Tuesday, 31 January 2012
OFF THE CREASE: Utseya joins ODI squad
OFF THE CREASE: Utseya joins ODI squad: Former Zimbabwe captain Prosper Utseya has joined the squad in New Zealand. Utseya had been forced to remain behind making way for Graeme Cr...
Utseya joins ODI squad
Former Zimbabwe captain Prosper Utseya has joined the squad in New Zealand. Utseya had been forced to remain behind making way for Graeme Cremer and Ray Price the option of playing as the two spinners in the Test.
Utseya is going to be available for selection in for the ODI and T20 series. Stuart Matsikenyeri and Elton Chigumbura who missed out in the Test will be in the running for selection.
Utseya has played 137 One Day Internationals and 52 Twenty20s while picking up 137 and 53 wickets respectively. The 26 year old is expected to give Zimbabwe the much needed assistance in the bowling department where there was a lot of legging behind during the Test.
Zimbabwe lost to New Zealand by an innings and 301 runs in the one off Test. The Africans will be out to salvage some pride in the shorter version of the game.
Meanwhile Brendon McCullum has been named captain of the ODI and Twenty20 squads for the series against Zimbabwe.
Ross Taylor is out after succumbing to injury, McCullum was given the leadership role for the upcoming series, which will have three ODIs and two T20 internationals.
Tarun Nethula, Rob Nicol, Michael Bates, Andrew Ellis and Tom Latham were given call-ups to the ODI squad, while Bates and Nicol were also named in the Twenty20 side along with fellow newcomers Colin de Grandhomme and Ronnie Hira.
National selector Kim Littlejohn said the players were rewarded for consistent performances on the domestic circuit.
"Tarun Nethula and Ronnie Hira have been the form spinners this season and richly deserve their selection through consistently good performances," said Littlejohn.
"Michael Bates has been one of the best pace bowlers for Auckland over a number of seasons and is a skilful death bowler who also offers us a left-arm option.
"Colin de Grandhomme and Andrew Ellis also played extremely well in the HRV Cup and their all-round skills with bat and ball are well suited to ODI and T20 cricket.
"Tom Latham is an exciting keeper batsman who is very well equipped for short-form cricket and we think he has the potential to make a big impact on the international scene."
With Taylor's calf injury keeping him out of the entire series, Littlejohn said McCullum was the perfect stand-in and that he will be able to provide guidance to the younger players as they build toward the 2015 World Cup.
"Although it is disappointing for the likes of Luke Woodcock, Graeme Aldridge, Andy McKay and BJ Watling who miss out we pleased that there's real competition for places and by the end of the series will benefit from having another group of guys with international experience," Littlejohn said.
"The new caps have earned their chance through solid performances at domestic level and we think it's the right time to take a look at players who will be in the frame for the Twenty20 World Cup later in the year, and looking further ahead to the 2015 ODI World Cup."
New Zealand ODI squad: Brendon McCullum (captain), Michael Bates, Doug Bracewell, Dean Brownlie, Andrew Ellis, Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Tarun Nethula, Rob Nicol, Jacob Oram, Tim Southee, Kane Williamson.
New Zealand Twenty20 squad: Brendon McCullum (captain), Michael Bates, Doug Bracewell, Dean Brownlie, Colin de Grandhomme, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Ronnie Hira, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Rob Nicol, Jacob Oram, Tim Southee, Kane Williamson
Zimbabwe: Brendan Taylor, Foster Mutizwa, Hamilton Masakadza, Tatenda Taibu, Tinotenda Mawoyo,Stuart Matsikenyeri, Malcolm Waller,Elton Chigumbura, Ray Price, Kyle Jarvis, Brian Vitori, Shingi Masakadza, Keegan Meth,Regis Chakabva, Prosper Utseya and Greame Cremer.
Utseya is going to be available for selection in for the ODI and T20 series. Stuart Matsikenyeri and Elton Chigumbura who missed out in the Test will be in the running for selection.
Utseya has played 137 One Day Internationals and 52 Twenty20s while picking up 137 and 53 wickets respectively. The 26 year old is expected to give Zimbabwe the much needed assistance in the bowling department where there was a lot of legging behind during the Test.
Zimbabwe lost to New Zealand by an innings and 301 runs in the one off Test. The Africans will be out to salvage some pride in the shorter version of the game.
Meanwhile Brendon McCullum has been named captain of the ODI and Twenty20 squads for the series against Zimbabwe.
