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The opener added 142 with PJ Moor, who made 52, to help Zimbabwe recover from the depths of 14 for 3

The Report by Liam Brickhill in Bulawayo29-Oct-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsHamilton Masakadza pierces the off side•AFP

Hamilton Masakadza’s fifth Test century carried Zimbabwe back into the match on a rainy first day at Queens Sports Club. Masakadza shared a 142-run partnership with PJ Moor to help the hosts recover from the depths of 14 for 3, Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel having scythed through the top order under gunmetal grey skies after Graeme Cremer had opted to bat. Moor fell for 52, but Masakadza was unbeaten and unbowed on 101 when rain brought the day to a premature end after tea.As is often his wont, and possibly as an effect of the unseasonal cold that has descended on Bulawayo, Masakadza took some time to get going this morning. He did not score until his 17th delivery, and then did so in trademark style: thrashing a full ball through the covers with a solid crunch.At 34, Masakadza is the senior statesman of the side and he displayed the class and patience befitting his position. His knock wasn’t perfect, but he did enough to survive the edges and misses and was also granted the odd slice of luck. An edge off Roach fell short of the wicketkeeper, and a Gabriel no-ball granted a further reprieve.Beaten by the pace of a bouncer in the 11th over, Masakadza seemed to have inside edged a pull onto his own shoulder, the rebound being caught at gully. Umpire Simon Fry turned down the appeal, West Indies reviewed and Masakadza started walking off. But Gabriel had overstepped, and the no-ball allowed Masakadza to bat on. The opener remained particularly fluent through the covers.He found an obdurate partner in Moor, and gradually they helped Zimbabwe restore parity, the score creeping past 50 in the 21st over. Other teams have tested Moor with the short ball, and though the West Indies certainly have the personnel to do so their main line of attack was outside the off stump. Moor had the gumption to pick which ball to leave, and which to hit, and his patience barely faltered: his first boundary was a rasping cut off Holder in the 18th over, his second came more than 28 overs later and was no less well executed.At the other end, Masakadza continued to gain momentum, passing fifty from 96 deliveries. He celebrated that milestone with his first six of the day, rocking back to thump a Bishoo long-hop over deep midwicket. Gabriel was driven whenever he overpitched, while the introduction of Roston Chase was greeted with yet another crunching drive. The same bowler was dispatched over midwicket for Masakadza’s second six, the shot taking him past 2000 Test runs for Zimbabwe.Moor reached a dogged fifty, from 148 deliveries soon after tea, and Masakadza then brought up his own milestone with a confident drive down to long-on in the 60th over, just before the rain arrived. This was Masakadza’s fifth Test century, and his first since 2014.His runs were sorely needed by Zimbabwe. In polar conditions this morning, Gabriel and Roach had cut the hosts’ top order down to 14 for 3. The temperature was up to 38 degrees earlier this week, but plummeted ahead of this game and there were hands in pockets for the slips in the very cold weather. They stayed there for much of the morning with the sun nowhere to be seen, but Zimbabwe’s feet were even more leaden in the cold, and the opening stand lasted just four overs.Roach used the angle of his delivery stride and a touch of seam and swing to masterful effect to remove Solomon Mire, while the dismissal of Craig Ervine resulted more from fast bowling brawn than brain. Coming round the wicket from the Airport End, Gabriel speared a length delivery at the left-hander’s middle stump, beating him for pace. Such was the speed of the delivery the stump snapped in half, and Zimbabwe were 11 for 2.West Indies smelled blood, and Roach had three slips and a gully for the incoming Brendan Taylor. In the event, he needed no fielders at all as his testing lines and cunning changes of angle soon paid dividends. Neither forward nor back, and unsure whether to even play at a delivery whipping through the channel outside off, Taylor succeeded only in deflecting the ball onto his own stumps to leave Zimbabwe reeling at 14 for 3.West Indies might have had a fourth wicket in the first hour, but Gabriel’s front foot boo-boo gave Masakadza a second life. So far, he has made excellent use of it.

