Zimbabwean cricket team
Encyclopedia
The Zimbabwean cricket team is a national cricket
team representing Zimbabwe
. It is administrated by Zimbabwe Cricket (formerly known as the Zimbabwe Cricket Union or ZCU). Zimbabwe is a full member of the International Cricket Council
(ICC) with Test
and One Day International status.
A brief summary of key moments:
at Harare
resulting in a draw), becoming the ninth Test nation.
Zimbabwe's early Test performances were consistently weak, leading to suggestions that they had been granted Test status prematurely. In the one-day arena, however, the team soon became competitive, if not particularly strong. In particular, world respect was gained for their fielding
ability. After a series of poor Test performances following the resignation of several senior players, the Zimbabwean team was voluntarily suspended from Test cricket in late 2005 by its cricket board, with ICC encouragement.
In August 2011, Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh by 130 runs almost six years after the suspension to regain its status as a Test Nation.
was at one point rated the best batsman in world cricket. During this era, Zimbabwe also produced such cricketers as Flower's brother Grant
, and allrounders Andy Blignaut
& Heath Streak
(who was later appointed national captain). Murray Goodwin
was also a world-class batsman; following his retirement from international cricket, he has scored heavily for Sussex
. Another world-class batsman was David Houghton, who holds the record for the highest individual test score for Zimbabwe of 266 against Sri Lanka in 1994/95. Sometime captain and middle order batsman Alistair Campbell
, leg-spinning all rounder Paul Strang
, Eddo Brandes
, and pace bowler/opener Neil Johnson were other important contributors for Zimbabwe on the world stage at this time.
With the appearance of some quality players, a breakthrough was achieved in levels of performance in the late 1990s where the Zimbabwean team began winning Tests against other nations, which included a series win against Pakistan. Unfortunately, the political situation in Zimbabwe declined at around the same time, which had a detrimental effect on the national team's performances.
Zimbabwe excelled at the 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup coming in fifth place in the Super Sixes, only missing out on a semi-final place due to having an inferior net run-rate than New Zealand.
, which was jointly hosted by Zimbabwe and South Africa.
England
forfeited a match scheduled to be played in Zimbabwe, risking their own progress through the competition, citing "security concerns" as their reason.
Zimbabwean players Andy Flower
and fast bowler Henry Olonga
wore black armbands, for "mourning the death of democracy" in Zimbabwe. Both were immediately dismissed from the team and applied for political asylum overseas. This public political protest caused considerable embarrassment to the co-hosts and disrupted team harmony.
Since the 2003 World Cup, with a succession of Zimbabwe's best players ending their international careers early, a new side began to develop, featuring the likes of Travis Friend
, Andy Blignaut
, Hamilton Masakadza
, Douglas Hondo, Craig Wishart
, Ray Price
, Sean Ervine
, Mark Vermeulen
, Tatenda Taibu
, Elton Chigumbura
, Prosper Utseya
, Douglas Marillier
, and Barney Rogers
. Whilst not of the same calibre of Streak, Goodwin, and the Flower brothers, this new breed of predominantly multi-disciplined players formed a solid backbone to a competitive, if usually unsuccessful, side.
In late 2003, Zimbabwe toured Australia in a two-match series. The series was more memorable for Australian opener Matthew Hayden
's innings in the first Test – in which he overcame a back strain to score a then record
380 runs – than for the Zimbabwean performance.
was sacked by the ZCU ( now Zimbabwe Cricket), prompting a walkout by 14 other players in protest against political influence in the team's management and selection policies. A scheduled tour by Sri Lanka went ahead, but this was a lopsided affair, with Zimbabwe represented by fringe players who were not of international standard.
Because of this, the ZCU accepted that Zimbabwe were to play no further Test cricket in 2004, though its status as a Test nation was unaffected.
In early 2005, Heath Streak was reinstated into the national side, but the political situation in Zimbabwe involving Operation Murambatsvina
disrupted the Zimbabwean team. During overseas tours, the players were often said to be buying necessities which were unavailable – or prohibitively expensive – at home, as opposed to the souvenirs which other touring teams would purchase.
In 2005 an agreement was signed which led to the return of many of the rebels to the Zimbabwe side. However, results failed to improve as in March Zimbabwe lost both their Tests on tour against South Africa
by an innings. Worse was to follow in August, when they were crushed on home soil by New Zealand
, in a match that was completed in just two days, instead of the usual five. In the process, Zimbabwe were humiliated; they became only the second side in Test history (after India
in 1952) to be bowled out twice in the space of one day. Then they lost both their tests to India at home later in September. After the series against India, Streak announced his retirement from international cricket, dealing yet another blow to the beleaguered team.
By November 2005, the players were once again in dispute with Zimbabwe Cricket over political interference in the management of the game as well as contract negotiations, and the new captain, Tatenda Taibu
, resigned from international cricket.
By January 2006, 37 Zimbabwean cricketers had failed to receive any offer of renegotiation talks from Zimbabwe Cricket after their contracts with the board had expired. This body of players demanded that the chairman and managing director of Zimbabwe cricket, Peter Chingoka
and Ozias Bvute
, be removed from office for there to be any hope for the players to return to the international stage.
On 6 January 2006, the Sports and Recreation Commission, a division of the Zimbabwean government, took over the offices of Zimbabwe Cricket. The apparent takeover has resulted in the firing of all whites and Asians among the board directors, because of "their racial connotations and saving their own agendas and not government policy" according to Gibson Mashingaidze
, an army brigadier and chairman of the government's Sports and Recreation Commission.
An interim board was appointed as the new leading party of cricket in Zimbabwe, with Peter Chingoka appointed as the committee's head. Given Chingoka's close ties to Bvute, it is likely that the latter will continue in his post as well.
for the rest of the year. Zimbabwe's coach Kevin Curran said that Zimbabwe were aiming to play their next Test against the West Indies
in November 2007. It is currently felt by observers that the Zimbabwean national team is not of sufficient Test standard, and that competing against Full Member sides would do little to improve standards, given the likely one-sided nature of the games. Bangladesh, for a long time seen as the 'whipping boys' of Test cricket, recorded their first win against Zimbabwe, and are now generally regarded as being of a superior standard. On 8th August 2011, Zimbabwe recorded a resounding victory in the one test match series over Bangladesh, played in Harare.
Domestically, the Logan Cup – Zimbabwe's first class competition played amongst the provinces – was cancelled in 2006 for the first time since its inception over a century ago (though the Cup was not played during some of the years of the World Wars). This was widely seen as due to concern by ZC that the standard of play would be so poor as to be both not worthwhile and potentially harmful to the external image of cricket in Zimbabwe. The one-day trophy, the Faithwear Cup, was contested, and drew complaints from observers that the quality was less than club level. As well as player exodus, the main reason for this catastrophic fall in standards was put down to wrangling within Zimbabwe Cricket, where internal politics motivated the removal of the historic provinces and their replacement with revamped, newly-designated provincial teams.
In a further harmful incident, ex-player Mark Vermeulen
was arrested after attempting to burn down ZC's offices, and successfully destroying the Zimbabwe Cricket Academy's premises. In a nation in increasing social and economic turmoil, such facilities are hard to replace, and their loss has proven difficult to manage for a cricket administration already short of top quality facilities.
