On 27 December the 15 names will be announced to represent Zimbabwe in the World Cup
John Ward21-Dec-2002On 27 December the 15 names will be announced to represent Zimbabwe in the World Cup. Naturally there is much speculation as to who will make the final cut.Ten years ago, when Zimbabwe first started in Test cricket, there were about 12 or 13 names who were automatic selections, and then the question was, "Who else can we put in to make up numbers?" Nowadays we have about 20 players all pressing their claims, so it is more of a question of who to leave out. Ironically, though the quantity may have increased, the quality has somewhat diminished, certainly at Test level. Our players need to rediscover the passion and commitment our team had during its first two or three years of Test cricket.There are perhaps nine players who are definites for the World Cup (if fit). Recent selections and current form seem to show that the selectors have decided on them already. They are as follows:Andy Blignaut, Andy Flower, Grant Flower, Travis Friend, Douglas Hondo, Henry Olonga, Heath Streak (captain), Tatenda Taibu, Mark Vermeulen.That leaves six places. There are another nine who can be regarded as possibles:Gary Brent, Alistair Campbell, Dion Ebrahim, Sean Ervine, Craig Evans, Doug Marillier, Brian Murphy, Mluleki Nkala, Guy Whittall, Craig Wishart.Several other players have represented Zimbabwe recently who probably will not be considered. This excludes Pommie Mbangwa and Raymond Price, both of whom would still be in my short list, but were not even included in the 30 announced by the selectors. If any of them do make the final side, it will be a major surprise. They are:Stuart Carlisle – lack of form. If the selectors were still considering him, they would surely have given him a chance against Kenya.Hamilton Masakadza – struggling to find quality cricket at the University of the Free State, and considered a specialist Test player at the moment in any case.Stuart Matsikenyeri – opened against Wasim and Waqar, struggled, was perhaps unlucky with at least one umpiring decision, and dropped after two matches without being resuscitated against Kenya.Waddington Mwayenga – promising but too inexperienced; given only one game against Pakistan.Barney Rogers – had two chances against Pakistan but still not quite ready for top international cricket.Richie Sims – same as for Rogers. If the selectors still had them in mind for the World Cup, they would surely have given them another run against Kenya to build their confidence.To return to the possibles. One position I hold is that experience and consistency are important qualities at all times, but even more so in the World Cup. In 1999 our players choked more than once in matches, finding the pressure too hot to handle and lacking self-belief – this is Dave Houghton’s view as well as my own. We need a strong backbone of players who can both perform and who have played enough at the most intense level to be able to handle it and hold the side together. Hopefully those who went through the 1999 World Cup will be stronger and wiser players for that experience. The World Cup is not a place for raw youngsters who have still to make their mark on international cricket.Alistair Campbell has many calling for his head, and may well have been dropped from the team already had he not been named captain for both recent series. He has reached double figures twice in his last ten one-day international innings. I feel he must still go, though with a strong warning that he must produce the goods. Dave Houghton believes Campbell plays best under this sort of pressure. His experience is much needed; form is temporary but class is permanent, even if it doesn’t show in Campbell’s averages. I don’t believe we have so much experience that we can afford to drop him altogether.I personally would promote Doug Marillier to the definites, but I’m not sure the selectors agree. Douggie is a match-winner, as he showed in India earlier this year, and almost did in Australia last year. We have few enough of those. He is also a useful and economical bowler.Guy Whittall is another whom I would definitely send. He has the experience, he can hammer the ball around in the middle order when quick scoring is urgently needed, and his medium-pacers can take vital wickets as well as contain the opposition. But he should do as little bowling as possible between now and the World Cup to try to keep his legs working properly.The others are harder to select. I would reluctantly omit Dion Ebrahim, as he has not shown enough form against the top teams in one-day cricket. Exclude a century and a fifty against Bangladesh, and his top score is 42, in 36 matches.Sean Ervine is another I would reluctantly leave out. He is certainly a player for the future and he has great potential as both batsman and bowler. At the moment, he is not quite consistent enough with either, in my view, if more experienced players like Whittall and Marillier are available.Mluleki Nkala really has no credentials on current bowling form; he has just lost it. Geoff Marsh and Alistair Campbell believe they are putting him back together again, but he has no chance to show it before the 15 are announced. He does score useful runs, but unless he can bowl well he will not be worth his place. He is certainly part of Zimbabwe’s long-term future in the game and I suspect the selectors might just include him for that reason. On recent form, though, it would be a major surprise.That leaves four players for three places – batsmen Craig Evans and Craig Wishart, seamer Gary Brent and spinner Brian Murphy.Evans and Wishart are both potential match-winners, although they do not do it very often. But which Zimbabweans do? Aggressive middle-order players, they can tear apart any weak links in a bowling attack. Evans, on his return to international cricket, played one superb innings, but did not follow it up and was soon dropped. Wishart played against Kenya, but only briefly had a chance to show he could bat, when he did all that could be expected of him. Could we take them both? I suspect the selectors will not, but I would be inclined to try.So far we have Blignaut, Friend, Hondo, Olonga, Streak and hopefully Whittall in the side who bowl seam. Bearing in mind our injury record, is this enough? Gary Brent has not been quite at his best this season, and the selectors have tried him briefly and discarded him. He has the virtue of accuracy, but I’m not sure the selectors are thinking of him any longer.For spinners we have Grant Flower and Doug Marillier, both of whom have good fitness records. Spinners do not generally prosper in South Africa. Brian Murphy is still not quite in his best form and confidence, though he looked more assured against minnows Kenya. For most places in the world I would want a specialist spinner – which would have to be Murphy, since Raymond Price is regarded as unfit for one-day cricket. But, with reluctance, I would leave him out of my side for South Africa.My World Cup 15, then, would be: Blignaut, Brent, Campbell, Evans, Andy Flower, Grant Flower, Friend, Hondo, Marillier, Olonga, Streak, Taibu, Vermeulen, Whittall, Wishart.I am not, though, privy to inside information that the selectors and players might know, so I do not set myself up as an expert! I suspect the selectors may want to include Ebrahim, Nkala and Murphy, but to do so would go against their recent records. I doubt whether they will take both Evans and Wishart, and we wait to see whether they will heed calls to get rid of Campbell and Whittall. They may decide in favour of Ervine’s potential.Only seven of the players in my 15 have played in the World Cup before: the Flowers, Campbell, Streak, Whittall, Evans and Olonga. I think we will need all of that. Will any of them still be around in four years’ time for the next World Cup in the West Indies?