Afghanistan v Zimbabwe test series thread

[Chalks]

Didn't find out about this till this morning (Australian Eastern Daylight Saving time).

 

Both tests in Abu Dhabi, presumably with no crowds allowed (although nobody would probably go anyway ), and no TV coverage.

 

March 2-6 First Test

March 10-14 Second Test

 

Obviously not part of the World Test Championship, but nevertheless it has piqued my interest somewhat now.

 

Cricbuzz preview of first test here: https://www.cricbuzz.com/live-cricket-scores/35102/afg-vs-zim-1st-test-afghanistan-v-zimbabwe-in-uae-2021

[Vilander]

@Sir john is that you ?

[neel roy]

Lol another low scoring match. Afghans all out for 131. Some funny names in Zimbabwe team

 

Prince Masvaure

Kevin Kasuza. Got a duck

Tarisai Musakanda

 

[Vk1]

blessing muzarabani seems to be a real find for Zim. 

[neel roy]

Lol another 2 day finish on cards. 4 down Afghanistan. Go for it zimbabwe and do it. 

[neel roy]

34 minutes ago, Vk1 said:

blessing muzarabani seems to be a real find for Zim. 

I think he tripped pakistan in that odi

[Lone Wolf]

Afg..  On the verge of inns defeat.  

So in Minnow Category in Tests I'll have

Zim

Ire

Afg

BD. 

It's been a long time since India played a Test match in Zim..  I hope BCCI arranges one & sends a young team over there.  It's always T20s with them for commercial reasons otherwise. 

[chewy]

So this match will be over inside 2 days being played on ICC prepared pitches in Abu Dhabi.

 

Hopefully ICC investigate themselves on the poor quality of pitches resulting in this low scoring match. 

[MechEng]

Disappointing from Afghanistan They are a far superior team than this.

 

[Vk1]

40 minutes ago, MechEng said:

Disappointing from Afghanistan They are a far superior team than this.

 

overtly dependent on one superstar

[Hojoborolo]

This was actually a very sporting wicket, and possibly the most sporting wicket I have seen in the recent past. There was good seam movement on offer, Muzarabani, Nyauchi and Tiripano picked up 16 of the 20 Afghan wickets (the swing is not up to the pitch, but the seam is!), and yet it was also conducive to good spin bowling. Hamza Hotak got a six-fer, Zahir Khan Pakteen was getting prodigious spin on both his conventional leg-break and googly, and even Sikandar Raza and Wesley Madhevere got decent purchase. (Even Sean Williams got a top-order wicket in the third innings, and the wicket Ryan Burl got, with dip and curl taking it outside leg stump from over the wicket and then turning sharply to hit top of off was reminiscent of Warne.) And all this happened throughout the match -- Tiripano got the ball to move off the seam (conventional proper seam, *not* a cutter) late on the second day, while his partner Madhevere was getting the ball to grip and turn at the other end. A thoroughly enjoyable match, on a good but somewhat bowler friendly wicket. We don't want teams routinely getting 300+ scores after batting in moderately competent fashion, we should want batsmen to get punished for wafting at deliveries away from their bodies outside off stump, but we also do not want run-scoring to come down entirely to luck. This pitch achieved precisely the right balance. Ultimately, the better team deservedly came out on top.

 

It is a shame that we only get to enjoy such sporting wickets in neutral venues. Contrast this with home venues with excessive pitch doctoring -- see New Zealand for one extreme, and Bangladesh/Sri Lanka/India for the other, though India admittedly only when faced with competent opposition rather than (modern-day) 'minnows' like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka or West Indies. Interestingly, although Afghanistan is nominally the home team in this game, the curator is from New Zealand. So between an unsporting rank turner that turns from day one with nothing in it for seamers on one hand (*cough* Bangladesh *cough* India), and an unsporting greentop that never takes turn, not even on days four and five -- only going flat like a highway (and by that I mean a real highway, like you find in developed countries) on the other (*cough* New Zealand): we got the best of both worlds, a perfect balance! With WTC points up for grabs in every match though, I feel teams will be even less incentivized to provide sporting wickets, lest their oppositions' strengths come in to play. Hence, enjoy it while it lasts, I say!

Edited March 3, 2021 by Hojoborolo