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A change in scenery for the 3rd ODI earlier today, as the sides moved from Guyana to St Vincent - a move that also brought a change in conditions that seems to have knocked Zimbabwe's gameplan for six, at least for today, as the Zimbabwe Collapse™ took over from the Calypso Collapso as the main event of the day. Having won the toss, Prosper Utseya inexplicably decided to put the West Indies in to bat on a pitch that was expected to favour the side batting first. The plan was as before: use Zimbabwe's spin barrage to wrap up the Windies. Today, though, the Windies weren't playing ball - while Zimbabwe were able to keep the lid on the West Indies for most of their innings, even removing dangermen Gayle (33) and Chanderpaul (58) before they could do too much damage, the final ten overs of the Windies innings proved horribly expensive. At 40 overs, the home side were on 153/4; at the close, they'd added a massive 92 runs to reach 245/9 at the close. Zimbabwe were taking regular wickets throughout this period, but that didn't seem to bother the tail-enders, who laid into the bowling with abandon. On a pitch where 220 would have been a decent total, West Indies went beyond to give themselves a good safety margin.

Not that they needed it in the end, as the Zimbabwe Collapse™ kicked in to ruin Zimbabwe's chances. The 3rd-ball dismissal of Vusi Sibanda was the first warning, and while Hamilton Masakadza (35) and Brendan Taylor (19) when on to build a decent 2nd-wicket stand of 51, it was all downhill from there, with a steady stream of wickets - mostly inflicted by Darren Sammy (career-best figures of 4/26) and Kemar Roach (3/28) - seeing Zimbabwe fall to a very poor 104 all-out and in the process posting the lowest ODI score at Arnos Vale ("beating" Pakistan's previous record of 117). That gave the Windies a 2-1 lead in the series and a serious shot in the arm ahead of the next match on Friday, while for Zimbabwe it's back to the tactical drawing board - and hopefully into the nets for the batsmen, who once again have let the side down. Full scorecard below the cut.
West Indies 245/9 (50 overs; Chanderpaul 58, Chigumbura 2/43), Zimbabwe 104 (31.5 overs; Masakadza 35, Sammy 4/26). West Indies win by 141 runs.

Fast bowler Kyle Jarvis has been ruled out of the remainder of Zimbabwe's tour of the Caribbean after scans revealed a stress fracture of the lower back.

Jarvis played in Zimbabwe's warm-up match before the first two one-day internationals but struggled with pain in the lower back throughout the first week of the tour which comprises five ODIs.

According to team physiotherapist Amato Machikicho:

"Kyle went for an MRI scan in Guyana during the second match against the West Indies and the stress fracture was clear. There are still several diagnostics to be done so we can't be certain of the extent of the injury or the prognosis, but he will certainly be out of cricket for a minimum of three months and probably longer."

Jarvis, 21, was understandably disappointed but vowed to fight back:

"I'm not the first fast bowler to have this sort of injury and I won't be the last. I know it will take a lot of work to regain fitness but I'm determined to get back to playing international cricket as soon as possible."

[Source: ZC]

The pressure was all on the West Indies ahead of the 2nd ODI in Guyana today. Zimbabwe played out of their skins to win the T20 and 1st ODI, and with conditions as Providence again set to favour spin the early indications were that the Windies would have another fight on their hands - and with Zimbabwe winning the toss and opting to bat, the visitors had the chance to set the early running. Unlike the first ODI, though, shaky batting and some decent West Indies bowling made life difficult, starting with the loss of Vusi Sibanda (5) in the first over. The third-wicket partnership of Brendan Taylor (47) and Tatenda Taibu (31) eventually got things going, and while the run-rate was never anything to write home about, that pair and later Greg Lamb (23) and Elton Chigumbura (50) were able to push the side on to 206 before the side were bowled out with one ball remaining. Nikita Miller led the West Indies bowling figures with 4/43.

Prosper Utseya had suggested during the previous match that 240-250 was the target score for the Guyana pitch - that call had proved correct then, and that meant that Zimbabwe were 30 or us runs light this time around. While Zimbabwe's spinners can work miracles when the conditions suit them, there are some tasks beyond even them - and when Windies captain Chris Gayle came out swinging during the early overs if his innings it looked that the home side were going to strut home. The spin quartet of Utseya, Ray Price, Graeme Cremer and Greg Lamb were able to turn the screws, though, restricting the West Indies batsmens' ability to play - at one point, a full 30 overs passed without a boundary being scored as the required run-rate crept towards 7/over, a period where Zimbabwe appeared to be in full control of the match. In the 37th over, though, Gayle decided that he'd had enough of playing the waiting game, and with a mighty six, and a four off the following ball, signalled the beginning of the West Indies' fightback. His new-found aggression proved his undoing in the 42nd, as a swing & miss saw Cremer claim his scalp for an impressive 88, but some of his desire had already rubbed off on partner Narsingh Deonarine (65*) who went on to seal the victory with 13 balls to spare. In truth, Gayle and Deonarine were the only two players to show any capability of dealing with Zimbabwe's "death by spin" approach, and Deonarine was helped in the closing overs by some puzzling bowling decisions by Utseya that played into the West Indies' hands, but between the two of them they were enough to be Zimbabwe's undoing.