The ICC has not supported Zimbabwe's return to full Test status until the national team can perform consistently at that level and compete competitively against other test sides.
in the West Indies, and to stop a similar exodus of players after the 2003 World Cup, the selected players were asked to sign a new contract. The players were summoned to meet Ozias Bvute, Zimbabwe Cricket's managing director, a week or so before they were due to set off and given an ultimatum – sign the contract on offer or be removed from the squad. It is understood that they were not allowed to take advice and were told they had to make the decision there and then.
One player told his team-mates that there were certain things contained in the contracts that needed clarification. He was summoned back into Bvute's office and warned that it was a take-it-or-leave-it offer: this player was later revealed to be Anthony Ireland
. Another said that when he told Bvute he wanted to consult with friends, Bvute picked up the phone and called Kenyon Ziehl, the head of selection, and told him he wanted the player replaced in the squad. Unsurprisingly, the player backed down and signed.
In light of the poor state of Zimbabwe's finances, and that Zimbabwe Cricket had to borrow around US$1 million in early 2007 pending receipt of monies from the World Cup to help them over an ongoing cash crisis, the board agreed to pay match fees in US dollars. The players are being paid US$2000 per appearance and a series of US$500 bonuses based on wickets taken and fifties scored. The maximum payment was believed to be capped at around US$8000. However, fees will not be paid until June 2007 to stop the exodus and help cash flow.
The spectre of continued problems with the ZC board has influenced some players to cut their losses and seek to finish their careers abroad: Ireland accepted a contract to play for Gloucestershire during 2007, while opener Vusi Sibanda
also left. More are thought to be considering following suit.
, defeating them by 5 wickets. Brendan Taylor
led the way for Zimbabwe, with first class wicket keeping (a catch, stumping and run out) and a crucial unbeaten 60 from 45 deliveries. He was man of the match. They then lost to England by 50 runs, meaning they exited the tournament at the first stage due to their net run rate being inferior to both Australia and England after Australia beat England in the other group game.
However, their participation in the above competitions was thrown into doubt when the plans were postponed pending a Cricket South Africa
board meeting. A compromise was reached in late November, meaning Zimbabwe will take part in the MTN Domestic Championship
and the Standard Bank Pro 20 Series
, but not the SuperSport Series
as originally planned. Instead, they played three first-class four-day games against a South African Composite XI made up of franchise and provincial players. The three games, in Paarl, Potchefstroom, and Kimberley were all won by Zimbabwe.
In between those games, they played a five match One Day International series against the West Indies
, scoring an upset win in the opening match before losing the series 3–1. The final match was abandoned due to rain.
was announced as captain of all formats on 24th June 2011, replacing Elton Chigumbura.
Zimbabwe returned to test match cricket on 4 August 2011, after a six year exile. They hosted Bangladesh in a one-off test match at Harare
. The national team's re-introduction to Test cricket was successful, as they beat Bangladesh by 130 runs.
and Mutare Sports Club grounds. Plans for a new Test ground at Victoria Falls were also revealed. ZC also signed a three-year deal with Reebok
worth $1mn. The deal will see Reebok sponsor the Domestic competitions and make the kits of the Zimbabwean national cricket team.
played their first test match, after regaining their test status, against Bangladesh at the Harare Sports Club
in Harare
. The only test started on Thursday 4 August 2011. Bangladesh won the toss and elected to field first. Zimbabwe
won the test on day five by 130 runs.
series, and New Zealand were 2-0 up in the ODI series. The final ODI was being played at the Queen's Sports Club, Bulawayo
. They were at a 12-match losing streak at that time.
Furthermore, when batting first, New Zealand scored 328 in 50 overs, nobody gave Zimbabwe a chance of winning. The Zimbabweans have never chased an ODI total in excess of 300 before. However, they did it successfully for the first time in their history.
Zimbabwe's main aim in the innings break was to lose with dignity. When opener Vusi Sibanda
was out for a duck, even that seemed to be a tall order, but skipper Brendan Taylor
changed the entire complexion of the match. Taylor scored a brilliant 75 before he was dismissed.
After Taylor's dismissal, Tatenda Taibu
's speedy fifty kept Zimbabwe in the hunt. However, the match-changing partnership was between the two all-rounders Malcolm Waller
and Elton Chigumbura
. Waller played one of the greatest innings in ODI history as he scored 99*
. In the end, he even did not think of his century but to just take his team over the line. His selflessness brought about for Zimbabwe a much-needed victory. His partner Chigumbura scored a brisk 47 and was quite unlucky to miss out on his half-century, bowled by Jacob Oram
after he alongwith Waller had taken the equation below a run a ball. When Keegan Meth
was bowled two balls later for a duck, Waller kept his cool as he marshalled the middle order efficiently, assisted by a six by debutant Natsai Mushangwe
, and then enough support by Ray Price
brought the scores level. After Price was dismissed (caught), it was the last wicket Zimbabwe had and the new man in was another debutant Njabulo Ncube
. Waller is said to have advised him,"No matter what happens, if I get bat on ball, let's take the run." And the run they did take, thereby recording a legendary victory for Zimbabwe. According to an interview later, Waller said that he was thinking of a swing and get the ball over the ground so that both his team could win and he could get a century, but later he though that he would rather take the team home rather than get 100,". Waller was the Man of the Match for his spectacular performance, while Brendan Taylor was Man of the Series.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
team representing Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
. It is administrated by Zimbabwe Cricket (formerly known as the Zimbabwe Cricket Union or ZCU). Zimbabwe is a full member of the International Cricket Council
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
(ICC) with Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
and One Day International status.
Before Test status
In common with all the other full members of the I.C.C., Zimbabwe had a cricket team before it achieved Test status.A brief summary of key moments:
- Rhodesia was represented in the South African tournament, the Currie Cup, between the wars, and then again from 1946.
- Following independence in 1980, the country began to play more international cricket.
- On July 21, 1981, Zimbabwe was elected an associate member of the ICC.
- Zimbabwe then participated in the 1983 cricket World Cup1983 Cricket World CupThe 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup was the third edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from 9 June to 25 June 1983 in England and was won by India. Eight countries participated in the event. The preliminary matches were played in two groups of four teams each, and each...
, as well as the 19871987 Cricket World CupThe 1987 Cricket World Cup was the fourth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from October 8 to November 8, 1987 in India and Pakistan — the first held outside England. The format was unchanged from 1983 except for a reduction in the number of overs a team played from 60...
and 19921992 Cricket World Cup-New Zealand:-Round Robin Stage:Co-hosts New Zealand proved the surprise packet of the tournament, winning their first seven games to finish on top of the table after the round robin. The other hosts, Australia, were one of the pre-tournament favourites but lost their first two matches. They...
events.
Test status
Zimbabwe played its first Test match in 1992 (against IndiaIndian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
at Harare
Harare Sports Club
Harare Sports Club is a cricket ground in Harare, Zimbabwe. Initially known as Salisbury Sports Club, Harare Sports Club has served as the primary cricket venue in Rhodesia and Zimbabwe since its inception. The ground became a Test venue in October 1992 when Zimbabwe played their inaugural Test,...
resulting in a draw), becoming the ninth Test nation.
