers.
Coles also identified several players who caught his eye during the series, including Ndhlovu and Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano, who he praised for their performances in the final.
He also highlighted Beloved Biza, the tall right-arm bowler Kudsi and Mavunga.
“Fundamentally there are some talented girls. Part of this is they don’t believe. And the more they start to believe in themselves, then you’ll start to see a little bit more like this,” he said.
Building that belief, according to Coles, will require time.
The coach said the players are learning while competing against world-class opposition, a difficult process that cannot be rushed.
“These girls are playing against some world-class players and they’re learning as they go. That’s pretty hard to do when you’re learning as you go,” he said.
That view was independently reinforced by South Africa coach Mandla Mashimbyi after the final match.
While Coles stressed the amount of work still required, Mashimbyi said he had seen growth from Zimbabwe throughout the series.
“I think Zimbabwe showed growth throughout. They were learning throughout and you’ve got to give it to them. Sometimes to just win all games is not good for you also,” he said.
Mashimbyi was particularly positive about Zimbabwe’s long-term prospects, saying the team could make significant progress with time.
“I think fundamentally they’re there. You give them a year or two they’ll be where they need to be as a team and I love the passion in which they play the game,” he said.
He also singled out Zimbabwe’s fielding for praise.
“Their fielding is unbelievable and I think coach is on a good wicket here,” said Mashimbyi.
His comments also backed up Coles’ assessment of the final match, with the South African coach acknowledging that Zimbabwe’s bowling had improved.
“But I think you’ve got to give Zimbabwe credit where credit is due. I thought they bowled a bit better,” he said.
Mashimbyi pointed to South Africa’s greater experience as one of the reasons his side was able to find ways to win even when Zimbabwe put them under pressure.
“And because we probably have a lot more experience than them, we’ll find ways to stretch our way to a score which we can defend,” he said.
For Coles, that experience gap is part of the reason he is asking for patience as he builds the side.
His immediate challenge is made more difficult by the schedule, with West Indies arriving in Zimbabwe in less than a week before the Lady Chevrons travel to India.
Coles said he has had little time to work with the players between assignments.
“I’m not making an excuse, it’s just a fact. But we’ll get there and they’re a great bunch of young ladies and they’re trying really hard,” he said.
The coach has also introduced incentives to help motivate the players.
Before the final, the bowlers set themselves a target of restricting South Africa to 150, with Coles promising them ice creams if they achieved it.
He said the team also has its own player-of-the-match incentive.
“I think I’ve worked out pretty quickly that these girls up there work on incentives. And if we can start to do that, and incentivise them, we’ve got our own little player of the match, then we’ll start to make some progress,” he said.
Despite the 5-0 result, Coles remains encouraged by what he saw, particularly after the opening match.
“I know that we’ve lost 5-0. But I think, with the exception of the first game where I think we were nervous, you just saw little bits and pieces coming through,” he said.
He is not expecting an immediate transformation, instead calling for incremental improvement.
“If we can be a little bit better, one per cent better, against the West Indies, then you’ll see some progress,” said Coles.
The coach knows the road ahead will be difficult. After West Indies, Zimbabwe face India, another side he expects to provide a major test.