India’s Test captain, Virat Kohli, has given a strong indication that India will start using DRS in the future

Sidharth Monga29-Sep-20161:27

Will look to introduce DRS in future – Kohli

India’s Test captain, Virat Kohli, has given a strong indication that India will start using the Decision Review System (DRS) in the future. “We will certainly look to probably introduce it [DRS] in future,” Kohli said on the eve of the Kolkata Test against New Zealand.India have been the biggest opponents of DRS for a while now, but Kohli said that there have been discussions and meetings about it, and DRS is something they “definitely want to think about”. This is a big departure from the previous captain’s views and BCCI president Anurag Thakur’s ambivalent musings. MS Dhoni always opposed DRS because it was not 100%, and Thakur recently wondered, if the machine is going to make the same error as humans, “what are we getting out of it”?Kohli still had reservations about the system, but he seemed convinced about the merits of having a review system. It is noteworthy that under Kohli’s captaincy India have been at the receiving end of calls that could have been reversed easily under DRS in two Tests where the said decisions made a big difference. India ended up losing those two Tests – Adelaide in 2014-15 and Galle in 2015. In the Adelaide chase, where India came close to beating Australia, Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane were sent back when DRS would have recalled them. In Galle, Sri Lanka mounted an incredible comeback in the second innings, but both their heroes, Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne, would have been out in single figures had DRS been there.Virat Kohli: ‘[After opposing the use of DRS] for us to then say that the umpires made an error and it is going against us, it is not logical’•BCCI

“Those are the things I can’t say yes or no to sitting here,” Kohli said about DRS. “But these are the things we have discussed. These are things we have had meetings on. Because there were some areas that we felt can be debated. Especially the ball-tracking and HawkEye. But, all in all, obviously when you feel that – I personally feel these things can be discussed and debated on.”We wouldn’t take [wrong umpiring] decisions too hard because we, in the first place, decided we would not use DRS. For us to then say that the umpires made an error and it is going against us, it is not logical. There is no room for excuses. Once DRS is in place, once DRS is up and running for us as well, then you can sit and think what are the grey areas. As I said these things have been spoken about. We want to definitely think about it. but I can’t make a decision sitting here right now. It’s something we have had discussions on.”As it stands now, no other team in the world opposes DRS even if there isn’t enough technology available with the host broadcasters. Every Test not featuring India has DRS, except Zimbabwe’s recent Tests, when they couldn’t afford it. In ICC 50-over tournaments, India are forced to use DRS, but that uniformity does not extend to Test matches because they are seen as bilateral arrangements.

With three weeks remaining for the start of the Ranji Trophy, Jammu & Kashmir cricket is mired in another controversy with warring factions claiming rights to pick squads for various domestic tournaments