And so the sides head to St Vincent with the series ties, and Zimbabwe's chances of pulling ahead again most likely resting on the conditions of the St Vincent pitches. But Zimbabwe but up a hell of a fight here (in truth they probablbly should have won), once again signalling that they're no longer with whipping boys of world cricket. Full scorecard below the cut.
Zimbabwe 206 (49.5 overs; Chigumbura 50, Miller 4/43), West Indies 208/6 (47.5 overs; Gayle 88, Price 2/31). West Indies win by 4 wickets.

The first ODI between Zimbabwe and the West Indies took place at Providence Stadium in Guyana today, with Zimbabwe claiming another upset win against a West Indies side that just don't seem to know how to deal with them. Zimbabwe won the toss and opted to bat on a pitch that some had pegged as a batting track - although it soon became clear that it was behaving similarly to the Trinidad pitch on Sunday. Good news for Zimbabwe, then - and with the side's batsmen finally finding some form, a few determined efforts saw Zimbabwe reach an impressive 254/5 from their 50 overs, with only a 15-minute rain-break spoiling the fun. Vusi Sibanda, whose international form has come in for a lot of criticism of late, remained at the crease for most of the innings, amassing an impressive 95 and surviving a number of unusual happenings - although his eventual dismissal was the most bizarre of all, with Kemar Roach choosing the direct route to bowl him out: directly through his bat, which was broken in the process. Despite Sibanda's high total, though, it was arguably Hamilton Masakadza (41) and Tatenda Taibu (56) that were the impressive performers on the day, playing Sibanda's agressive partners and keeping the score ticking over while Sibanda adopted a much slower approach. Kieran Pollard led the West Indies bowling figures with 2/59.

That left the West Indies need 255 to win - a target that it was thought would prove too much on a low & slow pitch. The start of the Windies innings was delayed by another rain shower, but once play got under way openers Chris Gayle (57) and Adrian Barath (50) set about chasing it down - the pair put on 99 for the first wicket, keeping their side in touch with the required rate, while Shivnarine Chanderpaul continued the good work after Gayle's departure. Barath followed shortly thereafter with the score on 126/2, and from there the momentum began to shift in Zimbabwe's favour, as Chanderpaul was unable to find a steady partner and Zimbabwe continued to take regular wickets. Chanderpaul's efforts were almost enough, though, especially after Zimbabwe's spinners ran out of overs. With 5 overs remaining, West Indies required 52 runs to win, a target that most Zim fans watching thought would be out of reach - but as Price and Utseya came to the end of their spells, Elton Chigumbura and Shingi Masakadza came into the attack - and suddenly things didn't look quite so rosy. Shingi did get the scalp of Chanderpaul (70), but with the Windies needing 15 off the final over, he was the man handed the responsibility of seeing out the match - on his ODI debut - and was smashed for 10 off the first two balls of the over. Left with the Windies needing 4 runs from the final three balls, though, he redeemed himself in dramatic style, taking the wickets of Dwayne Smith (4) and Sulieman Benn (0) with the next two balls - and when Kemar Roach could only manage a single off the final ball, it was all over and Zimbabwe were on their way to their target of a winning the series. As for the Windies, it couldn't get any worse from here - could it? Zimbabwe will be hoping that it can, come the 2nd ODI on Saturday. Full scorecard below the cut.
Zimbabwe 254/5 (50 overs; Sibanda 95, Pollard 2/59), West Indies 252/9 (50 overs; Chanderpaul 70, S Masakadza 3/36). Zimbabwe win by 2 runs.

