It has been a relatively quiet week for the Matabeleland team following their rather inept display against Midlands recently. Stand-in coach, former national player Noel Peck, let the team have light practices for the remainder of last week and preparations for the forthcoming match against the Academy in Harare are now under way.

The main problem area for the selectors who appear at sixes and sevens with their selection policies is to get a side together which is both well balanced and the best available. Neither Streak nor Mbangwa will be available and a strike bowler is needed. Strydom who has bowled well is not an opening bowler and probably should not be used as such.

Two omissions that stand out are Hitz, who now seems out of favour, and Townshend, who was probably unlucky to have been left out following his sole appearance this season against Mashonaland. Admittedly he did not bowl as well as he is capable of bowling, but he did bowl as the main strike bowler to Mackay when he was in full flight.

Hitz, who deserves a chance, has again been overlooked and both mentioned players are better all-round performers than Mupariwa or Mukondiwa, though the latter is showing positive signs that he could well be the player of the future in the side.

The batting continues to be an area of concern, with the majority being unable to adapt to the longer game and bat for long periods which require the necessary concentration to play a major match-winning innings, and eventually one hopes perform well enough to be selected for the national side. McKillop, Ewing and Strydom have shown it can be done but have been inconsistent in failing to follow through in other innings; the one-off performance is just not good enough.

The side will be announced later this week and should only show one or two changes. Players likely to miss out could be Dabengwa, Kenny and Mupariwa.

© Cricinfo