Amol Karhadkar and Nagraj Gollapudi09-Sep-2015With three weeks remaining for the start of the Ranji Trophy 2015-16, Jammu & Kashmir cricket is mired in another controversy with warring factions claiming rights to pick squads for various domestic tournaments.Players are being pulled in different directions by two rival factions, who have been conducting parallel selection trials and preparatory camps over the past month in Srinagar. While the newly elected body at Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association, headed by J&K sports minister Iqbal Raza Ansari, has been conducting preparatory camps at the Sher-e-Kashmir stadium, the Farooq Abdullah group, which has managed to get a stay order on the elections results, has also announced parallel selection trials at the Kashmir University grounds. The confusion has left players concerned over their future.Abdullah, the former chief minister and long-time head of JKCA, was defeated in the election in July, but still managed to get a stay on the election results. The J&K High Court is likely to pass an order on the issue this week, which would clear the confusion.The players, however, are desperate for a clear direction. Samiullah Beigh, J&K’s seniormost player and fast bowler, hoped for the BCCI’s intervention. “It would be better if the BCCI comes up with a statement because players who are missing can then come and join us.”A BCCI official, however, clarified that the board cannot interfere in internal affairs of any of its member units. The BCCI, according to him, can only interfere if any of the aggrieved parties complain to them.Barring two players – wicketkeeper Obaid Haroon and fast bowler Umar Nazir – majority of the players who featured in last year’s Ranji squad have been reporting to the camp organised by the Ansari faction.Beigh said that most of the players had been training at the camp for about a month. “We have been playing trial matches and training and attending fitness camps continuously at the Sher-e-Kashmir stadium for a month or so now.”Beigh agreed that the Abdullah faction had attempted to get players to attend the camp, but did not think the players were confused by the scenario: “No, because the preparations are going as usual at the JKCA headquarters and players are attending this.”Told about the BCCI official’s reaction, one of the senior players, who requested anonymity, asked which faction the BCCI was supporting. “Who are they supporting? If the elections were held and the Ansari group has come to power how can the court overrule this?”He also said that the Abdullah faction was trying to create stumbling blocks that did not exist. “The other faction is trying to create confusion by saying the Sher-e-Kashmir is not ready, and BCCI should displace all the home matches away. But we have played two-day and three-day trial matches for more than a month now. The conditions are perfect. There is no need for shifting the matches.”The Abdullah faction, on the other hand, blamed the Ansari group for creating confusion. “We have got a court order to stay the election, so they don’t have any right to select the team. Just because they want to create confusion, they have organised selection trials and have announced Mithun Manhas as captain-coach. If Manhas wants to play, he will have to attend the official selection trials,” ML Nehru, a member of the Abdullah faction, said.Nehru, also a BCCI vice-president, claimed his group was taking players into confidence. “We have started our selection process and next week, the selection committee appointed by the executive committee will select the team for the Ranji Trophy. No doubt the players are confused but we have been doing our best to help them understand they need not worry about anything. Despite the two factions, there is only one official association and the players should to stick to the body,” Nehru said.Iqbal Shah, the general secretary elected during the July election and the spokesperson of the Ansari group, remained unavailable for a comment.Another question that remains unanswered is who will coach the J&K team. Sunil Joshi, the former Karnataka and India left-arm spinner, was the coach last year. Despite playing all their home matches outside their state due to the preceding floods, J&K produced mixed results under Joshi. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, J&K managed three wins in five games but finished last in Group A in the Ranji Trophy, winning just one game in eight matches.Joshi, currently playing in the Karnataka Premier League, was also unavailable for comment. It is understood he is still looking forward to continuing his role as J&K coach. However the Ansari faction, it is learned, is looking forward to having former Delhi veteran Manhas play the mentor-cum-coach role. Manhas has been training with the players at Sher-e-Kashmir, but no formal announcement has yet been made about the coach and captain for the season.

There’s nothing big at stake but for a subcontinental cricket fan, especially in a small town like Cuttack, an India-Pakistan match is a major event

Amol Karhadkar in Cuttack06-Feb-2013Minutes after India’s humiliating exit from the Women’s World Cup, following a shock defeat to Sri Lanka in Mumbai, their captain Mithali Raj was asked during the media briefing about Thursday’s “big match” against Pakistan. Despite being teary-eyed, Raj managed a smile and said, “I am not in a state of mind to think about it right now.”There’s nothing big at stake in the match at the Barabati Stadium – it’s a playoff for seventh place and the loser will finish last in the World Cup – but for a subcontinental cricket fan, especially in a small town like Cuttack, an India-Pakistan match is a major event.After Pakistan’s loss to South Africa had put them out of the tournament hours before India’s exit, a policeman said to his colleague that it was only two more days until the neighbouring women left. But after India were upset at the Brabourne Stadium, and were going to travel to Cuttack to play Pakistan, the security personnel were taking all sorts of precautionary measures for the game to go off smoothly.”An India-Pakistan match is always an interesting affair. Even if it’s a seventh place playoff, it has generated excitement in town,” Odisha Cricket Association president Ranjib Biswal. “I am sure there will be a sizeable crowd in the stands tomorrow.”Regardless of their number, the people who come to watch will not be cheering the team they had adopted over the last week. A crowd of about 500-1000 was neutral during Pakistan’s opening game against Australia, and then cheered their good shots against New Zealand. By the time Pakistan played their must-win encounter against South Africa on Tuesday, the crowd had started cheering them on.”It was really a nice feeling to see the crowd cheering for us,” Pakistan captain Sana Mir said after their loss to South Africa. “This shows that when it comes to cricket, the rest of the problems are set aside. We have been taken care of very well and would love to come back to Odisha and explore the state, something that we couldn’t do this time around.”After a disappointing week, neither India nor Pakistan trained ahead of their final match of the World Cup. Pakistan will hope their batsmen improve on their best total of the tournament so far – 104 – while India will be desperate to avoid finishing last in a World cup they are hosting.