The Herald reports that Eagles coach Chris Silverwood has left the side ahead of the English county season, after being called in to fill the role of bowling coach for Essex (and not Sussex as the Herald's article initially states). It's not all bad news for Eagles, though, as the franchise expects Silverwood to return next season. In the meantime, former national coach Walter Chawaguta will be 'helping out' with the side - although team manager Joseph Madyembwa was at pains to point out that Chawaguta has not been given a contract - with Douglas Hondo taking on the player-coach role.
The Herald - Chris Silverwood leaves for England

Prince Edward High claimed the title at the schools Twenty20 Cricket Festival held at Petra High School, Bulawayo over the weeked, with PE beating fellow Harare side Churchill High in the final. Sports minister David Coltart was at the event, and was pleased that two state schools had reached the final:

"I am delighted that two government schools made it into the final. It is good for me as Minister of Education because they were competing with private schools that have all the resources. I was particularly impressed with the spirit in which these young cricketers played the game and I hope they carry on with this spirit when they go on to represent the country."

Sunday News - Petra Twenty20 Cricket Festival a success

Well, well, well. Zimbabwe set out for the West Indies with their "mission statement", agreed between the squad members, being that they were aiming to win the ODI series. Until a little earlier this evening, I don't think anyone would have taken them too seriously. Even at the half-way point of the match, when Sky Sports were describing Zimbabwe's batting performance as "incompetent", things were looking grim for the boys in red (now once again sporting the Zimbabwe Bird on their uniforms). This was a match with a record number of ducks in a Twenty20 International (8), and with both the Windies and Zimbabwe posting their lowest scores in this format. And yet, it turned out to be gripping.

Zimbabwe won the toss and opted to bat, hoping to get the best out of the pitch. It was a decision which made sense, but which captain Prosper Utseya was soon rueing as Zimbabwe's top order collapsed in dramatic style to leave the side apparently dead and buried on 0/3 after three overs, with Sulieman Benn (4/6) doing the early damage. On a wicket on which Utseya later said he was targeting a total of around 140, and on which the TV commentary considered 120 to be par, Zimbabwe looked in real danger of not even reaching 50. Hamilton Masakadza became the rock around which an innings was finally built, though, adding 44 off 67 balls before finally holing out with the score on 74/6. That in turn brought Elton Chigumbura to the crease for a cameo performance than, in hindsight, would prove to be the turning point for the match: living up to his nickname, "Boom Boom" posted 34 from 27 balls, taking Zimbabwe past the 100 mark and finally taking some of the wind out of the West Indies' sails. The side were bowled out for 105 with one ball remaining - some way short of the ideal total, but still within the range that the side could defend.

And defend it they did. Led by the spin attack of a truly fired-up Ray Price (1/18), Prosper Utseya (1/12) and on-form Graeme Cremer (3/11), Zimbabwe were able to keep the brakes firmly on the West Indies batsmen, building pressure on them and eventually forcing the errors that would hand Zimbabwe the match. While Shivnarine Chanderpaul (20) tried to hold things together, the more impetuous players around him were leading a calypso collapse to match Zimbabwe's own, and with only three 4s and one 6 in the innings, the home side were never close to matching the required scoring rate - in the end, it wasn't even close, as the West Indies completed their 20 overs on a meagre 79, 26 short of their target.

Of course, that doesn't mean that everything in the garden is rosy. This was a much-needed win, signalling to the rest of the cricketing world that hey, WE'RE BACK, but the traditional Zimbabwe Collapse™ was still very much in evidence and something that would well lose us matches in the rest of the series. But let the message be clear: don't ignore us, and don't underestimate us. Full scorecard below the cut.
Zimbabwe 105 (19.5 overs; H Masakadza 44, Sammy 5/26), West Indies 79/7 (20 overs; Ramdin 23*, Cremer 3/11). Zimbabwe win by 26 runs.

Zimbabwe only arrived in Trinidad & Tobago a little over a day ago, but they were already in action today in their opening tour match against the University of the West Indies Vice-Chancellor's XI. With Brendan Taylor a late arrival due to problems with his visa paperwork and spin trio of Price, Cremer and Utseya left on the sidelines, it was definitely a weakened side that took the field for Zimbabweans, and this was reflected in the result, which as far closer than it may otherwise have been. Zimbabweans won the toss and opted to bat, and it was the usual story of one or two good performances carrying the side - in this case, Tatenda Taibu's impressive 107, with captain for the day Hamilton Masakadza coming a distant second on 38 while the rest of the side failed to fire - while at one point the side looked poised to break 300, with none of the bottom five in the batting lineup reaching double figures it all went a bit sour, and the side were bowled out for 281.