Zimbabwe's early Test performances were consistently weak, leading to suggestions that they had been granted Test status prematurely. In the one-day arena, however, the team soon became competitive, if not particularly strong. In particular, world respect was gained for their fielding
Fielding (cricket)
Fielding in the sport of cricket is the action of fielders in collecting the ball after it is struck by the batsman, in such a way as to either limit the number of runs that the batsman scores or get the batsman out by catching the ball in flight or running the batsman out.Cricket fielding position...
ability. After a series of poor Test performances following the resignation of several senior players, the Zimbabwean team was voluntarily suspended from Test cricket in late 2005 by its cricket board, with ICC encouragement.
In August 2011, Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh by 130 runs almost six years after the suspension to regain its status as a Test Nation.
1990s
In spite of his team's difficulties, wicket-keeper/batsman Andy FlowerAndy Flower
Andrew "Andy" Flower OBE is a former international cricketer for Zimbabwe and is currently the England coach.-Playing career:...
was at one point rated the best batsman in world cricket. During this era, Zimbabwe also produced such cricketers as Flower's brother Grant
Grant Flower
Grant William Flower is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is rated among the best Zimbabwean cricketers in history for his handy left arm spin and fine batting skills. He was a fitness fanatic who spends hours in the gym, and was also regarded as a brilliant fielder who was usually seen in the gully...
, and allrounders Andy Blignaut
Andy Blignaut
Arnoldus "Andy" Mauritius Blignaut is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a formidable right-arm fast-medium bowler, but he is also known for his vicious form with the bat in ODIs, where his frequent scoring of runs at a fast rate is a valuable asset, though seeing him sustaining this form and keeping...
& Heath Streak
Heath Streak
Heath Hilton Streak is a former Zimbabwean cricketer. He made his Test debut in Zimbabwe's tour of Pakistan 1993/1994 making his mark by taking 8 wickets in the 2nd Test at Rawalpindi...
(who was later appointed national captain). Murray Goodwin
Murray Goodwin
Murray William Goodwin is a cricketer who played 19 Tests and 71 One Day Internationals for Zimbabwe. He is a right-handed top order batsman strong on the back-foot and a good cutter and puller of the ball....
was also a world-class batsman; following his retirement from international cricket, he has scored heavily for Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
. Another world-class batsman was David Houghton, who holds the record for the highest individual test score for Zimbabwe of 266 against Sri Lanka in 1994/95. Sometime captain and middle order batsman Alistair Campbell
Alistair Campbell (cricketer)
Alistair Douglas Ross Campbell is a former Zimbabwean Test cricketer. In total he played 60 matches in his Test career, captaining Zimbabwe on 21 occasions. He also played 188 One Day Internationals, being captain in 86 of them...
, leg-spinning all rounder Paul Strang
Paul Strang
Paul Andrew Strang is a Zimbabwean cricket coach and former international player. A leg-spinning all-rounder, he played in 24 Tests and 95 ODIs for Zimbabwe between 1994 and 2001...
, Eddo Brandes
Eddo Brandes
Eddo André Brandes is a former Zimbabwean cricketer who played in 10 Tests and 59 ODIs from 1987 to 1999, spanning four World Cups...
, and pace bowler/opener Neil Johnson were other important contributors for Zimbabwe on the world stage at this time.
With the appearance of some quality players, a breakthrough was achieved in levels of performance in the late 1990s where the Zimbabwean team began winning Tests against other nations, which included a series win against Pakistan. Unfortunately, the political situation in Zimbabwe declined at around the same time, which had a detrimental effect on the national team's performances.
Zimbabwe excelled at the 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup coming in fifth place in the Super Sixes, only missing out on a semi-final place due to having an inferior net run-rate than New Zealand.
The 2003 World Cup
Increasing politicization of cricket, including selectorial policy, along with the declining situation in Zimbabwe disrupted the 2003 Cricket World Cup2003 Cricket World Cup
-Group stage tables and results:The top three teams from each pool qualify for the next stage, carrying forward the points already scored against fellow qualifiers, plus a quarter of the points scored against the teams that failed to qualify.-Pool A:...
, which was jointly hosted by Zimbabwe and South Africa.
England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
forfeited a match scheduled to be played in Zimbabwe, risking their own progress through the competition, citing "security concerns" as their reason.
Zimbabwean players Andy Flower
Andy Flower
Andrew "Andy" Flower OBE is a former international cricketer for Zimbabwe and is currently the England coach.-Playing career:...
and fast bowler Henry Olonga
Henry Olonga
Henry Khaaba Olonga is a former Zambian-born cricketer for Zimbabwe.- Cricket career :He made his international debut in a Test match against Pakistan at Harare in 1995, at age 18 years, 212 days, becoming the youngest player to represent Zimbabwe. He helped Zimbabwe to its first ever Test victory...
wore black armbands, for "mourning the death of democracy" in Zimbabwe. Both were immediately dismissed from the team and applied for political asylum overseas. This public political protest caused considerable embarrassment to the co-hosts and disrupted team harmony.
Since the 2003 World Cup, with a succession of Zimbabwe's best players ending their international careers early, a new side began to develop, featuring the likes of Travis Friend
Travis Friend
Travis John "Chunks" Friend is a former Zimbabwean Test and One Day International cricketer. Friend captained Zimbabwe in four under-19 ODIs and went on to play a full senior ODI for Zimbabwe aged 19. A stress fracture to his back set him back, but he later returned to the Test squad...
, Andy Blignaut
Andy Blignaut
Arnoldus "Andy" Mauritius Blignaut is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a formidable right-arm fast-medium bowler, but he is also known for his vicious form with the bat in ODIs, where his frequent scoring of runs at a fast rate is a valuable asset, though seeing him sustaining this form and keeping...
, Hamilton Masakadza
Hamilton Masakadza
Hamilton Masakadza is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional right-arm leg-break bowler.In February 2000 he became the first black Zimbabwean to score a first-class century. Soon after, in July 2001 he became the youngest player to make a century on his Test debut...
, Douglas Hondo, Craig Wishart
Craig Wishart
Craig Brian Wishart is a former Zimbabwean cricketer who retired in 2005 .During his career he played for several Mashonaland districts as well as the Zimbabwean national team. He made his Test debut in 1995 in Harare...
, Ray Price
Ray Price (cricketer)
Raymond William Price is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He bowls left-arm orthodox spin. He is the nephew of the renowned Zimbabwean golfer Nick Price....
, Sean Ervine
Sean Ervine
Sean Michael Ervine is a Zimbabwean cricketer. Ervine is a left-handed batsman who bowls right-arm medium pace.-Domestic career:Ervine originally played for the Midlands cricket team in Zimbabwe....
, Mark Vermeulen
Mark Vermeulen
Mark Andrew Vermeulen is a Zimbabwean cricketer in both Test matches and One Day Internationals.He is a right-handed opening batsman and occasional off spin bowler, playing for Matabeleland Tuskers in the Zimbabwean Logan Cup, with a very good record at domestic level.The former captain of the...
, Tatenda Taibu
Tatenda Taibu
Tatenda Taibu is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a wicketkeeper and batsman, and can also bowl right arm off spin. On 6 May 2004, he became the youngest Test captain in history, when he captained his team against Sri Lanka....
, Elton Chigumbura
Elton Chigumbura
Elton Chigumbura is a Zimbabwean cricketer currently playing for English county club Northamptonshire. He is a current Zimbabwean international and former captain of the national side, who played 6 Test matches from the age of 18 before Zimbabwe were barred from Test cricket...
