Chevron's name squad for Tests against Sri Lanka

By Perkins Bare

It’s set to be an interesting month for cricket lover as the Chevrons get back at it with Sri Lanka for two Tests starting this Sunday at the Harare Sports Club. The first match will be played from Jan 19-23 and the second from Jan. 27-31, and it will be a return to Test Cricket for the Chevrons after almost 2 years since their tour of Bangladesh in November 2018.

This is set to go down however without much recognition as the Chevrons are not part of the ICC Test Championship and so no points will be up for grabs in the series. The Chevron’s coach is looking forward to the upcoming series as it is his first with the team. “Sri Lanka are always a very competitive team who have been playing well and I am looking forward to the Test series,” Rajput said in a statement from Zimbabwe Cricket.

“For us, it’s a new beginning, a new chapter, and it’s good that we are starting off with the long version which always brings the best out of players. “We know our home conditions better, our players are getting match-fit and enjoying some game time. So all we have to do is to get in the middle and perform. “We have not had much game time, so the players will be very keen and eager to seize this opportunity and do well” he added.

This comes after a rather tough patch for the Chevrons who missed out on both the Test Championship and last year’s ODI World Cup meaning they have gone through a patch of idlenes which has never really allowed them to gel as a team and build that chemistry which will be essential especially going in for a Test match.

The other thing that Zimbabwe Cricket might have to look out for is that its an oddly placed Test match as its been set around the weekdays and not centered around the weekend where we have possibly Day 3 and 4 coming in from Saturday onwards setting it up for a big ending with the crowds. But with Zimbabwe cricket first test match is from Sunday to Thursday and the second literally placed from Monday to Friday. With the fans already looking forward to the game, this might have an impact on the coffers of Zimbabwe Cricket as they only have one Sunday to capitalize on a fanbase that has been starved of first class cricket over the past few years.

The good thing will be that most of the players picked up for the match are local based meaning they have been involved in the Logan Cup which is the premier domestic cup comptetion. The cup somehow started late on 10 Dec and had to be cut short for ‘unknown’ reasons from Zimbabwe Cricket.

This will have a direct impact on the players as they got some gametime before this even though it won’t be anywhere close to facing Sri Lanka. They be looking to guys like Craig Ervine who comes out usually during Test’s and also Sean Williams which will be his first match as the Test Captain. Regis Chakabva is another one to look out for as he is currently the leading run scorers in List A crocket with an average of 66.50.The other thing about Regis Chakabva is his pace between the wickets and he certainly knows how to exchange the wicket whilst racking up those runs. The one that he surely needs is someone to pair up with n=but he ceratinly is steady with the bat. The same goes for Raza who has proved to be essential for the long formats of the game despite his aggressive approach.

On the bowling side I’d certainly be looking forward to see Carl Mumba and see how he’s evolved over the years especially after his impressice entry onto the scene. 8-for against reigning champions Mountaineers in 2018 and a test economy of 3.83 he really stands as one for the future at the age of 24.

Its generally a young squad for the Chevrons and it would be interesting to see them in action. First Test is from 19-23 at the Harare Sports Club and the second from 27-31 at the same venue.

Zimbabwe Test squad

Sikandar Raza Butt, Regis Chakabva, Craig Ervine, Kyle Jarvis, Kevin Kasuza, Timycen Maruma, Prince Masvaure, Brian Mudzinganyama, Carl Mumba, Ainsley Ndlovu, Victor Nyauchi, Brendan Taylor, Donald Tiripano, Charlton Tshuma, Sean Williams (captain)

Sri Lanka squad:

Dimuth Karunaratne (captain), Oshada Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Dilruwan Perera, Lasith Embuldeniya, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lakshan Sandakan, Suranga Lakmal