Sundaymail Editor
Tinashe Kusema
Deputy Sports Editor
WHEN Craig Ervine envisioned himself one day leading the Chevrons onto the park, odds are the last thing he imagined was this.
Coach Llalchand Rajput nearing the end of his three-year contract, and Sean Williams expressing his desire to retire before allegedly making a U-turn, have dominated much of the talk of Zimbabwe’s tour of Ireland and Scotland so far.
Ervine being handed the armband, so to speak, has exposed the apparent lack of leadership, with the 36-year-old top-order batsman the fifth player to take up the role since the beginning of 2020.
He has been forced to go into battle with a rather youthful looking side, as the trio of Brendan Taylor, Sikanda Raza and Blessing Muzarabani barely took part in the Twenty20 series.
Muzarabani, due to slight knee niggle, missed the first three T20s against Ireland, while Taylor and Raza did not play a game.
One the field of play, Thursday’s 64-run defeat saw the Chevrons concede the series, making last night’s fifth and final match merely a numbers’ game.
To his credit, Ervine has cut a figure of defiance though all this, and has refused to blame the lack of results on any off-field issues.
“Yes, there were quite a few things going on in the camp back in Zimbabwe, but I don’t think that has affected the team, or the team’s morale, during the actual series,” said the Chevrons’ skipper.
“When we arrived in Ireland, and had our first practice session, there was a buzz around the camp.
“Everyone had a lot of energy, seemed in good spirits and then going on to win the first game helped settle the nerves.
“There is always going to be distractions and if we dwell on them then it affects the camp”.
On his thoughts on the team’s performance during the T20s, and his first taste as captain, Ervine offered arguably one of the more honest and humbling responses.
“The experience as captain has been very interesting, it (role) obviously brings a lot of pressures and stuff with it.
“With the T20 being a lot quicker, you don’t really have a lot of time to think things through.
“I have been fortunate enough to have Regis Chakabva to help me through it.
“He has quite a bit of experience leading his franchise, and he is also a very experienced player,” he said.
For Ervine, the biggest letdown during the series so far has been the batting.
“The difference between the two teams so far has definitely been the batting.
“In the first game we managed to defend 118, and the win covered up some of those errors and weaknesses.
“We were then exposed in the next three games that followed.
“The top-order did not really fire at all, while the Irish had good starts during the power plays.
“When teams get 60 or 75 for no loss after six or seven overs, it’s difficult to restrict them from there,” he said.
With the T20 done and dusted, for now at least, attention shifts to the World Cup Super League fixtures.
The Chevrons currently lie bottom of the 13-team table with a paltry 10 points from six matches.
The opposition, Ireland, are six rungs above them with 35 points from 12 matches.
However, there is still time to turn things around.
The two sides meet in the first of three ODIs on Wednesday, and the availability of Taylor, Raza, Muzarabani and Williams should put a smile on Ervine’s face.
For the skipper, getting the series off on a positive note (win) is imperative to the team’s resurgence.
“Everybody knows that we are at the bottom of the log, but there is still time to turn it around.
“We have only played six matches, and it’s now a case of taking it one game at a time and trying to climb that ladder.
“If we can string a few wins together then we can climb that ladder very quickly,” he said.
On the return of Williams and company, Ervine said: “Having those guys back will be a big boost for us.
“There have a lot of experience between them, and it also affords the younger guys the opportunity to learn from them and get different ideas when on the field.
“I am looking forward to that and having their experienced heads with me”.
This is not say that he is giving up on the younger guys.
In fact, Ervine has a lot of confidence in them and sees bright futures for most of them.
“There is a lot of talent there,” he said.
“Wesley (Madhevere) has been pretty good in the past; he hasn’t fired in this series so far, but we all know what he is capable of.
“Marumani (Tadiwanashe) and Myers (Dion) are still trying find their feet, and getting this kind of exposure can only help them going forward.
“Milton (Sumba) played a good innings in the second T20 to get us to 150, and that will also give him a bit of confidence going into the ODIs.
“It’s a similar case for all of them, its just a matter of getting the belief back”.
Online Reporter