, Prosper Utseya
Prosper Utseya
Prosper Utseya is a Zimbabwean cricketer. Rising from the ranks of township cricket in Harare's Highfield suburb, he attended Churchill High School , thanks to Zimbabwe Cricket Union scholarships...
, Douglas Marillier
Douglas Marillier
Douglas Anthony Marillier is a Zimbabwean cricketer.He is a right hand batsman and a right arm offspin bowler. One of earliest vulgarisers of the "scoop" stroke which is designed to sail over fine-leg, he has a one-day top score of 100, achieved in Sharjah against Kenya in April 2003...
, and Barney Rogers
Barney Rogers
Barney Guy Rogers is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman with a solid technique and a good range of judiciously applied attacking shots. He also bowls occasional offspin....
. Whilst not of the same calibre of Streak, Goodwin, and the Flower brothers, this new breed of predominantly multi-disciplined players formed a solid backbone to a competitive, if usually unsuccessful, side.
In late 2003, Zimbabwe toured Australia in a two-match series. The series was more memorable for Australian opener Matthew Hayden
Matthew Hayden
Matthew Lawrence Hayden AM is a former Australian cricketer, and was signed to the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL until the 2010 season. Hayden is a powerful and aggressive left-handed opening batsman, known for his ability to score quickly at both Test and one day levels.Hayden holds the record...
's innings in the first Test – in which he overcame a back strain to score a then record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
380 runs – than for the Zimbabwean performance.
The Streak affair
In 2004, captain Heath StreakHeath Streak
Heath Hilton Streak is a former Zimbabwean cricketer. He made his Test debut in Zimbabwe's tour of Pakistan 1993/1994 making his mark by taking 8 wickets in the 2nd Test at Rawalpindi...
was sacked by the ZCU ( now Zimbabwe Cricket), prompting a walkout by 14 other players in protest against political influence in the team's management and selection policies. A scheduled tour by Sri Lanka went ahead, but this was a lopsided affair, with Zimbabwe represented by fringe players who were not of international standard.
Because of this, the ZCU accepted that Zimbabwe were to play no further Test cricket in 2004, though its status as a Test nation was unaffected.
In early 2005, Heath Streak was reinstated into the national side, but the political situation in Zimbabwe involving Operation Murambatsvina
Operation Murambatsvina
Operation Murambatsvina , also officially known as Operation Restore Order, is a large-scale Zimbabwean government campaign to forcibly clear slum areas across the country...
disrupted the Zimbabwean team. During overseas tours, the players were often said to be buying necessities which were unavailable – or prohibitively expensive – at home, as opposed to the souvenirs which other touring teams would purchase.
In 2005 an agreement was signed which led to the return of many of the rebels to the Zimbabwe side. However, results failed to improve as in March Zimbabwe lost both their Tests on tour against South Africa
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
by an innings. Worse was to follow in August, when they were crushed on home soil by New Zealand
New Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
, in a match that was completed in just two days, instead of the usual five. In the process, Zimbabwe were humiliated; they became only the second side in Test history (after India
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
in 1952) to be bowled out twice in the space of one day. Then they lost both their tests to India at home later in September. After the series against India, Streak announced his retirement from international cricket, dealing yet another blow to the beleaguered team.
By November 2005, the players were once again in dispute with Zimbabwe Cricket over political interference in the management of the game as well as contract negotiations, and the new captain, Tatenda Taibu
Tatenda Taibu
Tatenda Taibu is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a wicketkeeper and batsman, and can also bowl right arm off spin. On 6 May 2004, he became the youngest Test captain in history, when he captained his team against Sri Lanka....
, resigned from international cricket.
By January 2006, 37 Zimbabwean cricketers had failed to receive any offer of renegotiation talks from Zimbabwe Cricket after their contracts with the board had expired. This body of players demanded that the chairman and managing director of Zimbabwe cricket, Peter Chingoka
Peter Chingoka
Peter Chingoka is a Zimbabwean cricket administrator.His father, Douglas, was asub-inspector in the Rhodesian police force - the British South Africa Police - and later a deputy commissioner in the Zimbabwe Republic Police from 1980.As an all rounder in 1970s Rhodesia Chingoka was the first black...
and Ozias Bvute
Ozias Bvute
Ozias Bvute is the managing director and chief executive of Zimbabwe Cricket.He replaced Vincent Hogg as chief executive in 2005. Hogg’s departure came against the background of the player standoffs, with the senior and mostly white players taking the board to task over issues of...
, be removed from office for there to be any hope for the players to return to the international stage.
On 6 January 2006, the Sports and Recreation Commission, a division of the Zimbabwean government, took over the offices of Zimbabwe Cricket. The apparent takeover has resulted in the firing of all whites and Asians among the board directors, because of "their racial connotations and saving their own agendas and not government policy" according to Gibson Mashingaidze
Gibson Mashingaidze
Gibson Mashingaidze is a serving army general and head of Zimbabwean sports. He was born in Bikita District from Nyika Growth Point in Masvingo province in during the 1950s. like the minority of age group he managed to get to secondary education. He joined the liberation war in the 70s. He adopted...
, an army brigadier and chairman of the government's Sports and Recreation Commission.
An interim board was appointed as the new leading party of cricket in Zimbabwe, with Peter Chingoka appointed as the committee's head. Given Chingoka's close ties to Bvute, it is likely that the latter will continue in his post as well.
Self-imposed international suspension
On 18 January 2006, Zimbabwe Cricket announced that they were suspending the playing of Test cricketTest cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
for the rest of the year. Zimbabwe's coach Kevin Curran said that Zimbabwe were aiming to play their next Test against the West Indies
West Indian cricket team
The West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as the West Indies or the Windies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies and non-British dependencies.From the mid 1970s to the early 1990s,...
in November 2007. It is currently felt by observers that the Zimbabwean national team is not of sufficient Test standard, and that competing against Full Member sides would do little to improve standards, given the likely one-sided nature of the games. Bangladesh, for a long time seen as the 'whipping boys' of Test cricket, recorded their first win against Zimbabwe, and are now generally regarded as being of a superior standard. On 8th August 2011, Zimbabwe recorded a resounding victory in the one test match series over Bangladesh, played in Harare.
Domestically, the Logan Cup – Zimbabwe's first class competition played amongst the provinces – was cancelled in 2006 for the first time since its inception over a century ago (though the Cup was not played during some of the years of the World Wars). This was widely seen as due to concern by ZC that the standard of play would be so poor as to be both not worthwhile and potentially harmful to the external image of cricket in Zimbabwe. The one-day trophy, the Faithwear Cup, was contested, and drew complaints from observers that the quality was less than club level. As well as player exodus, the main reason for this catastrophic fall in standards was put down to wrangling within Zimbabwe Cricket, where internal politics motivated the removal of the historic provinces and their replacement with revamped, newly-designated provincial teams.
In a further harmful incident, ex-player Mark Vermeulen
Mark Vermeulen
Mark Andrew Vermeulen is a Zimbabwean cricketer in both Test matches and One Day Internationals.He is a right-handed opening batsman and occasional off spin bowler, playing for Matabeleland Tuskers in the Zimbabwean Logan Cup, with a very good record at domestic level.The former captain of the...
was arrested after attempting to burn down ZC's offices, and successfully destroying the Zimbabwe Cricket Academy's premises. In a nation in increasing social and economic turmoil, such facilities are hard to replace, and their loss has proven difficult to manage for a cricket administration already short of top quality facilities.
