Congratulations Zimbabwe

Congratulations to Zimbabwe for defeating Bangladesh in their first Test match for six years recently at Harare, also for a convincing victory in the opening one-day international at the same venue.

Kyle Jarvis and Brian Vetori were outstanding with the ball for Zimbabwe in the Test match. This vindicates the work of coaches in focusing on the development of fast bowlers to ensure a more balanced attack.

It doesn't matter how good your batsmen are, if you can't take 20 wickets in a match you will rarely win a Test.

Brian Taylor led the team well in his debut as captain, including an aggressive declaration which guaranteed a result.

Zimbabwe Cricket still has financial problems, but if it can overcome those and maintain the existing talent, a bright future is ahead.

Zimbabwe XI v Australia A

The Zimbabwe XI has started fairly well in their four-day game against Australia A at the Harare Country Club.

I've been to the Country Club. It didn't have much in the way of spectator facilities back in 1991, and I suspect it doesn't today. Not sure why the game is being played there instead of the main Harare ground.

Anyhow, the match is a precursor to Zimbabwe's return to test cricket next month against Bangladesh. The Zimbabweans are missing captain Brendan Taylor, who apparently is recovering from nasal surgery.