Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[Sithara007]

Henry Nicholls and Rachin Ravindra already touched 150 runs milestone and it was a 2nd day, now kiwi skipper has a chance of doing something funny and bat long, very long. People will call it statpadding but who cares?

Give their batters a chance to break individual records. Would be funny if both not out batters goes to score 400.

Even if they score 400, what is the use? Their innings will not have any value as it came against a team that is worse than the gully cricketers in India and Pakistan. The only positive for Zimbabwe to take away from this match is the comeback of Brendan Taylor. He was probably their best batsman for the last 10-15 years, before he was shunted out from international cricket. I don't know what will be the future of Zimbabwe, without all these expat cricketers such as Taylor, Brian Bennett, Nick Welch, Sean Williams and Craig Ervine. Maybe they can import a few players from India and Pakistan, similar to the case with Sikandar Raza. Abhimanyu Easwaran would be a good addition, IMO. 
 

[Haunebu]

Playing test match itself a pride and Zimbabwe attainted the status so they deserved to play as long as it needs. And yeah it looks pretty absurd to watch but for the Zimbabwe's perspective they should be happy with more game time and it also comes with a top team and that's how they can gain experience and progress to the next level.

Getting wrecked again and again against top teams is a matter of pride? Really? Smh! Anyone thinking that teams like Zimbabwe will gain experience and progress to the next level through these matchups are deluding themselves.

The biggest pro of these kinds of matches is that the higher ranked teams get some much needed training against weaker teams period.

[JSRAW]

Henry Nicholls and Rachin Ravindra already touched 150 runs milestone and it was a 2nd day, now kiwi skipper has a chance of doing something funny and bat long, very long. People will call it statpadding but who cares?

Give their batters a chance to break individual records. Would be funny if both not out batters goes to score 400.

Even if they score 400, what is the use? Their innings will not have any value as it came against a team that is worse than the gully cricketers in India and Pakistan. The only positive for Zimbabwe to take away from this match is the comeback of Brendan Taylor. He was probably their best batsman for the last 10-15 years, before he was shunted out from international cricket. I don't know what will be the future of Zimbabwe, without all these expat cricketers such as Taylor, Brian Bennett, Nick Welch, Sean Williams and Craig Ervine. Maybe they can import a few players from India and Pakistan, similar to the case with Sikandar Raza. Abhimanyu Easwaran would be a good addition, IMO. 
 

10-20 years down the line no one will care if it was against Zimbabwe or some other team. Individual record is record, no matter the conditions or opponent. Scoring 400 runs is rare even in first class cricket, otherwise every specialist batter had this stat under their belt in list A games.

If Rachin or Henry actually cross the line then its going into history books.

[Sithara007]

Getting wrecked again and again against top teams is a matter of pride? Really? Smh! Anyone thinking that teams like Zimbabwe will gain experience and progress to the next level through these matchups are deluding themselves.

The biggest pro of these kinds of matches is that the higher ranked teams get some much needed training against weaker teams period.

Test statistics are getting distorted because of Zimbabwe. If things go like this, Matt Henry will have a better bowling average when compared to Jasprit Bumrah and Devon Conway will have a better batting average compared to Don Bradman. No one is gaining anything, except corrupt crooks within the Zimbabwe Cricket, who are stealing all the funds that the ICC is sending them. Fortunately the torture ends now (at least temporarily). No more matches are scheduled for the Zimbabwe cricket team this month.

[Olatundespo]

No chance for Zimbabwe team to beat this 600+ big scores and they already played their 1 st turn very poorly and they made only 125 runs. Today 2 nd day of 2 nd test game was completed and New Zealand team made total 601 runs and lost only 3 wickets. Devon, Henry and Rachin these batsmen completed brilliant century from New Zealand and Devon wicket was lost and he made 153 runs in 245 balls and hitted eighteen 4s. Henry and Rachin both is still playing their line and both showing good help to make very good runs. Henry scored 150 runs in 245 balls and hitted fifteen 4s. Rachin is also making good progress and he scored 165 runs in 139 runs ans hitting twenty one 4s and two 6s. This game will win easily New Zealand team with big margin.

Since Zimbabwe scored only 125 runs in the first innings. I would say that the team can score up to 250 in the second innings. However, I think Zimbabwe will lose all their wickets before they score 200.

New Zealand scored 601 runs. And the team lost only 3 wickets. New Zealand should have declared the innings. Probably New Zealand will not declare the innings until they lose the wickets of Rachin Ravindra and Henry Nicholls. Rachin Ravindra is at the crease with 165 runs and Nichollss has scored 150 runs. Rachin Ravindra's batting looks like this is an ODI match. Ravindra is batting quite aggressively. Let's see how New Zealand starts the third day. I will not be surprised if both Nichols and Ravindra score double centuries.