Chris Martin, who claimed career-best figures of 6 for 26 against Zimbabwe in Napier, has said New Zealand’s success in the Test had much to do with a four-pronged pace attack

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jan-2012Chris Martin, who claimed career-best figures of 6 for 26 against Zimbabwe in Napier, has said New Zealand’s success in the Test had much to do with a four-pronged pace attack. New Zealand’s bowlers combined to bowl Zimbabwe out twice on the same day – only the third such instance in history – propelling the hosts to an innings and 301-run victory.”It was [overwhelming for Zimbabwe] I think … four [fast] guys with the ball, they all do something a little bit different. We don’t probably get over-bowled, so there’s a little bit of venom in every spell.” New Zealand played four quicks in the match, with Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell and Tim Southee partnering Martin. In Zimbabwe’s first innings, each of the four fast bowlers picked up two wickets apiece to skittle the visitors for 51, while in the second Martin and Bracewell polished them off.”The pitch actually quickened up a wee bit over the course of the match. I’m definitely more of a bounce bowler, so I enjoyed the bounce and pace in it. Dougie just swings the ball very nicely to the right-handers, and is always going to be a threat. I think Boulty and Timmy were hungry, and definitely wanted the ball the whole day. So we were all competing for it, and it’s nice to get a win out of that kind of competitiveness within the bowling ranks.”With Daniel Vettori filling the spinner’s role, the New Zealand line-up comprised only five frontline batsmen, plus wicketkeeper BJ Watling. However, with some of the bowlers’ ability to contribute with the bat as well, the line-up isn’t unstable, Martin said. “I like to see it [five bowlers playing] happening. I think the ability of Doug and Timmy with the bat is going to get better and better, and with Dan batting at six – he’s out there to score runs every time he plays, he probably averages about 40 [with the bat] over the past five years – I think we’re going to have some success.”Chris Martin says there is a lot of healthy competition among New Zealand’s fast bowlers•Getty Images

Martin’s eight wickets in the match took him level with Chris Cairns on the list of New Zealand’s top wicket-takers. With 218, Martin is joint-third, behind Richard Hadlee and Vettori. “I had him [Cairns] on the radar, but perhaps not at the start of the day,” Martin said. “I’m stoked to have got that far, and hopefully I push on past him.”Tweaking his run-up has helped him be more effective, Martin said. “I tinkered with something last summer, just to get my stride patterns right with my run-up, so I wasn’t over-striding. Now I’m cruising in a little bit more, the angle with which I’m bowling now is helping me swing the ball more.”After the limited-overs series against Zimbabwe, New Zealand will face stronger opposition in South Africa and, according to Martin, they are up for the challenge. “I think the consistency with which we have attacked that off-stump line, with a little bit of movement, and the way we have drawn them [batsmen] into playing shots that perhaps they didn’t want to, I think against any side that is always going to be competitive.”The slip catching has been out of this world. I don’t think I have seen a better one than the one Dean Brownlie took today. All of those things we may have to do for longer periods against South Africa, but they definitely bode well for the ability of our boys to remain composed and get the results, which is something we have carried on from Hobart.”

Grant Flower, Zimbabwe’s most capped Test player, has announced retirement from all cricket, saying he wants to focus on coaching

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-2011Grant Flower, the Zimbabwe batsman, has formally announced his retirement from all cricket, saying he wants to focus on coaching. He had hinted at having played his last game in November, when he described the finals of the Stanbic Bank 20 Series in Zimbabwe as a “fitting end to my career”. He led the Mashonaland Eagles to the trophy in that game, and received a guard of honour from his team-mates.”I have drawn the line,” Flower told . “I had to make the decision whether to coach properly or continue playing properly and prepare as well as I could. I think there’s enough talent coming through and I don’t want to hold anyone back. I’ve had a good run and I’ve enjoyed it, but there is a transition from player to coach, and I think it’s time to take it.”Flower was appointed Zimbabwe’s batting coach in August and has also filled the role of player-coach for the Eagles in the 2010 season. He had retired from international cricket in 2004 after the dispute between the Zimbabwe board and the rebel players, but after six years of playing for Essex in England, made a surprise return to the national side, playing two ODIs in South Africa in October 2010.At the time, Alistair Campbell, the Zimbabwe selector, had suggested he wanted Flower to continue till the end of the 2011 World Cup. Flower has been among the runs for Essex, averaging 65.87 in the 2010 limited overs season.