Zim's bowling for this match was heavily biased towards the pacemen, and Chris Mpofu took two wicket early in the UWI innings to give Zim the advantage. The 3rd-wicket partnership of Kraigg Brathwaite (80) and Nekoli Parris (73) threatened to see Zimbabwe's tour off to the worst possible start, though, as the pair made a determined effort to chase down the total that they'd been set. The partnership was broken when Parris departed with the score on 3/175, and from there regular wickets saw the momentum shift back in the Zimbabweans' way. The end was painfully close, though, with 9th man Ruel Brathwaite needing a six off the final ball of the innings to secure the win for his side - only to see the ball go past to the keeper, giving Zimbabweans the win by a meagre 5 runs. Chris Mpofu, Kyle Jarvis and Elton Chigumbura took two wickets apiece, although with Mpofu being rather expensive on the day he may be the one who fails to make the cut for the T20 side on Sunday. Full scorecard below the cut.
Zimbabweans 281 (49.2 overs; Taibu 107, Parris 2/40), UWI VC XI 276/8 (50 overs; Brathwaite 80, Chigumbura 2/27). Zimbabweans win by 5 runs.

While most people, including Peter Chingoka and Alastair Campbell, are talking about Zimbabwe resuming Test cricket in the 18-month timeframe, coaching director and former Zim captain Dave Houghton is taking a far more optimistic approach: he wants to see his side back in the long form of the game before the end of the year. His reasoning is simple: one-day and Twenty20 cricket are no indicators of form in the Test form of the game, and for Zimbabwe to truly prove their readiness for Test cricket, they need to be playing Test cricket:

"I personally think that we should be playing Test cricket again by the end of the year. We have been playing one-day cricket, but you cannot judge a team on one-day cricket. Since I returned to Zimbabwe four-and-a-half months ago, things have improved with their cricket. They have a very good franchise system going in their domestic tournament, and it is helping the game back home."

Of course, the first roadblock will be the series against the West Indies, which begins tomorrow with a warm-up match against the UWI Vice-Chancellor's XI, before the first T20 International in Sunday. Unlike previous series against Full Members, where the mantra has been that Zimbabwe must be seen to be "competitive", the stated aim this time is to win the series, as ZC's media liason for the tour, Neil Manthorpe, reports:

The Zimbabwe team is determined to shake off a reputation for indifference and subservience acquired since its withdrawal from test cricket six years ago [...] At a team meeting before departure from Harare the squad came up with their own mission statement: ‘To win the series and convince the world that Zimbabwe Cricket must be taken seriously again.”

Tatenda Taibu confirmed the side's new attitude in an interview carried by CricInfo:

"We really want to start playing hard cricket again. We really want to stamp our authority now and start performing as expected. [...] There are a lot of times the guys have said there is a lot of talent in Zimbabwe, but we really have to put it to show now. It's not (just) about the talent, we really have to join the two (talent and maturity) and play good cricket."

All of which actually raises the stakes for Zimbabwe on this tour: an 18-month timescale for a Test return is ambitious, Houghton's 10-month target even more so, and there's little opportunity for slip-ups if either of those targets is to be met. The side currently on tour is arguably also not the strongest we could have sent (although it has to be remembered that some of the returning 'rebels', such as Andy Blignaut, are so far only available for domestic duty), which makes the task ahead that little bit harder. After years of listening with growing frustration to the "be competitive" mantra - little more than another way of saying "we don't care if we lose" - to hear some determination and optimism coming from players and coaches gives hope for the future.
CricInfo - Houghton targets Test return this year | CricInfo - Taibu: 'We want to play hard cricket again' | SuperSport - Sharing tactics behind enemy lines

Yesterday, Eagles thrashed Mountaineers in the final round of group matches - today, in the Stanbic T20 final, Mountaineers turned the tables and gave Eagles a taste of their own medicine to claim the title after a highly entertaining tournament. Mountaineers won the toss and put Eagles in to bat, and the home side were simply unable to really get going as wickets fell regularly, with no-one able to form a foundation for the innings. Elton Chigumbura's 20 was the best of the bunch, as Eagles were removed for 105 in the 19th over. Greg Smith took 3/11 to lead the bowling figures for Mountaineers. In reply, Mountaineers were never in any trouble - Smith (1) was the only wicket to fall, with the score on 8, after which Hamilton Masakadza (64*) and Tatenda Taibu (37*) knocked off the required runs wit little fuss, reaching the target with 15 balls to spare. Masakadza was subsequently named Player of the Series and Batsman of the Series, with Vipers' Tony Palladino being named Bowler of the Series. Full scorecard below the cut.
Eagles 105 (18.4 overs; Chigumbura 20, Smith 3/11), Mountaineers 106/1 (17.3 overs; H Masakadza 64*, Hondo 1/19). Mountaineers win by 9 wickets.