I think New Zealand will not declare their innings until they have scored enough runs to defeat Zimbabwe by an innings. New Zealand have enough time and wickets, with Henry Nicholls 50 and Rachin Ravindra 165 unbeaten. You can probably predict the fate of the match easily because Zimbabwe scored only 125 runs in the first innings and will be under immense pressure before starting the second innings, so there is a possibility of getting out for even fewer runs.

[noormcs5]

If Rachin or Henry actually cross the line then its going into history books.

Don't know why the New Zealand captain, Mitchell Santner, declared the innings too quickly. No doubt New Zealand are going to win this match by an innings but they should have let Henry Nicholls and Rachin Ravindra make at least 200 runs. I don't get this logic. Were they afraid that they wont be able to get Zimbabwe out. There are still three days left in this match. All I can understand is that NZ was to finish the match quickly. There was nothing in the match to watch but to see some double centuries by the NZ batsmen, but that is also ruined by the New Zealand's declaration decision.

[Popkon6]

New Zealand team scored 601 runs, it is impossible for Zimbabwe team to meet the target. Because Zimbabwe team lost one wicket for zero runs, such a messy team like Zimbabwe team should never be compared with strong teams. Brian Bennett entered the field as an opening batsman and got out without scoring any runs.
It is definitely a threat for the next batsmen, because this is a test match, more pressure has been put on the players of Zimbabwe team. But till now 476 runs have to be scored. The match has started at the moment, let's see how long the batsmen of Zimbabwe team can survive at the crease.

[JSRAW]

snip

I don't like this declaration either and not a big fan of goody goody - feel good factor with moral sermons around this topic.

ICC will notice such things only when such fixtures are ridiculed on cricketing field, followed by scrutiny in media etc. they should have batted till 4th day, just to prove a point. It will also force Zimbabwe to pull up their pants and work hard in test cricket.

In loopsided fixtures, statpadding will happen but for some reason scoring daddy 100s are looked down but taking wickets with single digit SR is not frowned upon.

[Bd officer]

New Zealand team scored 601 runs, it is impossible for Zimbabwe team to meet the target. Because Zimbabwe team lost one wicket for zero runs, such a messy team like Zimbabwe team should never be compared with strong teams. Brian Bennett entered the field as an opening batsman and got out without scoring any runs.
It is definitely a threat for the next batsmen, because this is a test match, more pressure has been put on the players of Zimbabwe team. But till now 476 runs have to be scored. The match has started at the moment, let's see how long the batsmen of Zimbabwe team can survive at the crease.

When New Zealand batted, it seemed that the pitch was batting friendly, but now Zimbabwe were batting, it seemed that the pitch had become bowling friendly. New Zealand scored 601 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in the first innings, with 3 batsmen scoring centuries and 1 batsman scoring half-centuries plus. Zimbabwe lost 8 wickets before 100 runs in the second innings. So far Zimbabwe have collected 86 runs losing 8 wickets. No Zimbabwean batsman could even score a half-century in this Test series, which was not expected at Zimbabwe's home ground. In fact it is the failure of Zimbabwean batsmen, they are not improving, Zimbabwean batsmen should work hard. I think Zimbabwe will be all out before scoring 110 runs.

[Fuso.hp]

New Zealand team scored 601 runs, it is impossible for Zimbabwe team to meet the target. Because Zimbabwe team lost one wicket for zero runs, such a messy team like Zimbabwe team should never be compared with strong teams. Brian Bennett entered the field as an opening batsman and got out without scoring any runs.
It is definitely a threat for the next batsmen, because this is a test match, more pressure has been put on the players of Zimbabwe team. But till now 476 runs have to be scored. The match has started at the moment, let's see how long the batsmen of Zimbabwe team can survive at the crease.

New Zealand had scored 601 runs in the first innings for the loss of just three wickets and declared their innings with this score. After finishing the first innings badly, the Zimbabwe batting lineup also performed badly in the second innings and they were all out for just 117 runs in the second innings against New Zealand, as a result of which New Zealand won the second Test match against Zimbabwe by a huge margin of innings and 359 runs. In Test cricket, it is usually not fun to watch a game unless there are two strong teams, and seeing that Zimbabwe lost to New Zealand by such a huge margin, it did not take long for this match to end. And when a big team plays against a small team, we are not interested in watching that game because we already know the result.

