ZC needs long-term solution to Chevrons’ batting woes

THE senior national cricket team returns home after a two-week tour of Sri Lanka where they played three-match series in one-day cricket and T20 internationals.

Sri Lanka won the ODI series 2-0, outplaying Zimbabwe throughout and it could easily have been a whitewash had it not been for the rain that caused the abandonment of the opening match.

The hosts won the T20I series 2-1 on Thursday and the final match was the most one-sided contest after Zimbabwe had lost the toss and asked to bat in a must-win match with the series at stake.

Zimbabwe were on the verge of a historic series win but they were blown away by spin having had a promising start and scoring 35 off their first three overs, which gave hope of a huge total of around 200.

But the Chevrons suffered a monumental collapse and lost their last nine wickets for just 49 runs, the last six wickets falling for 11 runs in 27 balls while Sri Lanka lost just one wicket on their way to victory in 10.5 overs.

Zimbabwe should have won the opening T20I but surrendered it to the hosts in the final two overs and victory in the second match should actually have been the series win for the Chevrons but they were made to wait for the final game.

In the third and final match Sri Lanka finally showed up and crushed the Chevrons whose dream for a historic triumph went up in smoke.

The choking trend continued for the Chevrons who missed out on the 50-over and T20 ICC World Cups in the most disappointing, if not shocking, manner.

As hosts of the 50-over World Cup qualifiers, the Chevrons needed to win one of their last two matches against Sri Lanka and Scotland to secure the ticket and lost both matches to very poor batting.

In the T20 World Cup qualifiers, the Chevrons were the only ICC full member there and were favourites to qualify but they inexplicably lost to Uganda and Namibia to finish third where only the top two qualified.

Coach Dave Houghton then tendered his resignation ahead of the tour of Sri Lanka. So even in the absence of Houghton, the batting woes have continued to ruin the Chevrons’ campaigns.

On Thursday, T20 captain Sikandar Raza struggled to explain how the Chevrons collapsed after a solid start to the innings.

“52 after 6 overs and the to be 82 all out, there’s no explanation. The only explanation I have is that we take full responsibility as the players. We’re trying our best but unfortunately when we need courage more than skills that’s not there. And that cannot be coached or taught, and unfortunately that’s one of the reasons today. [Tour?] There’s been a lot of good and bad. It’s extremes. We’ve either really good or really poor, nothing in between.

“Not finding a consistent way of playing at the moment. [areas of concern?] We’re having a lot of positive chats, but I’m very big on how we train. A lot of the work is done behind closed doors. Unfortunately, we’re not training as professionally as we could be, including myself. We’re not reading the game well and understanding the situation, and playing accordingly. We’re not trusting our skills. Today’s one of those days where Craig, myself and Sean had to play a lot of the overs and we couldn’t. That had a ripple effect.”

Zimbabwe Cricket have already started an inquiry into how the Chevrons missed out on the T20 World Cup set for midyear in the Caribbean and the United States together with the state of the game in general.

What becomes important now is to specifically look at the batting woes that have consistently ruined the Chevrons’ matches, especially where a lost is at stake.

Already there have been suggestions that the Chevrons need a sports psychologist to work with the cricketers on issues like motivation, stress management, visualization, effective teamwork, and other psychological factors affecting their batting in particular.

Each time the Chevrons have lost must-win matches, the senior players would have disappeared and that is where the importance of mental resolve comes up.

But what has been consistently raised is the issue of a batting coach who inspires confidence to everyone — players and even supporters.

Unfortunately, the current batting coach Stuart Matsikenyeri does not seem to command that respect — especially to fans — given that his own international career was not at the level that a national coaching role requires.

He came at the most difficult period of cricket in Zimbabwe and was involved in one of the most controversial moments in the game.

Matsikenyeri was denied the record of becoming the first Zimbabwean batsman to score fifties in both innings of a Test debut when the late Heath Streak declared the second innings with the debutant on 46 not out.

Otherwise his record does not stand among the best within Zimbabwe and that is why he be-comes the fall guy each time the Chevrons bat dismally.

Matsikenyeri remains useful to Zimbabwe Cricket but a redeployment might help both parties as a solution is sought on the Chevrons’ batting woes.

The Chevrons’ technical team needs to be filled with people of repute all round. A good coach alone will not be enough, he needs to be surrounded by a solid support team and ZC needs to work on that as they reconstitute the department following Houghton’s departure.

It is time to drop dead wood and come up with a strong coaching structure that will start from zero while building a foundation for the next World Cup qualifiers