Matabeleland lost their first match in the Logan Cup to Mashonaland by eight wickets in a match where the result was probably decided on the first day with the loss of the toss. A gruelling first day took its toll on the young side and they never really recovered from there on.

For most players it was probably the first time they had spent the whole day in the field and it certainly showed. However the main problem dogging the side is the current selection policies undertaken by the three selectors, none of whom have any playing experience at this level, and team selection is somewhat wayward, with the final team probably not as strong as it could be.

13 players were named, with Hitz being omitted and Mukadam, whose father is a selector, being named as twelfth man. Here is a player, playing league cricket, who clearly is not good enough to make his provincial debut at this stage, being named as twelfth man ahead of Hitz who was desperately unlucky not to have played last season but who had made his debut the previous season with reasonable success. Hitz was later included in the side at the expense of Mukondiwa, a decision that reverted back to Hitz again being omitted and left out of the squad. This in some ways had an effect on the team, as it was only announced on the morning of the match, with Hitz expecting to play.

For this weekend the team shows three changes. Out go Matthew Townshend, Jason Hitz and Munir Mukadam, with Keith Dabengwa and Clement Mahachi returning to the squad after injury. Probably the most important and totally unrealistic change is the dropping of Ryan King as captain and replacing him with the 40-year-old Colin Williams. One finds it hard to understand this move which certainly does not encourage youngsters and in particular a young and promising captain. Should Williams fail again as a player, are Matabeleland strong enough to play a captain who hardly warrants a place?

The other surprise is leaving out an Academy player who admittedly did not perform well, but neither did the two players who played and are now replacing him. Are the selectors keen on blooding new players at the expense of experience and in so doing weakening the team? The current policies for selection will do little to help a side that has been hit with the loss of some key players so early in the competition. With the weather hot again and the wicket likely to play the same, Matabeleland could be in for another long period in the field.

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