[ibuddy122505]

New Zealand team scored 601 runs, it is impossible for Zimbabwe team to meet the target. Because Zimbabwe team lost one wicket for zero runs, such a messy team like Zimbabwe team should never be compared with strong teams. Brian Bennett entered the field as an opening batsman and got out without scoring any runs.
It is definitely a threat for the next batsmen, because this is a test match, more pressure has been put on the players of Zimbabwe team. But till now 476 runs have to be scored. The match has started at the moment, let's see how long the batsmen of Zimbabwe team can survive at the crease.

New Zealand had scored 601 runs in the first innings for the loss of just three wickets and declared their innings with this score. After finishing the first innings badly, the Zimbabwe batting lineup also performed badly in the second innings and they were all out for just 117 runs in the second innings against New Zealand, as a result of which New Zealand won the second Test match against Zimbabwe by a huge margin of innings and 359 runs. In Test cricket, it is usually not fun to watch a game unless there are two strong teams, and seeing that Zimbabwe lost to New Zealand by such a huge margin, it did not take long for this match to end. And when a big team plays against a small team, we are not interested in watching that game because we already know the result.

Ofcourse a disappointing performance from Zimbabwe. No one realistically expected them to beat New Zealand, but atleast some fight was needed. They collapsed far too easily in both innings, and it felt like the match was over before it even got going. Sometimes, teams improve only by facing stronger opponents, so these games are still important for their growth. If Zimbabwe can treat this as a lesson rather than just a loss, they might come back stronger in future matches.

[Mahdirakib]

~snip~ There are still three days left in this match. All I can understand is that NZ was to finish the match quickly. There was nothing in the match to watch but to see some double centuries by the NZ batsmen, but that is also ruined by the New Zealand's declaration decision.

New Zealand wasn't afraid of Zimbabwe batting line-up. But they know it very well that no one would care about any records which their players can make against Zimbabwe now. New Zealand is a classy team in cricket. Teams like Afghanistan, Bangladesh and West Indies would have taken the opportunity to make records here. I believe that the other team of SENA nations would have done the same here.

[Iranus]

New Zealand wasn't afraid of Zimbabwe batting line-up. But they know it very well that no one would care about any records which their players can make against Zimbabwe now. New Zealand is a classy team in cricket. Teams like Afghanistan, Bangladesh and West Indies would have taken the opportunity to make records here. I believe that the other team of SENA nations would have done the same here.

I am very upset with Zimbabwe's performance. I do not understand why they needed to host this test series. Did not  they know their own ability? The team scored only 125 runs in the first innings and 117 runs in the second innings. Despite the pitch being batting friendly, the team batted so atrociously. Zimbabwe lost by a  huge margin of an innings and 359 runs. If New zealand had not declared their innings , Zimbabwe would have lost by a bigger margin. This team should now host series against teams like Nepal and USA. They don't have the capability to perform well against top tier teams like New Zealand or South Africa.

[tsaroz]

New Zealand wasn't afraid of Zimbabwe batting line-up. But they know it very well that no one would care about any records which their players can make against Zimbabwe now. New Zealand is a classy team in cricket. Teams like Afghanistan, Bangladesh and West Indies would have taken the opportunity to make records here. I believe that the other team of SENA nations would have done the same here.

I am very upset with Zimbabwe's performance. I do not understand why they needed to host this test series. Did not  they know their own ability? The team scored only 125 runs in the first innings and 117 runs in the second innings. Despite the pitch being batting friendly, the team batted so atrociously. Zimbabwe lost by a  huge margin of an innings and 359 runs. If New zealand had not declared their innings , Zimbabwe would have lost by a bigger margin. This team should now host series against teams like Nepal and USA. They don't have the capability to perform well against top tier teams like New Zealand or South Africa.

I'm disappointed with New Zealand as well. They should have gone for a 1000 but they declared the innings too early. They could have played today and declared at the tea break but they went with ending this game as soon as possible. The best record though was by Matt Henry who took 16 wickets in the match which is an outstanding individual feat. As of zimbabwe, they clearly are not as good as associate nations like US, Netherlands, Scotland or Nepal at the moment. ICC should really reconsider to implement relegation and promotion to test nations otherwise test would be more and more unwatchable as it becomes one sided.

[As-Soon-As]

They collapsed far too easily in both innings, and it felt like the match was over before it even got going. Sometimes, teams improve only by facing stronger opponents, so these games are still important for their growth. If Zimbabwe can treat this as a lesson rather than just a loss, they might come back stronger in future matches.

