Price sees ray of hope
Ray Price, the veteran left-arm spinner,believes there are still positives to be drawn from the Zimbabweans' four-day tour match against Patron's XI after they were outplayed for the third successive day
Cricinfo staff
16-Jan-2008
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Zimbabwe may be facing certain defeat in their four-day match against
Patron's XI at Karachi, but Ray Price, the veteran left-arm spinner,
believes there are still positives to be drawn from the game.
Zimbabwe have largely struggled through three days, bowled out for 209 on
the first day and struggling at 111 for six in their second innings. Their
bowlers fared little better, conceding 479 runs, though admittedly the
local squad has been a strong one.
But Price maintained at the end of day three that the game was a
significant one. "The game is very important, especially to get some time out in
the middle for our guys. It is important for our batsmen to spend time in
the middle and doubly important as we are such a young side," Price said.
Price is one of only two players in the 15-man squad to have played more
than ten Tests (and of only two men over 30 years in age) and has only
recently returned to the national side. Zimbabwe have been suspended from
Test cricket since January 2006 but have since been playing four-day
matches against representative sides in order to find a way back.
"It's important for us to keep progressing towards starting to play Test
cricket again," said Price. "We're very positive about it. We played some
good cricket in South Africa before this [where Zimbabwe won four four-day
matches].
"Ultimately, these matches are more beneficial to us, playing four-day
cricket against good sides, because we're trying to spend some time in the
middle and improve."
Price, one of Zimbabwe's most successful Test bowlers before their
suspension, was the tourists' best bowler against the Patron's XI, picking
up 4 for 130. "This is my first time in Pakistan but I always enjoy bowling in
the subcontinent."