Weekly Cricket Ramble: Ireland’s Tour to Zimbabwe 

Welcome to the first edition of the Weekly Cricket Ramble  on Line in Length, where we dive into all things cricket that have caught our attention this week. From domestic and club cricket to international matches, we are here to discuss it all—with a primary focus on Zimbabwe. Of course, we'll also touch on global cricketing moments like the Ashes or South Africa’s clash with Australia, but Zimbabwe remains at the heart of it all. For this inaugural episode, it feels only right to focus on Ireland’s tour of Zimbabwe.


Ireland’s Tour of Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe will host Ireland starting February 6th, with the schedule packed as follows:

This tour is brimming with potential, with the highlight being the Test Match at the iconic Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. Let’s break it down.


Queens Sports Club: The Venue

Queens Sports Club is a fascinating ground. Known for its flat deck and slow wicket, it’s a venue that often favors spin and swing bowlers. In the recent series against Afghanistan, we saw this clearly: Brian Bennett snagged a fifer, and Rashid Khan did what he does best, taking wickets effortlessly.

Hosting Ireland here is a strategic move by Zimbabwe Cricket. Ireland isn’t particularly spin-heavy, and Zimbabwe might be using this as preparation for their upcoming one-off Test against England in May.

Queens is notorious for extremes—it’s either a high-scoring or a low-scoring venue, with no in-between. The type of pitch prepared for this Test will be intriguing. Will it favor the batsmen or bowlers? Only time will tell.


Zimbabwe Squad Analysis

The squad remains largely unchanged from the Afghanistan series, with two notable swaps:

Spotlight on Nick Welch

Nick Welch’s inclusion has sparked mixed reactions. While fans are excited about his experience in second-team county cricket, his record isn’t extraordinary—he has only four first-class centuries and two fifties in forty one innings. The hype feels a bit overblown, but I’m willing to give him a chance.

If it were up to us, we'd pick Myers over Welch, but Myers is going through a rough patch. Perhaps a return to domestic cricket will help him regain form.

Test Match Predictions

This Test should be an easy win for Zimbabwe. Ireland lacks the depth and recent match practice to mount a serious challenge. Zimbabwe has been playing a lot of cricket since the last time they played Ireland, and I’m not expecting too many experiments.

Here’s how I’d line up Zimbabwe’s squad:

Bowling Attack

The bowling attack will likely be Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, and then the two inexperienced bowlers—Nyamhuri and Masekesa. They’ll be supported by Sean Williams and Brian Bennett with their spin.

This attack might look thin on paper, but against Ireland, it should be sufficient. If Sean Williams isn’t fully fit, Zimbabwe will need to manage his workload carefully with the England Test in mind. 

Batting Line-Up

The opening combination will likely feature Ben Curran and either Welch or Gumbie. Curran’s aggression complements Gumbie’s patient approach, though Gumbie needs to work on converting starts into big scores. This match could be an opportunity to have a look at Nyasha behind the stumps and Joylord can take a much deserved rest. 

In the middle order, Captain  Craig Ervine and Sean Williams (if fit) will anchor the innings.

Ben Curran
Gumbie/Welch
Kaitano
Williams
Ervine (c)
Bennet
Mavayo (wk)
Masekesa
Nyamhuri
Ngarava
Muzarabani 

Key to Victory

The game plan is straightforward, everyone does their job. 

Player to Watch: PJ Moor

A familiar face at Queens, PJ Moor will be Ireland’s player to watch. His experience with Zimbabwean conditions could make him a thorn in the side of the home team. That said, Zimbabwe’s bowlers should be up to the challenge.

ODIs and T20 Thoughts

While the Test Match takes center stage, the shorter formats might pose a bigger challenge for Zimbabwe. Ireland’s batting depth and strong fielding make them more competitive in ODIs and T20s. I’ll cover these formats in greater detail in future editions

Looking Ahead

One major question looms for Zimbabwe: Who will captain the side after Craig Ervine? It’s a topic worth pondering, and we're considering creating a Discord server to discuss this and other cricket-related matters. Stay tuned for updates on that front.

Thanks for tuning in to the first episode of Line in Length. See you next time, where we’ll unpack more cricket action, from Zimbabwe and beyond!