The ICC has not supported Zimbabwe's return to full Test status until the national team can perform consistently at that level and compete competitively against other test sides.
2007 Cricket World Cup
In the period coming up to the 2007 Cricket World Cup2007 Cricket World Cup
The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
in the West Indies, and to stop a similar exodus of players after the 2003 World Cup, the selected players were asked to sign a new contract. The players were summoned to meet Ozias Bvute, Zimbabwe Cricket's managing director, a week or so before they were due to set off and given an ultimatum – sign the contract on offer or be removed from the squad. It is understood that they were not allowed to take advice and were told they had to make the decision there and then.
One player told his team-mates that there were certain things contained in the contracts that needed clarification. He was summoned back into Bvute's office and warned that it was a take-it-or-leave-it offer: this player was later revealed to be Anthony Ireland
Anthony Ireland
Anthony John Ireland is a cricketer from Zimbabwe. A tall fast bowler, he relies on bounce and swing, and performed consistently during his tenure with Zimbabwe, taking 38 wickets in just 26 matches at a healthy average of 29.34...
. Another said that when he told Bvute he wanted to consult with friends, Bvute picked up the phone and called Kenyon Ziehl, the head of selection, and told him he wanted the player replaced in the squad. Unsurprisingly, the player backed down and signed.
In light of the poor state of Zimbabwe's finances, and that Zimbabwe Cricket had to borrow around US$1 million in early 2007 pending receipt of monies from the World Cup to help them over an ongoing cash crisis, the board agreed to pay match fees in US dollars. The players are being paid US$2000 per appearance and a series of US$500 bonuses based on wickets taken and fifties scored. The maximum payment was believed to be capped at around US$8000. However, fees will not be paid until June 2007 to stop the exodus and help cash flow.
The spectre of continued problems with the ZC board has influenced some players to cut their losses and seek to finish their careers abroad: Ireland accepted a contract to play for Gloucestershire during 2007, while opener Vusi Sibanda
Vusi Sibanda
Vusimuzi "Vusi" Sibanda is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He has played international cricket for the Zimbabwe cricket team. He also plays for Midlands in the Logan Cup....
also left. More are thought to be considering following suit.
Twenty20 World Championship
Zimbabwe upset Australia in its opening match of the Twenty20 World Championship in Cape TownCape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, defeating them by 5 wickets. Brendan Taylor
Brendan Taylor
Brendan Taylor is a Zimbabwean cricketer, who is mainly a batsman, but occasionally keeps wicket or bowls off-spin as well. He is currently the captain of the Zimbabwean cricket team, having taken over the reins from Elton Chigumbura after the 2011 Cricket World Cup...
led the way for Zimbabwe, with first class wicket keeping (a catch, stumping and run out) and a crucial unbeaten 60 from 45 deliveries. He was man of the match. They then lost to England by 50 runs, meaning they exited the tournament at the first stage due to their net run rate being inferior to both Australia and England after Australia beat England in the other group game.
2007–2008 season
There was more encouraging news in October 2007, when it was announced that Zimbabwe would compete in all three domestic competitions in South Africa as part of Cricket South Africa's attempts to improve the standard of cricket in Zimbabwe. http://www.supersport.co.za/cricket/article.aspx?id=233227&headline=Zim%20to%20compete%20in%20all%20SA%60s%20domestic%20competitionsHowever, their participation in the above competitions was thrown into doubt when the plans were postponed pending a Cricket South Africa
Cricket South Africa
Cricket South Africa is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in South Africa. The board was originally created as the United Cricket Board of South Africa in 1991.-History:...
board meeting. A compromise was reached in late November, meaning Zimbabwe will take part in the MTN Domestic Championship
MTN Domestic Championship
The 1 Day Cup is the premier domestic one-day cricket competition of South Africa, its matches having List A status...
and the Standard Bank Pro 20 Series
Standard Bank Pro 20 Series
The Standard Bank Pro20 Series is the premier Twenty20 cricket competition in South Africa, first contested in the 2003–04 season. The Knights, the Titans and the Cape Cobras have each won the title twice and are the most successful teams....
, but not the SuperSport Series
SuperSport Series
The SuperSport Series is the main domestic first class cricket competition in South Africa, first contested in 1889-90. From 1990-91 it became known as the Castle Cup, and from 1996-97 by its current title...
as originally planned. Instead, they played three first-class four-day games against a South African Composite XI made up of franchise and provincial players. The three games, in Paarl, Potchefstroom, and Kimberley were all won by Zimbabwe.
In between those games, they played a five match One Day International series against the West Indies
West Indian cricket team in Zimbabwe in 2007-08
-2nd ODI: -3rd ODI: -4th ODI: -5th ODI:...
, scoring an upset win in the opening match before losing the series 3–1. The final match was abandoned due to rain.
ICC World Cup 2011 and return to test cricket
Zimbabwe started their World Cup campaign with a 91 run defeat by Australia at Ahmadabad on 21 February 2011. They then recorded a comfortable victory over Canada, before losing by 10 wickets over New Zealand on 4 March 2011. Further heavy defeats by Sri Lanka and Pakistan followed, before a consolation victory over Kenya was achieved in Zimbabwe's final game of the tournament. After these defeats, opening batsman Brendan TaylorBrendan Taylor
Brendan Taylor is a Zimbabwean cricketer, who is mainly a batsman, but occasionally keeps wicket or bowls off-spin as well. He is currently the captain of the Zimbabwean cricket team, having taken over the reins from Elton Chigumbura after the 2011 Cricket World Cup...
was announced as captain of all formats on 24th June 2011, replacing Elton Chigumbura.
Zimbabwe returned to test match cricket on 4 August 2011, after a six year exile. They hosted Bangladesh in a one-off test match at Harare
Harare
Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
. The national team's re-introduction to Test cricket was successful, as they beat Bangladesh by 130 runs.
Return to Test Cricket
As part of the lead-up to their Test return, Zimbabwe Cricket announced major upgrades to the Harare Sports ClubHarare Sports Club
Harare Sports Club is a cricket ground in Harare, Zimbabwe. Initially known as Salisbury Sports Club, Harare Sports Club has served as the primary cricket venue in Rhodesia and Zimbabwe since its inception. The ground became a Test venue in October 1992 when Zimbabwe played their inaugural Test,...
and Mutare Sports Club grounds. Plans for a new Test ground at Victoria Falls were also revealed. ZC also signed a three-year deal with Reebok
Reebok
Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...
worth $1mn. The deal will see Reebok sponsor the Domestic competitions and make the kits of the Zimbabwean national cricket team.
Zimbabwe vs Bangledesh
ZimbabweZimbabwean cricket team
The Zimbabwean cricket team is a national cricket team representing Zimbabwe. It is administrated by Zimbabwe Cricket...
played their first test match, after regaining their test status, against Bangladesh at the Harare Sports Club
Harare Sports Club
Harare Sports Club is a cricket ground in Harare, Zimbabwe. Initially known as Salisbury Sports Club, Harare Sports Club has served as the primary cricket venue in Rhodesia and Zimbabwe since its inception. The ground became a Test venue in October 1992 when Zimbabwe played their inaugural Test,...
in Harare
Harare
Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
. The only test started on Thursday 4 August 2011. Bangladesh won the toss and elected to field first. Zimbabwe
Zimbabwean cricket team
The Zimbabwean cricket team is a national cricket team representing Zimbabwe. It is administrated by Zimbabwe Cricket...
won the test on day five by 130 runs.
