da fazobetai： Teenage Zimbabwean batting sensation Hamilton Masakadza and former captainBrian Murphy have been added to Zimbabwe’s squad for their three-Test tourin Sri Lanka
CricInfo17-Dec-2001
HamiltonMasakadza
Photo AFP
Teenage Zimbabwean batting sensation Hamilton Masakadza and former captainBrian Murphy have been added to Zimbabwe’s squad for their three-Test tourin Sri Lanka.But Zimbabwe have lost promising all-rounder Shaun Ervine, 19, with a stressfracture of his back, sustained in Bangladesh. He has already returned toZimbabwe.The new players will increase the squad to 15, giving Zimbabwe greateroptions in the batting and spin bowling department.Masakadza, the first black Zimbawean to hit a first-class century, who alsobecame the youngest debut centurion in Test history when he scored 119against West Indies in July, has been playing in Kenya with the A teamhaving taken time off to complete his school A-Levels.Murphy, 25, a leg-spinner, who took over the captaincy after the suddenresignation of Heath Streak in October 2001, had been forced out of Zimbabwe’s tour of Bangladesh with a broken finger but has now recovered.Zimbabwe played poorly in the LG Abans tri-series in Sri Lanka, winning justone game, but present captain Stuart Carlisle now hopes his inexperiencedteam can now perform better in what he admitted was going to be a “verytough” series.The team will practice throughout the week before playing a solitarythree-day practice game starting Friday in Colombo against a Board XI.The Test series starts on 27 December at the Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo.