Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema-Zimpapers Sports Hub
WHILE results did not necessarily go the Chevrons’ way, skipper Craig Ervine has opted to look on the positive and take Zimbabwe’s recent cricket trip to England as a learning experience.
Ervine and the rest of the Zimbabwe Test squad returned home last weekend after spending the better part of May in England for the one-off Test against the Three Lions.
England won the Test match by an innings and 46 runs after which the Chevrons’ practice match against South Africa ended in a draw.
Zimbabwe also played two practice matches against a First-Class Counties (FCC) XI in Leicester and South Africa.
They lost to the County select side by 138 runs while the rain-ravaged match against South Africa, played behind closed doors, ended in a draw.
From a results standpoint, the tour was a colossal failure with the Chevrons going down to a relatively strong England side inside three days.
However, Ervine believes there are lessons to be learnt from the trip and his unit have come out on the other side better for it.
The experience alone is something the Zimbabwe skipper believes was invaluable for the Chevrons’ unit.
“The experience, on and off the field, I think was fantastic,” said Ervine.
“Obviously, on the field, getting to play England and getting a taste of what it’s like to play in front of such a huge crowd at Trent Bridge was great.
“The atmosphere, especially with our Zim support, was electric. It really spurred the guys on.
“Off the field, I think it was also nice to be able to start the tour in Leicester, move to Nottingham and then finish down south in Portsmouth.
“We got the opportunity to experience and explore the countryside, travel around and see different sights and things.
“We were also afforded the opportunity to tour Lord’s.
“I have been playing cricket for a very long time and had never got the opportunity to visit Lord’s,” he said.
Ervine also appreciated how England put up one of their stronger sides and resisted the temptation to rest some of their stars like Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley.
“It’s always nice to play a strong side as it sort of gives you a gauge, both as a team and as individuals, of where your game is at.
“For our bowling unit to bowl at the likes of Crawley, Duckett, Root and Stokes was a really good test.
“All these guys are world class batters, and we got the opportunity to test ourselves against some of the best.
“They had a good bowling line-up, and so it was kind of nice to put yourself out there and see where you are at as an individual.
He also reviewed the lessons from the tour.
“On that first day, I think we didn’t hit our straps well and the major difference between us and England was the way we started off the Test match.
“They posted just shy of 500 on day one and it almost put us out of the game.
“It was never going to be about trying to win the game and that is something we have to improve on going forward.
“The guys were really excited to play against top players and see how they go about their business.
“A few of them could be seen watching how the likes of Root, Stokes and them prepared on game days, the little things that they did and they learnt a lot from that.
“After the match itself, we went into the England dressing room and you could see the guys asking questions and absorbing what little information and little nuggets they could from the England players.
“That was really encouraging to see,” he said.
South Africa are up next and the Chevrons are expected to regroup in the coming days to prepare for the two Tests against the Proteas.
South Africa, of course, are currently in England for the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia which began yesterday at Lord’s.
Their next assignment is Two Test against Zimbabwe, slated for June 28-July 10.
The first Test is pencilled for June 28-July 2 while second is scheduled for July 6-10.
Both Test will be held in Bulawayo at Queens Sports Club.