ODI win vs New Zealand
Zimbabwe were thrashed in all the formats by Pakistan. After this they played a home series with New Zealand. They were defeated 2-0 in the Twenty20Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
series, and New Zealand were 2-0 up in the ODI series. The final ODI was being played at the Queen's Sports Club, Bulawayo
Bulawayo
Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe after the capital Harare, with an estimated population in 2010 of 2,000,000. It is located in Matabeleland, 439 km southwest of Harare, and is now treated as a separate provincial area from Matabeleland...
. They were at a 12-match losing streak at that time.
Furthermore, when batting first, New Zealand scored 328 in 50 overs, nobody gave Zimbabwe a chance of winning. The Zimbabweans have never chased an ODI total in excess of 300 before. However, they did it successfully for the first time in their history.
Zimbabwe's main aim in the innings break was to lose with dignity. When opener Vusi Sibanda
Vusi Sibanda
Vusimuzi "Vusi" Sibanda is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He has played international cricket for the Zimbabwe cricket team. He also plays for Midlands in the Logan Cup....
was out for a duck, even that seemed to be a tall order, but skipper Brendan Taylor
Brendan Taylor
Brendan Taylor is a Zimbabwean cricketer, who is mainly a batsman, but occasionally keeps wicket or bowls off-spin as well. He is currently the captain of the Zimbabwean cricket team, having taken over the reins from Elton Chigumbura after the 2011 Cricket World Cup...
changed the entire complexion of the match. Taylor scored a brilliant 75 before he was dismissed.
After Taylor's dismissal, Tatenda Taibu
Tatenda Taibu
Tatenda Taibu is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a wicketkeeper and batsman, and can also bowl right arm off spin. On 6 May 2004, he became the youngest Test captain in history, when he captained his team against Sri Lanka....
's speedy fifty kept Zimbabwe in the hunt. However, the match-changing partnership was between the two all-rounders Malcolm Waller
Malcolm Waller
Malcolm Noel Waller is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a middle-order batsman and off-spinner.- Career :Following his first-class debut in the Logan Cup in April 2008, he was called up to the national team for a tour of Bangladesh, where he made his international debut in a One Day International on...
and Elton Chigumbura
Elton Chigumbura
Elton Chigumbura is a Zimbabwean cricketer currently playing for English county club Northamptonshire. He is a current Zimbabwean international and former captain of the national side, who played 6 Test matches from the age of 18 before Zimbabwe were barred from Test cricket...
. Waller played one of the greatest innings in ODI history as he scored 99*
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
. In the end, he even did not think of his century but to just take his team over the line. His selflessness brought about for Zimbabwe a much-needed victory. His partner Chigumbura scored a brisk 47 and was quite unlucky to miss out on his half-century, bowled by Jacob Oram
Jacob Oram
Jacob David Philip Oram is a New Zealand cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm fast-medium bowler. His abilities with both bat and ball has made him a regular fixture in the current New Zealand International sides...
after he alongwith Waller had taken the equation below a run a ball. When Keegan Meth
Keegan Meth
Keegan Orry Meth is a Zimbabwean cricketer who is a talented all-rounder and prospect for Zimbabwe. Meth, a right-handed batsman and right arm fast bowler, made his debut at the age of 16 for Zimbabwe, but opportunities have been short for Meth.He attended Whitestone school, Falcon College and...
was bowled two balls later for a duck, Waller kept his cool as he marshalled the middle order efficiently, assisted by a six by debutant Natsai Mushangwe
Natsai Mushangwe
Natsai Mushwange born is an international cricketer. He made his ODI debut in a match against the Netherlands. He is an all-rounder. Mushwange's favourite cricketer is Pakistan's all-rounder Shahid Afridi; he is his favourite cricketer because Afridi is a flamboyant batter with a good ability to...
, and then enough support by Ray Price
Ray Price (cricketer)
Raymond William Price is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He bowls left-arm orthodox spin. He is the nephew of the renowned Zimbabwean golfer Nick Price....
brought the scores level. After Price was dismissed (caught), it was the last wicket Zimbabwe had and the new man in was another debutant Njabulo Ncube
Njabulo Ncube
Njabulo Ncube born 14 October 1989, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He domestically represents the Matabeleland Tuskers, formerly the Westerns cricket team. He has represented Zimbabwe in one One-Day International. He is a short, nippy fast bowler...
. Waller is said to have advised him,"No matter what happens, if I get bat on ball, let's take the run." And the run they did take, thereby recording a legendary victory for Zimbabwe. According to an interview later, Waller said that he was thinking of a swing and get the ball over the ground so that both his team could win and he could get a century, but later he though that he would rather take the team home rather than get 100,". Waller was the Man of the Match for his spectacular performance, while Brendan Taylor was Man of the Series.
Current squad
| Name | Age | Batting Style | Bowling Style | ODI matches | Test matches | S/N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Captain and Opening Batsman | ||||||
| Brendan Taylor Brendan Taylor Brendan Taylor is a Zimbabwean cricketer, who is mainly a batsman, but occasionally keeps wicket or bowls off-spin as well. He is currently the captain of the Zimbabwean cricket team, having taken over the reins from Elton Chigumbura after the 2011 Cricket World Cup... |
RHB | OB Off break Off break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners.... |
123 | 11 | 1 | |
| Vice-Captain and Middle Order Batsman | ||||||
| Hamilton Masakadza Hamilton Masakadza Hamilton Masakadza is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional right-arm leg-break bowler.In February 2000 he became the first black Zimbabwean to score a first-class century. Soon after, in July 2001 he became the youngest player to make a century on his Test debut... |
RHB | RM Seam bowling Seam bowling is a phrase used for a bowling technique in cricket whereby the ball is deliberately bowled on to its seam, to cause a random deviation. Practitioners are known as seam bowlers or seamers.... |
107 | 16 | 3 | |
| Opening Batsmen | ||||||
| Chamunorwa Chibhabha | RHB | RM Seam bowling Seam bowling is a phrase used for a bowling technique in cricket whereby the ball is deliberately bowled on to its seam, to cause a random deviation. Practitioners are known as seam bowlers or seamers.... |
43 | 33 | ||
| Vusimuzi Sibanda | RHB | RM Seam bowling Seam bowling is a phrase used for a bowling technique in cricket whereby the ball is deliberately bowled on to its seam, to cause a random deviation. Practitioners are known as seam bowlers or seamers.... |
92 | 4 | 10 | |
| Tinotenda Mawoyo | RHB | RMF Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
2 | 1 | ||
| Middle Order Batsmen | ||||||
| Charles Coventry Charles Coventry (Zimbabwean cricketer) Charles Kevin Coventry is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional wicket-keeper. Within Zimbabwe he is known as "Chappie" Coventry. He previously held the record of the highest individual score in a One Day International, 194 runs not out. This was surpassed by Sachin... |
RHB | OB Leg break A leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. A delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler. Leg breaks are also colloquially known as leggies or wrist spinners, as the wrist is the body part which is primarily used to impart spin on the ball, as opposed to the fingers in the case of... |
37 | 2 | 74 | |
