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Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE cricket’s technical team say the tour of Pakistan might have ended in a frustrating loss for the Chevrons but it provided a platform for the emergence of a number of young players.
Hamilton Masakadza was dropped from the third ODI against Pakistan on Monday and was relegated to 12th man after bowler Prosper Utseya and opening batsman Vusi Sibanda had already lost their places in the starting XI.
And this was an opportunity for young players —Richmond Mutumbami, — who opened the batting on Monday — Brian Chari, and all rounder Luke Jongwe who fared well.
With a small turn-around period ahead of the duel against Ireland, more heads are set to roll ahead of the series opener on Friday.
“Some of the guys have put their hands up. Young Brian Chari, Richmond, Luke Jongwe. A month ago I would not have picked Jongwe as my second seam bowler but he has proved to be a pretty damn good bowler and can bat as well,” said Zimbabwe batting coach Andy Waller.
“For a young 19-year-old that shows we have the talent, we must now persevere with him and present them with good opportunities, not just a couple of games, and I think that is the way to go.
“There are players who have been given long runs and failed and then there are other people who I think feel under pressure a lot of times when batting.
“But I have listened to the selectors and the new convener, they are going to give guys good runs because if we don’t do that we are going to be in the same situation.
“There is nothing worse than having two or three games to prove myself and if I don’t then in the game I am going to get the axe. We have to give the (young) guys an opportunity.”
Zimbabwe Cricket convener of selector Kenyon Ziehl criticised the senior players and said they were failing the team.
However, Waller’s biggest surprise has been the development of Mutumbami over the last three weeks.
“It was the plan of the coach three weeks before the tour to put in Richmond Mutumbami into opening the batting. I will be honest with you I said to Dav (Whatmore) that I don’t think he is ready yet.
“But then after two weeks he batted in all our warm-up games, he took the new ball and I went back to him and said you are right, I think he is ready for it.”
Part of the things that Waller feels his batsmen have to work on include the ability to accept responsibility.
“We do not have a lot of time but we will certainly sit with the batters.
“Personally, I think one of the issues we might have is the responsibility of the players — are they taking the responsibility themselves when they play bad shots or are they blaming other things and I think that is a big thing?
“We have to look at ourselves in the mirror, look at the way we got out and say we have to learn from these errors because if we do not learn from them we are not going to get any better and I think that is a big thing.
“We know how good Ireland are, we have seen the way they have played, they have got about five or six players who play county cricket and so we know they are going to be no walk-over. The way we lost today is not what we want.
“I believe we have got a bunch of guys who will really sit back in the next couple of days and put a lot of thought into it and I hope we come out hard.
“Forget about this loss (to Pakistan), put it past us but we know it’s not going to be easy as Ireland are a damn good unit,” said Waller.
Online Reporter