Zimbabwe squad in the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru (Zimbabwe Cricket - Women/ Twitter)
It’s a rather humid morning in Bengaluru thanks to the overnight rain. The sun is out, beating down on the still slightly damp outfield of the NICE Cricket Arena.
At one end of the ground, the NICE Academy players are sitting in their dugout, sharing a laugh as they prepare for their warm-up. At the other end, the Zimbabwe women’s cricket team have already begun their pre-match routines.
It is July 29, Zimbabwe’s last day in India – the end of an 18-day tour during which they played a total of nine limited overs matches against NICE Academy and Karnataka State Cricket Association teams, all in preparation for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers in Dubai beginning on September 18.
“We arrived here on 12 July,” batter Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano tells me. “It’s been a great experience being here and playing in India for the first time. We have learnt a lot about playing spin and have also gotten used to the heat, which has been really helpful looking ahead to the qualifiers in Dubai.”
Scheduled to leave the hotel late that night, the visitors have agreed to play one final T20 before they head back home for a two-week break.
For Zimbabwe — who began their tour with a five-match T20 series against NICE, which they won 3-2 — it is an opportunity to spend time in the ground and with the players who made their trip so enjoyable.
“It’s been a life experience for them, really,” Gary Brent, Zimbabwe’s head coach says, as we settle into a chat near their dugout while his team prepare to take the field. “One thing I did tell the girls was to embrace everything – the food, the experiences on and off the field, the opportunity to speak to the other girls… Just lap it all up.”
Left-arm seamer Nomvelo Sibanda and Esther Mbofana take the new ball and are almost immediately put under pressure by the NICE opening pair of Vrinda Dinesh and G Prerana. Brent’s smile widens.
“This is the kind of pressure we are going to experience in the qualifiers. Teams are going to take us on and we need to be ready for it. So, this is great.”
Although it’s the end of what has been an intense tour, there’s still a great deal of energy around the group: the squad are excited by the opportunity to play another competitive game.
Steps out to the offie and smacks her over long-off. First six of the day for Vrinda! #NICEvZIM pic.twitter.com/n5is5nxDQL
— Ananya Upendran (@a_upendran11) July 29, 2022
“In Zimbabwe, we don’t play as much cricket as we would like. I mean, just on this tour we have played nine games in 20 (18) days which for us is like ‘Wooooah!’ But the more games we play, the more game awareness we get – you’ve got to go through stuff to gain experience, you know,” the former Zimbabwe men’s fast bowler explains.
After the seamers went for plenty, Zimbabwe’s spin duo of Loreen Tshuma and Loryn Phiri pull back the scoring rate with a couple of wickets. Vrinda, however, decides to counter-punch. She plays a few wristy flicks off the back foot, some sweetly timed drives and also uses the paddle sweep effectively.
Brent is excited: “This is something I’ve been trying to convince the girls about – the use of the sweep shot. It’s not something we do a lot in Zimbabwe.
“In Zim the ball tends to keep a bit low, so everyone just gets on that front foot and reaches from there. If you do that here, you are very easy to bowl to. That vacant fine-leg region is something we need to start using to our advantage – even if just to manipulate the field or put the bowler off.”
It is something skipper Mary-Anne Musonda also alluded to when we spoke earlier in the tour: “The sweep – and all its versions – is something we are working on. I think it is a confidence thing when it comes to execution.
“Through most of the games, we haven’t had anyone at square or fine leg, so it’s something we could try, but I for one am not really comfortable with that shot just yet. I prefer stepping out or using the depth of my crease to play back,” she said.
This understanding of the different ways to tackle spin is what has pleased Brent most.
Since the start of 2021, Zimbabwe have lost 100 wickets to spin across 30 one-day and T20 matches – often crumbling at the mere sight of an opposition spinner.
“Those experiences made us realise that we had a lot of work to do with facing spin – especially leg-spin and left-arm spin – and so, we’ve been working on our scoring options, not to get dotted down,” said Musonda.