| Malcolm Waller Malcolm Waller Malcolm Noel Waller is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a middle-order batsman and off-spinner.- Career :Following his first-class debut in the Logan Cup in April 2008, he was called up to the national team for a tour of Bangladesh, where he made his international debut in a One Day International on... |
RHB | OB Off break Off break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners.... |
16 | 9 | ||
| Cephas Zhuwawo Cephas Zhuwawo Cephas Zhuwawo is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is an all-rounder who bats right-handed and bowls leg-spin.... |
RHB | OB Off break Off break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners.... |
1 | 2 | ||
| Craig Ervine Craig Ervine Craig Richard Ervine is a Zimbabwean cricketer. Ervine is a left-handed batsman who has impressed in the Zimbabwe domestic leagues.... |
LHB | OB Off break Off break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners.... |
23 | 1 | 77 | |
| All-rounders | ||||||
| Elton Chigumbura Elton Chigumbura Elton Chigumbura is a Zimbabwean cricketer currently playing for English county club Northamptonshire. He is a current Zimbabwean international and former captain of the national side, who played 6 Test matches from the age of 18 before Zimbabwe were barred from Test cricket... |
RHB | RM Seam bowling Seam bowling is a phrase used for a bowling technique in cricket whereby the ball is deliberately bowled on to its seam, to cause a random deviation. Practitioners are known as seam bowlers or seamers.... |
133 | 7 | 47 | |
| Keith Dabengwa Keith Dabengwa Keith Mbusi Dabengwa is a Zimbabwean cricketer.Dabengwa is a useful all-rounder who made his First class debut for Matabeleland in 2000, taking 5 for 76, he then spent a season at the CFX Academy being named student of the year before returning to Matabeleland... |
LHB | SLA Left-arm orthodox spin Left-arm orthodox spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket.Left-arm orthodox spin is bowled by a left arm bowler using the fingers to spin the ball from right to left of the cricket pitch... |
32 | 3 | 17 | |
| Stuart Matsikenyeri Stuart Matsikenyeri Stuart Matsikenyeri is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and usually opens the batting for Zimbabwe. Matsikenyeri also bowls part time right-arm off-break and is a sharp fielder in the gully.... |
RHB | OB Off break Off break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners.... |
92 | 8 | 45 | |
| Sean Williams Sean Williams (cricketer) Sean Colin Williams is a Zimbabwean cricketer who captained his country at the 2006 Under–19 World Cup. Williams, a left-handed batsman and occasional slow left arm bowler, has a highest score of 70 not out against the West Indies in the match played between the nations at the 2007 World Cup, and... |
RHB | SLA Left-arm orthodox spin Left-arm orthodox spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket.Left-arm orthodox spin is bowled by a left arm bowler using the fingers to spin the ball from right to left of the cricket pitch... |
47 | 14 | ||
| Greg Lamb Greg Lamb Gregory Arthur Lamb is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman who can bowl both off spin and right arm medium pace.... |
RHB | OB Off break Off break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners.... |
14 | 19 | ||
| Keegan Meth Keegan Meth Keegan Orry Meth is a Zimbabwean cricketer who is a talented all-rounder and prospect for Zimbabwe. Meth, a right-handed batsman and right arm fast bowler, made his debut at the age of 16 for Zimbabwe, but opportunities have been short for Meth.He attended Whitestone school, Falcon College and... |
RHB | RM Seam bowling Seam bowling is a phrase used for a bowling technique in cricket whereby the ball is deliberately bowled on to its seam, to cause a random deviation. Practitioners are known as seam bowlers or seamers.... |
8 | 11 | ||
| Wicket-keepers | ||||||
| Regis Chakabva Regis Chakabva Regis Wiriranai Chakabva is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a wicket-keeper who bats right-handed.Chakabva made his first-class debut for Northerns in an April 2007 Logan Cup match against Easterns. Opening the batting, he made scores of 0 and 5 in the match... |
RHB | OB Off break Off break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners.... |
1 | 91 | ||
| Friday Kasteni Friday Kasteni Friday Kasteni is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a left-handed aggressive batsman.He scored a century on his first-class debut for Midlands against Matabeleland in April 2005. He went on to represent Zimbabwe at the Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka in 2006... |
LHB | LS Leg spin Leg spin is a type of spin bowling in the sport of cricket. A leg spinner bowls right-arm with a wrist spin action, causing the ball to spin from right to left in the cricket pitch, at the point of delivery. When the ball bounces, the spin causes the ball to deviate sharply from right to left, that... |
3 | |||
| Forster Mutizwa Forster Mutizwa Forster Mutizwa is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a lower middle-order batsman and wicket-keeper. He was first called up to the national team for a tour of Bangladesh, and subsequently made his international debut in a One Day International against Kenya on 27 January 2009.-External links:* *... |
RHB | OB Off break Off break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners.... |
14 | 66 | ||
| Tatenda Taibu Tatenda Taibu Tatenda Taibu is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a wicketkeeper and batsman, and can also bowl right arm off spin. On 6 May 2004, he became the youngest Test captain in history, when he captained his team against Sri Lanka.... |
RHB | OB Off break Off break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners.... |
141 | 25 | 44 | |
| Pace Bowlers | ||||||
| Chris Mpofu | RHB | RM Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
58 | 7 | 28 | |
| Kyle Jarvis Kyle Jarvis Kyle Malcolm Jarvis is a Zimbabwean cricketer who so far has played in 7 ODIs for the Zimbabwe cricket team. Son of former Zimbabwean international cricketer Malcolm Jarvis, he was educated at St Johns College, Harare where he excelled at rugby and cricket... |
RHB | RF Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
11 | 1 | 8 | |
| Tawanda Mupariwa Tawanda Mupariwa Tawanda Mupariwa is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a right arm fast-medium seam bowler who was brought into the international side after the record low 35 all out in the third One Day International against Sri Lanka. He also played in one Test match in 2004.-External links:... |
RHB | RFM Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
35 | 1 | 53 | |
| Brian Vitori Brian Vitori Brian Vitalis Vitori is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He has played and matches for Zimbabwe.-Domestic career:Vitori made his debut for Masvingo during the 2005–06 Faithwear Clothing Inter-Provincial Competition, playing in all three of Masvingo's games, taking three wickets at an average of 12.00.He... |
LHB | LFM Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
3 | 1 | 60 | |
| Edward Rainsford Edward Rainsford Edward Charles "Ed" Rainsford is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He has played 39 s and two s for Zimbabwe.-Domestic career:Rainsford played two matches for the Gloucestershire Second XI in the Second XI Championship in 2008, taking five wickets at an average of 35.20, with a best of 3/56.-International... |
RHB | RFM Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
35 | 23 | ||
| Njabulo Ncube Njabulo Ncube Njabulo Ncube born 14 October 1989, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He domestically represents the Matabeleland Tuskers, formerly the Westerns cricket team. He has represented Zimbabwe in one One-Day International. He is a short, nippy fast bowler... |
RHB | RFM Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
1 | 0 | ||
| Spin Bowlers | ||||||
| Prosper Utseya Prosper Utseya Prosper Utseya is a Zimbabwean cricketer. Rising from the ranks of township cricket in Harare's Highfield suburb, he attended Churchill High School , thanks to Zimbabwe Cricket Union scholarships... |
RHB | OB Off break Off break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners.... |
132 | 1 | 52 | |
