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Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE A cricket coach Stuart Matsikenyeri has demanded to see improvement when his charges take on South Africa A in the second unofficial Test at Takashinga Sports Club on Sunday.
The hosts have largely been disappointing in the matches played so far. They lost the One Day series 3-1 before capitulating to an innings defeat in the first unofficial Test that ended at the Harare Sports Club on Thursday.
“We have two days to turn around the fortunes. The bottom line is that we have to build on the glimpses of positive cricket that we noticed in the first game.
“But in the long run we would want to see our guys scoring 100s and converting into big scores. Our bowlers need to be consistent, taking four-fors and five-fors,” said Matsikenyeri.
Zimbabwe A lost the first four-dayer by an innings and 166 runs.
They batted awfully on the last day and were bowled out for 93 runs in their second innings. This was a disappointing performance in comparison to their first innings score of 344 runs.
There were half centuries for former national Under-19 players Milton Shumba (74) and Dion Myers (69). Captain Richmond Mutumbami also weighed in with 51.
Most of the batters failed to convert their good starts. Shumba and Myers missed the second innings because of injuries. The batters failed to click and were dismissed for 93 runs in the second innings, after South Africa A had declared on 603/4.
Matsikenyeri nonetheless was happy that his charges at least are getting competition.
Zimbabwe A had last played when they toured the United Arab Emirates in November 2017, with various challenges scuttling Zimbabwe Cricket’s plans to have the team playing regularly again over the past few years.
The first class games featuring the Zimbabwe A team are meant to bridge the gap between domestic cricket and the international game.
“The good thing is that at least we are getting the competition at this level. The more we play the better we get. This is about preparing our players for international cricket,” said Matsikenyeri.
Online Reporter