Allrounder Yusuf Pathan has been recalled to the ODI squad for the three-match series against South Africa, along with fast bowler Praveen Kumar

Cricinfo staff16-Feb-2010Allrounder Yusuf Pathan has been recalled to the ODI squad for the first two matches against South Africa, along with fast bowler Praveen Kumar. R Ashwin, the Tamil Nadu offspinner, has also been called up, as has Mumbai allrounder Abhishek Nayar, to the 15-man squad.Opening batsman Gautam Gambhir is out of the series with a groin injury, while middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh had not recovered from the hand injury he sustained in Bangladesh to take part in the three-ODI contest. Offspinner Harbhajan Singh was not included because he asked for time off to attend his sister’s wedding.Yusuf had made a strong case for himself with his eye-catching performances on the domestic circuit. His two centuries for West Zone – 210 off 190 balls in the second innings – helped them achieve the highest chase in first-class cricket in the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone.”It’s a great feeling to be called up,” Yusuf told Cricinfo. “In the back of my mind it was there after I scored those two hundreds in the Duleep [Trophy] final. If I get a chance to play, I think I’m in really good form. I’m happy to be in such good form.”He strengthened his chances by smashing a century off 40 balls – the third fastest century in List A matches – for Baroda in their Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Maharashtra in Ahmedabad. That performance came on the day the selectors met in Kolkata, where the second Test is currently underway, to pick the 15-man squad.Ashwin, who earlier blogged for Cricinfo, said he was eagerly awaiting a chance to debut for India. “I just need to do what I have been doing well so far, which has got me this call-up,” he told Cricinfo. “I have been playing lots of one-day competitions recently and so am in the one-day mode. I realise it’s a different ball game playing international cricket but I just need to do what i have been doing.”Ashwin has played with several of the members of India’s squad in the IPL and he felt that was a boon. “It will be really handy to have played with people like [Suresh] Raina and [MS] Dhoni, and at the end of the day the dressing room atmosphere matters and you take that confident frame of mind on to the field.””My strength is probably to be able to apply pressure. I look to dry up the runs and create pressure from one end, and that’s what I intend to do if I get a chance.”The series begins in Jaipur on February 21.Squad: MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Sudeep Tyagi, Praveen Kumar, Abhishek Nayar, Yusuf Pathan, Amit Mishra.

Hampshire openers rack up 152-run stand to set up thumping win in rain-reduced contest