Yes I agree with you because the Zimbabwe Cricket Board must learn from this and practice their game experience more fully. Since there has been a huge gap in each innings in this game, ending with a much larger gap in the second innings.
When the wicket fell at the beginning of the game, those who bet on New Zealand in this match were undoubtedly waiting for the bell to ring for the Zimbabwe team to lose. Because the Zimbabwe team's squad has collapsed in a very weak way, they must learn from this match and correct their mistakes.

[Nothingtodo]

~snip~ There are still three days left in this match. All I can understand is that NZ was to finish the match quickly. There was nothing in the match to watch but to see some double centuries by the NZ batsmen, but that is also ruined by the New Zealand's declaration decision.

New Zealand wasn't afraid of Zimbabwe batting line-up. But they know it very well that no one would care about any records which their players can make against Zimbabwe now. New Zealand is a classy team in cricket. Teams like Afghanistan, Bangladesh and West Indies would have taken the opportunity to make records here. I believe that the other team of SENA nations would have done the same here.

I won't say what other countries would have done, but Bangladesh would have recorded the highest number of runs, especially in an innings. New Zealand could have declared on the second day, but instead, they declared at the beginning of the third day.
But one thing is very important, ICC must keep an eye on all these matches so that they do not happen later and they will make the schedule accordingly. Of course, Zimbabwe should have been given the opportunity to play Tests with teams like Bangladesh, Afghanistan, West Indies, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. If there are 5-10 more matches with New Zealand like that, they will lose by a huge margin by an innings.

[Haunebu]

One of the biggest advantages of these lopsided matchups are surebets where the chances of winning certain bets are higher than normal. I have heard of people who changed their lives by winning huge amounts through these bets.

Zimbabwe citizens themselves are probably earning a lot by betting against their own team since they are aware of their limitations. Wonder how much longer such uneven matchups continue in cricket.

[virasog]

New Zealand had scored 601 runs in the first innings for the loss of just three wickets and declared their innings with this score. After finishing the first innings badly, the Zimbabwe batting lineup also performed badly in the second innings and they were all out for just 117 runs in the second innings against New Zealand, as a result of which New Zealand won the second Test match against Zimbabwe by a huge margin of innings and 359 runs. In Test cricket, it is usually not fun to watch a game unless there are two strong teams, and seeing that Zimbabwe lost to New Zealand by such a huge margin, it did not take long for this match to end. And when a big team plays against a small team, we are not interested in watching that game because we already know the result.

With every innings, the Zimbabwe batting is getting more worse than any good. In the first innings, they were all out at 125 runs, and now in the 2nd innings, they got all out at 117 runs. No improvement is observed in their batting, and it shows that they aren't committed to improving their performance. Nick Welch made 47 runs and therefore you can imagine the rest of the batsmen could score anything worth for the team.

The match finished too early only in the 3rd day and New Zealand won it by an innings 359 runs. Nothing surprising and thanks god this one sided series comes to an end.

[HelliumZ]

One of the biggest advantages of these lopsided matchups are surebets where the chances of winning certain bets are higher than normal. I have heard of people who changed their lives by winning huge amounts through these bets.

Zimbabwe citizens themselves are probably earning a lot by betting against their own team since they are aware of their limitations. Wonder how much longer such uneven matchups continue in cricket.

In fact, if the performance gap between the two teams is very large, then of course, if you bet on the strong team when placing a bet, there is a 100% chance of winning the bet.
100% of people know in advance that Zimbabwe will lose to New Zealand and they have bet in favor of New Zealand. Local casinos and gambling sites usually make a lot of profit from these matches between unequal teams, and that's what local casinos in Zimbabwe got from the New Zealand and Zimbabwe match.

[Bitcoin Smith]

Playing test match itself a pride and Zimbabwe attainted the status so they deserved to play as long as it needs. And yeah it looks pretty absurd to watch but for the Zimbabwe's perspective they should be happy with more game time and it also comes with a top team and that's how they can gain experience and progress to the next level.

Getting wrecked again and again against top teams is a matter of pride? Really? Smh! Anyone thinking that teams like Zimbabwe will gain experience and progress to the next level through these matchups are deluding themselves.

The biggest pro of these kinds of matches is that the higher ranked teams get some much needed training against weaker teams period.

Playing test itself a pride in my opinion because associate nations need to be promoted to full member to be eligible for test and it gain expereince is subjective. Back in the India used to be a good team but not a dominating one like now which happened due to the IPL that gave the expereince for Indians to play with all the top players that helped them to shape into what we see today so it's not a complete waste unless as a neutral viewer.

There can be Tier system, top 5 teams will play against each other and the rest will play against each other in their respective tier can be a solution.