Through this tour, each batter has identified their own method to counter the turning ball. For Musonda, it’s playing later and off the back foot. For Mugeri-Tiripano, it involves sweeping and coming down the track. For senior batter Sharne Mayers, it is using her wrists to manipulate the ball into gaps.
“Now, they are realising there’s different ways to play spin – it has been more effective to play later off the back foot, or if you are going to come down, really go at the ball,” explains Brent. “That’s still a work in progress obviously, but our awareness, and understanding of what suits a specific batter is heightened because we are playing so much.”
Musonda puts down this improvement to not just being able to train and play matches, but also pick the brains of the opposition bowlers themselves.
“We have had the opportunity to talk (about) and discuss these things (with opposition), and you can actually get a clearer picture of how they go about it; the thinking behind the plans.”
NICE Academy and Zimbabwe players. (Zimbabwe Women - Cricket/ Twitter)
“One of the big positives from this tour is just how the players have adapted. We’ve obviously done a few things wrong, but I think that’s part of it.
“When you come to India everyone talks about playing spin and what a big adjustment it is for the batters, but it’s the same for the bowlers. Here, the ball actually turns and the pitches are slow, so you have to make so many adjustments; that changes the length you bowl and the pace at which you bowl it.”
Now, Sibanda dives full length to cut off a strong on-drive played by Inchara Nag. Although Zimbabwe are well in control of the game, having pulled back NICE from 56 for 1 to 94 for 6 in the 16th over, their intensity has not dropped.
The effort is a reflection of Zimbabwe’s improved attitude towards fitness – they’ve gone from trying to avoid it, to now actually wanting to train. Despite a packed schedule, with as many as three one-day and one T20 match in the last five days, the squad have no injuries to report – the significance of which is not lost on their coach who is a CrossFit trainer himself.
“Our fitness has been a big part that we focused on. I don’t think we were as fit or as robust as we needed to be (as an international team) and we have improved in that area dramatically.”
With three overs left and NICE inching towards the 120-run mark, Musonda throws the ball back to Mbofana. She responds with a double-wicket over, further curtailing the host’s launch.
“She’s picked up a couple of yards of pace and has really got the ball to move and carry through nicely. I’ve been really impressed with her development,” Brent says.
“Those are the types of things you are looking for as a coach – you see the girls are really hungry to learn and get better and it’s really shown in some of their performances.”
As many as 16 players have made the trip to India, and with two of their best, wicketkeeper-batter Modester Mupachikwa and allrounder Josephine Nkomo, off playing club cricket in England, Brent has had the opportunity to test out a number of youngsters, some of whom have really stepped up, even in unfamiliar roles.At the other end, Esther Mbofana is bowling at a decent clip. Two wickets in the over - the first saw middle stump uprooted, the second (this incomplete video), caught at long off. #NICEvZIM pic.twitter.com/avRbEuYYfO
— Ananya Upendran (@a_upendran11) July 29, 2022
But as much as the tour was about learning and providing opportunities, it was also about teaching the squad to win consistently. It was a fine balance, he says.
“We’ve given players exposure to different situations. Some of the fringe players got the opportunity to play more central roles and some have grabbed that chance. It’s made things very clear with regards to selection in terms of finding our best squad for the conditions in the UAE.”
After restricting NICE to a total of 125 for 9, Zimbabwe go into the innings break as the happier side, but their chase is rocked early. Left-hander Kelis Ndhlovu plays around a straight ball and is caught plumb in front of the stumps against the off-spin of Shreyanka Patil. At the other end, Mayers is stuck on the back foot, feeling for the ball. NICE can smell something.
With little regard for the mounting pressure, Mugeri-Tiripano uses the sweep, cut and a strong backfoot punch to hit Patil off her line and give Zimbabwe some momentum. However, once she falls for a 23-ball 28, Zimbabwe suffer a mini collapse, and the previously buoyant dugout grows tense.
“There have been times through this trip that we have reverted to our old methods against spin,” says Brent, referring to his batters pushing at the ball with their hands. “It’s a work in progress. We’re starting to learn from each other – communicating better about what’s working and what isn’t, and that’s been a massive change and a big help for all of us.”