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay07-Sep-2025Leaders Hampshire Women clinched a semi-final berth in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup after a convincing nine-wicket victory with 13.2 overs to spare against Durham Women at the Banks Homes Riverside.The defeat leaves Durham in fifth place with two rounds to play, one point behind fourth-placed Surrey with the two sides meeting in the final group match at Chester-le-Street next Saturday.Initially chasing a target of 225, Hampshire opening pair of Maia Bouchier and Rhianna Southby produced an attacking start that saw 74 runs arrive from the 10-over powerplay and they had raced along with some fine strokeplay to reach 144 for 0 from 19 overs when rain took 13 overs out of the game.A revised DLS target of 171 in 37 overs made little difference, and despite the loss of Southby for 58, Bouchier and Freya Kemp quickly scored the 27 needed to clinch an impressive victory.Earlier, a fighting 88 by captain Hollie Armitage had given Durham some hope with the hosts posting 224 for 9 after a poor start. Armitage came to the crease in the eighth over and batted through to the last, hitting nine fours, but found partnerships difficult to come by until Grace Thompson finally provided great support for the eighth wicket. The pair added 72 to rescue Durham from a perilous 144 for 7 with 18-year-old Thompson contributing a List A career-best 39.Georgia Adams with 3 for 41 led an excellent bowling effort by the visitors with Freya Davies impressive with 2 for 30 along with Bex Tyson (2 for 40).Southby and Bouchier made a strong start to the Hampshire run chase, the pair attacking effectively to race to their fifty partnership from just 41 balls in increasingly gloomy overhead conditions that required the use of the floodlights.Bouchier was the first to reach her half century – her fifth in this season’s competition – from 47 balls hitting eight fours, with the century partnership arriving moments later from only 86 balls as Durham struggled to exert any control with the ball.Southby hit the first six of the game on her way to a 45-ball fifty that also included eight fours as the Hampshire openers raced along at nearly eight runs per over to put the outcome in little doubt.It was an impressive display, with Bouchier not out on 76 from 67 balls and Southby unbeaten on 56 from 50 balls when rain stopped play at 3.30pm with Hampshire 144-0 after 19 overs. After an 80 minutes delay, the target was reduced to 171 from 37 overs and Durham finally made a breakthrough when Thompson bowled Southby for 58 to end a fine 152-run partnership.Bouchier and Kemp then eased their way to 174 for 1 in the 24th over to clinch the win.After opting to bat, Durham lost both opening batters in the powerplay, Mia Rogers run out for 6 and Emma Marlow caught at cover for 12 during an impressive five over spell of 1 for 9 by Davies.Armitage and Mady Villiers had begun to fashion a recovery with a steady partnership of 30 before Villers on 19 was tempted into a drive off left-arm spinner Tyson that ended up in the hands of Mary Taylor at mid-on. That also proved to be the fate of Emily Windsor when she picked out Bouchier off Adams for 13 who then had Bess Heath caught behind three balls later to leave Durham struggling on 89 for 5 in the 22nd over.It left a lot resting on the shoulders Armitage, and she responded with a determined innings, passing fifty off 65-balls for the fifth time while becoming the second batter to pass 500 runs in the competition this season. But Durham continued to lose wickets at the other end. Having taken 1 for 14 from a six-over spell, Tyson returned to bowl Phoebe Turner around her legs for 18 while Adams picked up her third wicket when trapping Katherine Fraser lbw sweeping for 4.An excellent innings by Thompson finally lent Armitage the support needed over the final 15 overs, the pair adding 72 off 86 balls – easily the highest partnership of the innings – with Armitage’s excellent effort ending in the final over as Durham posted a far better total than had looked likely earlier, but one the visitors comfortably hauled in.

Clarkson was to come in place of Williamson for the match in Dunedin but has suffered a shoulder injury

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jan-2024Josh Clarkson will no longer join the New Zealand T20I squad ahead of the third T20I against Pakistan after he sustained a shoulder injury. Will Young will instead take his place for the match set to be staged in Dunedin on Wednesday.Clarkson was to replace Kane Williamson for the third game as the New Zealand captain continues to monitor his knee injury. But Clarkson injured his shoulder while playing for Central Districts in the Super Smash. Young will join the squad after the second T20I on Sunday.Young has played 97 T20 games overall in which he has scored 2290 runs averaging 26.62 with 14 fifties and two centuries. In 14 T20Is, he has 260 runs at 20.00 with two fifties but at a much lower strike rate of 102.36 compared to his overall T20 strike rate of 133.83. Young comes into the squad on the back of a half-century and a hundred for Central Districts in the Super Smash in Napier. He smashed a 33-ball 50 against Wellington before scorching his way to an unbeaten 63-ball 101 against Otago in the next match.Related

• Williamson ruled out for remainder of T20I series vs Pakistan

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Williamson will meanwhile be back for the final two T20Is, which will be played in Christchurch on January 19 and 21. The teams will leave for Dunedin on Monday.New Zealand had a strong start to their five-game T20I series against Pakistan. Strong fifties from Williamson and Daryl Mitchell helped the hosts rack up 226 for 8. In reply, Babar Azam struck a fifty but Tim Southee’s frugal 4 for 25 helped New Zealand bowl out Pakistan for 180 and take the opening game by 46 runs.Mitchell Santner, who was supposed to lead the New Zealand side for the third T20I in Williamson’s absence missed the opening game in Auckland due to Covid-19. It will be interesting to see who leads the side in case Santner does not recover in time for the third game. He was in isolation at the team’s Auckland hotel after testing positive on Friday.