Ross Taylor is out after succumbing to injury, McCullum was given the leadership role for the upcoming series, which will have three ODIs and two T20 internationals.
Tarun Nethula, Rob Nicol, Michael Bates, Andrew Ellis and Tom Latham were given call-ups to the ODI squad, while Bates and Nicol were also named in the Twenty20 side along with fellow newcomers Colin de Grandhomme and Ronnie Hira.
National selector Kim Littlejohn said the players were rewarded for consistent performances on the domestic circuit.
"Tarun Nethula and Ronnie Hira have been the form spinners this season and richly deserve their selection through consistently good performances," said Littlejohn.
"Michael Bates has been one of the best pace bowlers for Auckland over a number of seasons and is a skilful death bowler who also offers us a left-arm option.
"Colin de Grandhomme and Andrew Ellis also played extremely well in the HRV Cup and their all-round skills with bat and ball are well suited to ODI and T20 cricket.
"Tom Latham is an exciting keeper batsman who is very well equipped for short-form cricket and we think he has the potential to make a big impact on the international scene."
With Taylor's calf injury keeping him out of the entire series, Littlejohn said McCullum was the perfect stand-in and that he will be able to provide guidance to the younger players as they build toward the 2015 World Cup.
"Although it is disappointing for the likes of Luke Woodcock, Graeme Aldridge, Andy McKay and BJ Watling who miss out we pleased that there's real competition for places and by the end of the series will benefit from having another group of guys with international experience," Littlejohn said.
"The new caps have earned their chance through solid performances at domestic level and we think it's the right time to take a look at players who will be in the frame for the Twenty20 World Cup later in the year, and looking further ahead to the 2015 ODI World Cup."
New Zealand ODI squad: Brendon McCullum (captain), Michael Bates, Doug Bracewell, Dean Brownlie, Andrew Ellis, Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Tarun Nethula, Rob Nicol, Jacob Oram, Tim Southee, Kane Williamson.
New Zealand Twenty20 squad: Brendon McCullum (captain), Michael Bates, Doug Bracewell, Dean Brownlie, Colin de Grandhomme, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Ronnie Hira, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Rob Nicol, Jacob Oram, Tim Southee, Kane Williamson
Zimbabwe: Brendan Taylor, Foster Mutizwa, Hamilton Masakadza, Tatenda Taibu, Tinotenda Mawoyo,Stuart Matsikenyeri, Malcolm Waller,Elton Chigumbura, Ray Price, Kyle Jarvis, Brian Vitori, Shingi Masakadza, Keegan Meth,Regis Chakabva, Prosper Utseya and Greame Cremer.
Monday, 30 January 2012
Butcher Speaks Out
Alan Butcher, the Zimbabwe coach, has said his players were embarrassed by their loss inside three days to New Zealand in Napier. Zimbabwe were bowled out twice on the third day of the Test, and lost by an innings and 301 runs, slumping to their lowest Test total, 51, in the process.
"They [the players] were embarrassed in the dressing-room and they should have been," Butcher told Fairfax News. "They all felt we let ourselves down badly and that we hadn't given a good account of ourselves."
Zimbabwe have performed creditably in Tests since returning from a six-year self-imposed exile last August. They beat Bangladesh in their comeback Test and then pushed New Zealand till deep into the fifth day in Bulawayo in November. The Napier Test was their first on foreign soil for six years and though Butcher knew it would be hard, he expected his team to at least last all five days.
"Regardless of how the result had gone, it wasn't going to be easy for us to play a Test away from home, having been out of Test cricket for some time," he said, "but we hoped we would at least provide five days of competitive cricket. We got nowhere near that."
The Zimbabweans had fared well in the warm-up match, against a New Zealand XI in Gisborne; their batsmen built a total of 329 to give them a first-innings lead. The sudden slide in form between that game and the Test match was something Butcher said he could not understand.
"It was disappointing. It bore no relation to how we've been practising and how we've played in recent times. Not only the batting on Saturday, but I thought we didn't bowl particularly well on the first day. All around I think we were below par and New Zealand played well and took full advantage.
"With the bat we played at a lot of wide balls and we played across straight balls. We didn't do things that we've been doing pretty well. It's difficult to know why we should collapse collectively, twice, with the exception of Regis [Chakabva] who played very well and showed you could make runs. They did bowl some bad balls that we could score from."
