adminThe team succumbed to one of the worst scores in cricket Test history when they were twice bowled out in the same day in their innings and 301 runs loss last week.
Coach Alan Butcher is however, optimistic that the boys can turn the tide to their favour and come out with a positive result.
He said poor results do not augur well for the team as that would count for nothing in developments in the last six years. Zimbabwe has been on a rebuilding course after a number of white players pulled out of the team in 2005. This left a big void as a hugely
inexperienced crop of players had to do with ‘A’ team action as Zimbabwe Cricket sought to make them ripe for international action.
This was after noting that without its experienced players, the country could not compete on even terms with the rest of the world’s least ranked countries in all formats of the game.
But seven years down the line, Zimbabwe are back and were boosted by a win over New Zealand in a one-off Test on their return last year.
“That will be in their minds, to know we can compete in a much better fashion than we did in the Test match. We’ve got to win. If we keep losing like that then we’ll find ourselves back where we were five or six years ago.”
Zimbabwe all-rounder Elton Chigumbura was not part of the Test defeat but could return tomorrow as he approaches 150 ODI appearances. The 25-year-old clubbed a quickfire 47 in that remarkable win over New Zealand three months ago and hopes the change in format will bring a change in fortune.
Zimbabwe will bank on Tatenda Taibu, Brian Vitori, Brendon Taylor, Hamilton Masakadza, Malcom Waller and Regis Chakabva rising to the occasion to ensure a good start to the series.
The second Test is on 6 February and the third on 9 February.
All-rounder Nathan McCullum is determined to help New Zealand build on their Test demolition of Zimbabwe with another dominant showing in the upcoming One Day international matches.
New Zealand recorded the biggest Test victory in their history after thrashing Zimbabwe by an innings and 301 runs in the one-off match in Napier last week.
“We want to carry on with the work the Test side have done and not just win this series, but win it well,” said McCullum, who is one of a host of new faces in the New Zealand squad having not been part of the Test set-up, on www.stuff.co.nz.
However, bowler Doug Bracewell is not expecting the limited-overs matches to be as one-sided as the Test.
“They’re probably more of a shorter-form team so we won’t be taking them lightly in the ODIs and Twenty20s and will be looking to back up this performance,” said the 21-year-old Bracewell, who claimed match figures of five for 38 in the Test.
“They’ve got a few guys in the top order who can strike it pretty clean and if they get away they can be pretty hard to stop.” — cricinfo/Sports Reporter
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