Sports / Cricket
Zimbabwe cricket team, poor performance, poor bating
19 Mar 2011 at 10:08hrs | Views
Zimbabwe cricket team captain Elton Chigumbura has placed the blame for the team's poor performance in the World Cup squarely on their performance with the bat.
With only one score of over 200 in a disappointing group stage, the level of batting has not matched the Zimbabwean efforts in the field, which have impressed Chigumbura throughout the tournament.
They wind up their campaign with a chance of victory against an unfancied Kenya and Chigumbura is in no doubt about which discipline must be improved.
"We fielded well and bowled superbly, but that can't be said about our batting," he told the pre-match press conference.
"We have to work on it because that has been the big problem through the tournament. Besides the batting part, we've put up a big fight. My biggest concern is with the batting in the first 15 overs, especially against stronger teams. We have to really work on that when we get home," he added.
Alan Butcher, the Zimbabwe coach, agreed with his skipper's comments regarding the overall performance.
"Unfortunately that happened in the game before, and the game before and everybody in the dressing room, particularly the batters, are unhappy about the way we exited. We prepared well but unfortunately could not deliver," he said.
But morale is also low in the Kenya camp after the 2003 semi-finalists collapsed during this year's tournament, a loss to Canada summing up their current standing on the international stage.
Captain Jimmy Kamande feels the clash with Zimbabwe, despite meaning very little to neutrals, will be vital to the Kenyan team as a way of gaining experience.
"This tournament is a stepping stone for Kenyan cricket. A lot of guys here have never been to the World Cup, we know what it takes to achieve here, whatever we gain, we take it back home with us and try to improve our performance."
With only one score of over 200 in a disappointing group stage, the level of batting has not matched the Zimbabwean efforts in the field, which have impressed Chigumbura throughout the tournament.
They wind up their campaign with a chance of victory against an unfancied Kenya and Chigumbura is in no doubt about which discipline must be improved.
"We fielded well and bowled superbly, but that can't be said about our batting," he told the pre-match press conference.
"We have to work on it because that has been the big problem through the tournament. Besides the batting part, we've put up a big fight. My biggest concern is with the batting in the first 15 overs, especially against stronger teams. We have to really work on that when we get home," he added.
Alan Butcher, the Zimbabwe coach, agreed with his skipper's comments regarding the overall performance.
"Unfortunately that happened in the game before, and the game before and everybody in the dressing room, particularly the batters, are unhappy about the way we exited. We prepared well but unfortunately could not deliver," he said.
But morale is also low in the Kenya camp after the 2003 semi-finalists collapsed during this year's tournament, a loss to Canada summing up their current standing on the international stage.
Captain Jimmy Kamande feels the clash with Zimbabwe, despite meaning very little to neutrals, will be vital to the Kenyan team as a way of gaining experience.
"This tournament is a stepping stone for Kenyan cricket. A lot of guys here have never been to the World Cup, we know what it takes to achieve here, whatever we gain, we take it back home with us and try to improve our performance."
Source - Byo24NEWS