Zimbabwe will now travel to Dunedin for the first of three ODIs, which will be followed by two Twenty20 internationals. When New Zealand toured Zimbabwe in October last year, Zimbabwe managed to win the last of the three ODIs by chasing 329. Butcher said they needed to replicate that kind of performance.
"That will be in their [New Zealand's] minds; to know we can compete in a much better fashion than we did in the Test match. We've got to. If we keep losing like that, then we'll find ourselves back where we were five or six years ago."
"They [the players] were embarrassed in the dressing-room and they should have been," Butcher told Fairfax News. "They all felt we let ourselves down badly and that we hadn't given a good account of ourselves."
Zimbabwe have performed creditably in Tests since returning from a six-year self-imposed exile last August. They beat Bangladesh in their comeback Test and then pushed New Zealand till deep into the fifth day in Bulawayo in November. The Napier Test was their first on foreign soil for six years and though Butcher knew it would be hard, he expected his team to at least last all five days.
"Regardless of how the result had gone, it wasn't going to be easy for us to play a Test away from home, having been out of Test cricket for some time," he said, "but we hoped we would at least provide five days of competitive cricket. We got nowhere near that."
The Zimbabweans had fared well in the warm-up match, against a New Zealand XI in Gisborne; their batsmen built a total of 329 to give them a first-innings lead. The sudden slide in form between that game and the Test match was something Butcher said he could not understand.
"It was disappointing. It bore no relation to how we've been practising and how we've played in recent times. Not only the batting on Saturday, but I thought we didn't bowl particularly well on the first day. All around I think we were below par and New Zealand played well and took full advantage.
"With the bat we played at a lot of wide balls and we played across straight balls. We didn't do things that we've been doing pretty well. It's difficult to know why we should collapse collectively, twice, with the exception of Regis [Chakabva] who played very well and showed you could make runs. They did bowl some bad balls that we could score from."
Zimbabwe will now travel to Dunedin for the first of three ODIs, which will be followed by two Twenty20 internationals. When New Zealand toured Zimbabwe in October last year, Zimbabwe managed to win the last of the three ODIs by chasing 329. Butcher said they needed to replicate that kind of performance.
"That will be in their [New Zealand's] minds; to know we can compete in a much better fashion than we did in the Test match. We've got to. If we keep losing like that, then we'll find ourselves back where we were five or six years ago."
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
Matsikenyeri "The Ninja" bounces back
Top-order batsman Stuart Matsikenyeri has made a comeback to the Zimbabwe squad for their upcoming tour of New Zealand. Vusi Sibanda missed out since he was ineligible for selection, after declining a domestic contract in favour of playing grade cricket in Australia. There were no other surprises in the 16-member side that will be led by Brendan Taylor.
Matsikenyeri played the last of his 108 ODIs in March 2010 before being dropped from the side. He has had a good run of form for the Mashonaland Eagles in domestic cricket, which helped him force his way back into the national squad. "Stuart Matsikenyeri has earned a recall into the national squad as he has done very well in the domestic competitions and is one of the few batsmen who has been consistent," Givemore Makoni, convener of selectors, said. "He is an experienced and aggressive player."
Zimbabwe Cricket's eligibility policy for selection provides for exceptions in the case of one-off tournaments abroad in which case a no-objection certificate is issued, such as the one given to Taylor for his foreign assignments. Sibanda, unlike Taylor, declined a ZC contract, which ruled him out of contention.
Legspinner Graeme Cremer finds a place in the Test side, but will make way for Prosper Utseya ahead of the limited-overs leg of the tour. The series will comprise a one-off Test starting January 26, followed by three ODIs and two Twenty20s.
Matsikenyeri played the last of his 108 ODIs in March 2010 before being dropped from the side. He has had a good run of form for the Mashonaland Eagles in domestic cricket, which helped him force his way back into the national squad. "Stuart Matsikenyeri has earned a recall into the national squad as he has done very well in the domestic competitions and is one of the few batsmen who has been consistent," Givemore Makoni, convener of selectors, said. "He is an experienced and aggressive player."
Zimbabwe Cricket's eligibility policy for selection provides for exceptions in the case of one-off tournaments abroad in which case a no-objection certificate is issued, such as the one given to Taylor for his foreign assignments. Sibanda, unlike Taylor, declined a ZC contract, which ruled him out of contention.
Legspinner Graeme Cremer finds a place in the Test side, but will make way for Prosper Utseya ahead of the limited-overs leg of the tour. The series will comprise a one-off Test starting January 26, followed by three ODIs and two Twenty20s.
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