Letters

Editorial address: jward@cricinfo.com

KALLIS OR FLOWER?

No where on earth can you justify Kallis being Man of the Series. Andrew scored more runs, at a better rate against the world's second most lethal attack and that too in adversity. Keeping wicket, batting for 1053min, fighting the inevitable exhaustion -the effort this ‘machine’ [as said by Procter] puts into his cricket is staggering. That's why my Man of the Series is - Andrew Flower. There was similar controversy against Eng in the Harare Test [1996/97] when Grant's 73 was considered more superb than Stewart's 100. Incidentally, the sponsors acknowledged players from both teams in the Harare Test against Sri Lanka, Andrew Flower and Arnold.

Situ Phalswal (India)

HELLO FROM GERMANY

Hello! It may surprise you to hear from a Zim-fan from a country as distant and normally ignorant of cricket as Germany. But ever since Henry Olongas heroics against India in the 1999 World Cup I've been trying to follow Zimbabwe Cricket as closely as I can. So I'm naturally most grateful for all the information this newsletter provides, as well as the coverage of the Test and one-day matches on CricInfo. Thanks for the information given lately on the injuries of certain players as well as the whereabouts of others like Marillier. Another player I didn't hear of for a couple of months is Vermeulen. Was he also playing in England or is he injured? On the issue of Ian Engelbrecht, mentioned in a recent letter: I was also disappointed that he didn't get a chance in the A side after his performances in the Logan Cup. He seems to have the ability to take wickets in first-class cricket (at least at domestic level). Could you say something about what kind of spinner he is? Is he an attacking bowler or one that frustrates batsmen long enough for them to make mistakes? Or were the wickets in the Logan Cup just a matter of luck? On the composition of the test and one-day sides: Besides the bowling department and its string of injuries the main problem of the batting line-up still seems to be opening. After trying out almost every available middle-order batsmen out of position and without much success, why not - in tests - take a natural opener like Masakadza instead of having him go in at No. 3 in the second or third over as one of the openers almost certainly gets a duck?

Test team

• 1. Campell
• 2. Masakadza
• 3. Carlisle/Wishart
• 4. A. Flower
• 5. G. Flower
• 6. Ebrahim/Wishart
• 7.Streak
• 8. Blignaut
• 9. P. Strang
• 10. B. Strang/Olonga/Friend (in India: Price or Murphy)
• 11. Watambwa

Playing only six specialist batsmen accounts for the all-round skills of Streak, Blignaut and P. Strang and the need for Zim to bowl other sides out if they want to win the odd match. Whittall is at the moment neither bowling as good as to merit a place as an all-rounder, nor is his batting consistent enough to include him as a batsman. G. Flower is another established player who has struggled lately, but in Tests his experience is still crucial.

One-day team:

• 1. Campell
• 2. Wishart
• 3. Carlisle
• 4. A. Flower
• 5. G. Flower
• 6. Blignaut
• 7. Ebrahim/Marillier
• 8. Streak
• 9. P. Strang/Viljoen
• 10. B. Strang/Brent
• 11. Watambwa/Olonga/Friend

Blignaut should have the license to bat ‘irresponsibly’ in the way of Klusener or Gilchrist to provide much needed impetus in the middle stages of a match. He should therefore be brought in depending on the situation of the match, e.g. at 110 for 4 after 25 overs rather than at 60 for 4 after 15 (in that instance he should drop down the order). Speaking of Gilchrist: why not give Blignaut a chance (if he wants to) to have a go at opening in one-dayers or batting at No. 3? Some might think there are too many bowlers in the team, but in the past Zim have often been found out going in with a bowler short. Also, this would provide the captain with the option of taking off a bowler early who's becoming too expensive. If a bowler like Blignaut, Streak or Friend (or any other faster bowler) does not have his day on the day (as was often the case in the recent series of losses), there should be no need to keep him on forever. Keep on going!

Henrik Halbleib (Frankfurt, Germany)

Reply: Thanks for your opinions. Mark Vermeulen was playing in England this past season. I only had the chance to see Ian Engelbrecht once, so I can’t say too much about him, but he appears to be a good attacking left-arm spinner. Only the selectors can answer the question as to why they have not picked him, but living away from Harare and the fact that he has not been through the CFX Academy are probably handicaps.

ADIEU TO CARL RACKEMANN

There was some sort of parallel between Rackemann’s playing days and his taking over the job of head coach. In the former, when Chappell, Lillee and Marsh retired and Hughes resigned in tears, it was left for Border to rebuild a shattered side. Similarly in Zimbabwe, Johnson and Goodwin left and a new captain was in charge. Earlier injuries and later apartheid restricted Carl’s career to only 12 Tests. The man who helped Queensland to win its first Sheffield Shield title motivated Zimbabwe to register their first away one-day series win in New Zealand. He instilled self-belief in players; e.g, the self-belief of Watambwa and Blignaut against India at Bulawayo (perhaps reminding him of his own effort at Antigua when he bowled 24 overs in a spell after Lawson got injured). The motivator, as he liked to be described, he made an interesting observation when he said that his players didn’t have to learn too much from the Aussies when it comes to mental toughness. Perhaps Stuey Carlisle and Marillier proved his point in the Perth ODI. Zim did better in his period if we look at the Aussies’ fate in India: their first away one-day series win, and complete Bangladesh whitewash. Though during the end of his tenure, Zim did recorded a 11-match losing streak. But he shouldn’t be blamed for this. As to coach a team with smallest player pool also means, with the likes of Bangladesh included, the smallest talent pool. With injuries constantly hampering players and players constantly LACKING CONSISTENCY, what can he do? But surely his one low was Grant Flower’s suspect bowling action. Personally, I’ve unforgettable memories of meeting this soft-spoken person. He seems to know Hindi also, when he said to me, “We have to do well, otherwise you’ll throw ‘tamatar’ [tomato in Hindi] on us!” He’s now going back for his business commitments and looking after his 103-year-old farm with his father, Robert Bob. I wish him all luck. You’ll be missed, Carl!

Situ Phalswal (India)