The players shake hands (Zimbabwe Cricket - Women/ Twitter)
Out in the middle, wicket-keeper Pellagia Mujaji and allrounder Christabel Chatonzwa are slowly rebuilding. By hanging back and punching to the sweepers, they stay abreast of the run rate, aware that they have the power of Precious Marange still to come.
As has been the case all day, the momentum swings again. NICE dismiss Mujaji and Tshuma in quick succession and Zimbabwe are left needing 32 runs in 22 balls. In jogs Marange; the bat, a toothpick alongside her broad frame.
“She’s a rugby player, this one is – the oldest in our squad,” Brent points out. “She makes things happen.”
Off the next 10 balls, NICE’s spinners concede only six runs and it seems like Zimbabwe may have left themselves too much to do off the last two overs – the last of which will be bowled by leg-spinner Leshan, who only conceded nine runs in his first three overs…
Marange takes 13 runs off the penultimate over, including a mighty six over long-on that sails out of the ground. Zimbabwe’s younger players are out of their seats again.
With 13 required off the final over, Marange is on strike. She begins with a powerful slog sweep that just evades the diving Vrinda at deep mid-wicket and effectively seals the game with a classical lofted extra cover drive that races to the boundary. With one needed off the penultimate ball, Chatonzwa scores the winning runs with a trademark backfoot punch through extra cover. Zimbabwe race on to the field to embrace the batting pair. They have found a way to win again.
“Great game, hey?” Brent smiles. “Good way to end the trip.”Precious Marange. Clutch! pic.twitter.com/sv4oIu9Y7B
— Ananya Upendran (@a_upendran11) July 29, 2022
After a short celebration and a quick cool down, the players take the opportunity to chat to their opponents.
“Through the tour I think we’ve developed a really good relationship,” Mayers says while packing her kit bag. “I think we’ve learnt as much from the opposition as they have from us.
“I have personally learnt to think about the game differently – just seeing the way Vee (Vrinda) and Shrey (Patil) and the other girls go about their batting has been great. And then, having conversations around that with the coaches and getting to practice those things has been super useful.”
Musonda chimed in: “I think we now have an idea of what we need to work on. This has really shown us that it’s different from playing games against boys back at home, because now you have different conditions, different sides, different way of thinking, seeing how others play and seeing how you respond as well.”
After a couple of weeks off, Zimbabwe are now in South Africa where they are playing a few games against the Emerging team before going to Dubai for another preparatory series involving Thailand, USA and hosts UAE.
“We have done a lot of spin stuff here, so hopefully there it will be more pace in SA – just an opportunity to remind ourselves of our strengths in those conditions,” says Brent.
“In terms of preparation, we are ticking most boxes and we want to be starting to really play our best cricket by the time the qualifiers come around. Heading to Dubai early means we can hit our straps and get used to the wickets quickly.”
Once there, Brent is aware the challenges will be different. Not only will his players have to deal with the sharp turn and searing heat in Dubai, but there is also the matter of a place in the T20 World Cup at stake.
He understands the need to keep the players relaxed and away from any possible distractions. For now, it’s about making sure they stay focused on the plan and the process.
“We know what we want to do and, more importantly, how we want to play,” he explains. “The players are buying into that style and they’ve seen results on this tour. So, that’s going to be the focus in the qualifiers as well. It’s obviously a higher-stakes environment than what we’ve experienced here, but these girls are playing some really good cricket; some amazing things will pan out.”
Mayers, who has been part of previous unsuccessful qualifier campaigns adds: “I think the thing with this team is that everybody is clear in what they need to do. Everybody has had conversations with the coaches and knows what is expected.
“We know we won’t get to the World Cup if we block the ball. And if you’re going to bomb out, bomb out swinging; bomb out trying to do the right thing and go to the next level. So that (clarity) has been a game changer.
“I think we trust ourselves a lot more now. We are no longer overawed by the more established teams – that’s something that used to happen. But we’ve played these teams (who are going to participate in the qualifiers) before. We know we can beat them.
“It’s a confidence thing – this trip has helped us build that,” she laughs, hurrying off to join her teammates in the bus.
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