Online Reporter
Eddie Chikamhi
Zimpapers Sports Hub
AFTER a few days of learning and trying to acclimatise to a new environment, the touring Zimbabwe national cricket team feel they are ready to go against hosts England in a one-off test at Trent Bridge tomorrow.
The Chevrons go into the four-day Test as underdogs and have since embraced the challenge, which comes hard on the heels of a recent 1-1 draw in Bangladesh.
The touring coach, Justin Sammons, told journalists yesterday that his charges were in high spirits despite encountering a disappointing 138-run defeat against the Professional County Club Select XI (PCC XI) in their warm-up match at the weekend.
Sammons said the result in Leicester was not as important as the experience that he wanted his players to get in terms of the English conditions.
“I think we got a lot out of it, to be honest. It served its purpose,” he said.
“The bowlers got time on their feet, they got used to the Duke ball, and the different conditions.
“A lot of our batters got to spend some time at the crease. So, it definitely served its purpose from that point of view.
“The result didn’t go our away but we also sort of managed our bowlers and played it as preparation essentially.
“So, it hasn’t knocked anybody’s confidence. The guys are really excited and, like I said, I think it was a really good four days, to be honest.”
Key lessons from that 138-run defeat included the need for batting resilience and conversion, as Zimbabwe showed promising starts with players like Wessly Madhevere (93), Sean Williams (76) and Tafadzwa Tsiga (66), but failed to convert good starts into match-winning innings.
Nick Welch’s 87 was also notable but he could not reach a century, and the team collapsed at 253 all out chasing a target of 392.
From that practice game, it was also clear Sammons’ men would need to learn to handle pressure better in the fourth innings. The way they performed indicates there is a need to improve temperament and shot selection under pressure in the final innings.
There were also priceless lessons for the bowlers, who started well by reducing the opponents to 208-8 in the first innings but then struggled to contain the second innings.
The Zimbabwe bowlers were unable to prevent a massive declaration at 464/7, exposing gaps in bowling plans against quality batting.
Overall, the defeat served as a wake-up call to improve batting consistency, especially under pressure, refine bowling strategies against quality opposition, and make more astute team selections ahead of their Test against England.
The tour by the Zimbabwe side is quite historic as the Chevrons have not played a test match against their hosts on English soil since 2003.
Sammons indicated his side, which is usually starved of Test matches against the stronger teams, needed such kind of competition to grow.
“I think it’s massive for Zimbabwe cricket. It’s been over two decades. It’s just such a privilege for us to be here and guys are super excited. In terms of the bigger picture, it’s pretty big,” he said.
“I don’t think I can answer why the gap was so long since the last time. It’s sort of beyond my pay grade at the moment. But I think in terms of obviously playing stronger opposition more regularly, it’s hugely important.
“It’s the arena where your skills are tested, where your fundamentals are obviously the key to everything. So, for us, that is massive in terms of us growing and developing as a team,” said Sammons.
The Zimbabwe team is a blend of the old and the new generation of players, with skipper Craig Ervine and all-rounder Sean Williams set to lead the side with their experience.
Good news is that fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani, who was this week signed for the lucrative Indian Premier League side, will only leave for India after this Test match.
“I think they probably would have liked for him to be there earlier,” Sammons said.
“But from Blessing’s side, I know that this (Test) is his priority. He is super excited to be playing this and he wants to be here. So, it was purely from his side that he said he would be available, but obviously after the Test.”
Sammons was not prepared for new changes as Zimbabwe were previously forced to make changes to the bowling side following the injury to Trevor Gwandu, who has since been replaced by Tanaka Chivanga.
This has obviously had an impact on the Chevrons’ plans.
“Yeah, obviously that’s not ideal. Trevor’s been a key part of the attack over the last six, seven months. It is a bit of a blow.
“But we’re fortunate in the replacement, Tanaka’s ready and ready to fire. So, naturally, it’s not an ideal situation but at the same time, that creates opportunities for others,” said Sammons.
Zimbabwe also received all-rounder Sikandar Raza, who joined the team’s training camp this week from Pakistan where he was involved in the franchise T20 Pakistan Super League.
Raza was a key performer for the Lahore Qalandars during the group stage of PSL where he played 10 matches and amassed 232 runs at a remarkable strike rate of 162.23.
With two half-centuries and several crucial knocks, he played a pivotal role in helping the side secure a spot in the playoffs. He now needs to switch to Test mode.
“Raza has been playing and he’s an ultimate professional. He really looks after himself. So, there’s no question marks around his fitness levels and his loading.
“Obviously, he knew he had a Test match to prepare for. So, even though he was busy at the PSL, he was still going through the correct preparations in terms of building up for this test. There’s no concerns around that,” added Sammons.
England will be playing a Test match for the first time this year as they kick off a busy summer schedule against Zimbabwe. They named their playing XI yesterday.
Squads:
Zimbabwe squad: Craig Ervine (Captain), Brian Bennett, Ben Curran, Tanaka Chivanga, Clive Madande, Wessly Madhevere, Wellington Masakadza, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Newman Nyamhuri, Victor Nyauchi, Sikandar Raza, Tafadzwa Tsiga, Nicholas Welch, Sean Williams
England playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Jamie Smith, Gus Atkinson, Sam Cook, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir.