Zimbabwe coach confirms Sean Williams will return for second ODI, but Blessing Muzarabani remains unlikely to feature in the series

Andrew McGlashan30-Aug-2022Zimbabwe coach Dave Houghton is seeing encouraging signs that his players are learning how not to “freeze” against the strongest opposition, and hopes that the batters can put together a complete performance during the remainder of the ODI series against Australia.Having been put into bat, the top order – led by a career-best 72 from Wessly Madhevere after the openers had negotiated the first ten overs – built a solid if an unspectacular platform during the opening game on Sunday, as Zimbabwe reached 185 for 4 in the 43rd over before losing their last six wickets for 15.However, Houghton was buoyed by the performance after their recent displays at home had relied on runs from the middle and lower order, led by the prolific Sikandar Raza.Related

• Williams: 'Definitely a big skill gap' between Zimbabwe and Australia

• Houghton interview: 'Real test will be to play fearless cricket against India, Australia'

• 'I like the challenge' – Madhevere hopes for a run at No. 3

“I’ve been quoted about fearless cricket,” Houghton said, Yes, we want to play fearless cricket; we want to see guys expressing themselves. I’ve seen these guys play franchise cricket, and I’ve seen what they can do; and [then] see them play international cricket, especially against these strong sides, and freeze a little bit. Somehow, I’m trying to take away that freezing.”For me, to see our two youngsters go out there against [Mitchell] Starc and [Josh] Hazlewood and get us 40 off the first ten without losing a wicket – that was a big plus for us. Now you can sit down in a team meeting and say, ‘Yes, it was a little different and a little scary going out first against these guys but look what you achieved. What can you do the next game and the game after?’.”It’s building blocks all the time. Tours like this don’t happen very often for us, so when you get the opportunity it’s a real learning for us.”Houghton was open in admitting that the skill gap between Zimbabwe and teams such as India and Australia is “huge”, but is focusing on ensuring the team move back up the rankings and compete with sides around them.He hoped that some of what the players learn in Townsville can be put to use in the T20 World Cup next month when they will return to Australia for the Group B qualifiers in Hobart with the aim of reaching the main draw.”The skill gap is huge between us, India, Australia and England – there’s no hiding from that,” Dave Houghton•AFP/Getty Images

In the more immediate term, Houghton wanted to see an improvement in the team’s fielding for the second ODI on Wednesday, recalling previous landmark victories and how it is an area Zimbabwe can compete in regardless of batting and bowling skill.”The skill gap is huge between us, India, Australia, [and] England – there’s no hiding from that,” he said. “Your batters are better than us, they’re more experienced, your bowlers are taller and faster than us. What we can do is field competitively, which I wasn’t happy about the other day; [I] thought we were lethargic and looked very jetlagged.”For us to compete with these sides and try to get a win against them – which we’ve done over the years with our giant-killing sides – every part of your game has to be right on song from the beginning. If we put a score on the board, [and] then bowl and field incredibly well, we can put enough pressure on sides [so] that if they aren’t quite on their game we can beat them.”Houghton suggested the batters may take a different approach to trying to finish the innings, having had trouble combatting the short deliveries in the first match, where Cameron Green bagged a maiden five-wicket haul.”What we talked about at the end of the game is how we get that last bit of our innings organised a bit better,” he said. “They were all trying to take it on but weren’t quite good enough at it, so is there another way? Can we ramp it a bit? Maybe, if we don’t hook, can we back away and cut?”These are all things for them to solve themselves, but we need to play the backend better which, for us, [is] a new situation. The games we won against Bangladesh – and when we did compete well with India – we got all the runs at the middle and back, and nothing at the front. So hopefully we’ll put both ends together at one stage on this tour.”Houghton confirmed that experienced allrounder Sean Williams would return after an elbow injury ruled him out of the opening match, and would likely replace a fast bowler. However, Blessing Muzarabani is unlikely to feature on this tour as he continues his recovery from a thigh injury with the focus on getting him ready for the T20 World Cup.