| Ray Price Ray Price (cricketer) Raymond William Price is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He bowls left-arm orthodox spin. He is the nephew of the renowned Zimbabwean golfer Nick Price.... |
RHB | SLA Left-arm orthodox spin Left-arm orthodox spin is a type of bowling in the sport of cricket.Left-arm orthodox spin is bowled by a left arm bowler using the fingers to spin the ball from right to left of the cricket pitch... |
93 | 19 | 7 | |
| Graeme Cremer Graeme Cremer Alexander Graeme Cremer is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a leg-spinner who got into the Zimbabwe side at the age of eighteen, following the exits of Paul Strang, Andy Whittall and Ray Price from the Zimbabwean team.... |
RHB | LB Leg break A leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. A delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler. Leg breaks are also colloquially known as leggies or wrist spinners, as the wrist is the body part which is primarily used to impart spin on the ball, as opposed to the fingers in the case of... |
43 | 6 | 30 | |
| Timycen Maruma Timycen Maruma Timycen Maruma is a Zimbabwean international cricketer. Primarily a right-handed leg-spinner, he is becoming an All-rounder... |
RHB | LB Leg break A leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. A delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler. Leg breaks are also colloquially known as leggies or wrist spinners, as the wrist is the body part which is primarily used to impart spin on the ball, as opposed to the fingers in the case of... |
8 | 65 | ||
| Natsai Mushangwe Natsai Mushangwe Natsai Mushwange born is an international cricketer. He made his ODI debut in a match against the Netherlands. He is an all-rounder. Mushwange's favourite cricketer is Pakistan's all-rounder Shahid Afridi; he is his favourite cricketer because Afridi is a flamboyant batter with a good ability to... |
RHB | LB Leg break A leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. A delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler. Leg breaks are also colloquially known as leggies or wrist spinners, as the wrist is the body part which is primarily used to impart spin on the ball, as opposed to the fingers in the case of... |
1 | 0 | ||
Notable players
Players are included here because of outstanding achievement or other prominence/notoriety. For a fuller list of Zimbabwean cricketers, see :Category:Zimbabwean cricketers.- Eddo BrandesEddo BrandesEddo André Brandes is a former Zimbabwean cricketer who played in 10 Tests and 59 ODIs from 1987 to 1999, spanning four World Cups...
– Known for his famous insult said to Glenn McGrathGlenn McGrathGlenn Donald McGrath AM , nicknamed "Pigeon", is a former Australian cricket player. He is one of the most highly regarded fast-medium pace bowlers in cricketing history, and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century...
, oldest player to have taken an ODI hat-trick. - Paul StrangPaul StrangPaul Andrew Strang is a Zimbabwean cricket coach and former international player. A leg-spinning all-rounder, he played in 24 Tests and 95 ODIs for Zimbabwe between 1994 and 2001...
– Spin bowler and all rounder, instrumental in Zimbabwe's rise in the mid-late 1990's. - Alistair CampbellAlistair Campbell (cricketer)Alistair Douglas Ross Campbell is a former Zimbabwean Test cricketer. In total he played 60 matches in his Test career, captaining Zimbabwe on 21 occasions. He also played 188 One Day Internationals, being captain in 86 of them...
– Former captain and opening batsman. - Kevin Curran – Former Zimbabwe coach.
- Andy FlowerAndy FlowerAndrew "Andy" Flower OBE is a former international cricketer for Zimbabwe and is currently the England coach.-Playing career:...
– Wicket-keeperWicket-keeperThe wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
batsman and black arm-band demonstrator. Once ranked as top batsman in Test cricket, former captain and current England coach. - Grant FlowerGrant FlowerGrant William Flower is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is rated among the best Zimbabwean cricketers in history for his handy left arm spin and fine batting skills. He was a fitness fanatic who spends hours in the gym, and was also regarded as a brilliant fielder who was usually seen in the gully...
– Brother of Andy Flower. Currently plays for Essex County Cricket ClubEssex County Cricket ClubEssex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
. - David Houghton – Former Captain, has the highest individual Test score for Zimbabwe.
- Anthony IrelandAnthony IrelandAnthony John Ireland is a cricketer from Zimbabwe. A tall fast bowler, he relies on bounce and swing, and performed consistently during his tenure with Zimbabwe, taking 38 wickets in just 26 matches at a healthy average of 29.34...
– retired post-2007 Cricket World Cup2007 Cricket World CupThe 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
, currently plays for Gloucestershire County Cricket ClubGloucestershire County Cricket ClubGloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators.... - Murray GoodwinMurray GoodwinMurray William Goodwin is a cricketer who played 19 Tests and 71 One Day Internationals for Zimbabwe. He is a right-handed top order batsman strong on the back-foot and a good cutter and puller of the ball....
– Currently plays for Sussex County Cricket ClubSussex County Cricket ClubSussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
. - Henry OlongaHenry OlongaHenry Khaaba Olonga is a former Zambian-born cricketer for Zimbabwe.- Cricket career :He made his international debut in a Test match against Pakistan at Harare in 1995, at age 18 years, 212 days, becoming the youngest player to represent Zimbabwe. He helped Zimbabwe to its first ever Test victory...
– Quick bowler, musician and black arm-band demonstrator. - Heath StreakHeath StreakHeath Hilton Streak is a former Zimbabwean cricketer. He made his Test debut in Zimbabwe's tour of Pakistan 1993/1994 making his mark by taking 8 wickets in the 2nd Test at Rawalpindi...
– Former captain and leading wicket taker for Zimbabwe in both Test and ODI cricket. - Tatenda TaibuTatenda TaibuTatenda Taibu is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a wicketkeeper and batsman, and can also bowl right arm off spin. On 6 May 2004, he became the youngest Test captain in history, when he captained his team against Sri Lanka....
– Regarded as one of Zimbabwe's few current international class players, first black captain. - John TraicosJohn TraicosAthanasios John Traicos is a former cricketer who represented South Africa and Zimbabwe at international level. He was primarily an off spin bowler, and is one of a small number of cricketers to have played at the highest level for more than one country.Traicos was born in Zagazig, Egypt in 1947...
– Spin bowler who broke records for longevity of TestTest cricketTest cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
career. - Guy WhittallGuy WhittallGuy James Whittall is a former Zimbabwean cricketer who played 46 Tests and 147 ODIs and captained Zimbabwe in four One Day Internationals. An all-rounder, he was a right-handed aggressive middle-order batsman and an effective right arm medium pace bowler.-Early days:Whittall was selected for the...
– Former Captain. - Charles CoventryCharles Coventry (Zimbabwean cricketer)Charles Kevin Coventry is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional wicket-keeper. Within Zimbabwe he is known as "Chappie" Coventry. He previously held the record of the highest individual score in a One Day International, 194 runs not out. This was surpassed by Sachin...
– Second highest individual scorer in a One Day International match (194*). - Brendan TaylorBrendan TaylorBrendan Taylor is a Zimbabwean cricketer, who is mainly a batsman, but occasionally keeps wicket or bowls off-spin as well. He is currently the captain of the Zimbabwean cricket team, having taken over the reins from Elton Chigumbura after the 2011 Cricket World Cup...
- Regarded as one of Zimbabwe's few current international class players, current captain, became the first Zimbabwean batsman to hit back-to-back One Day International centuries.
World Cup
- 19751975 Cricket World Cup-Group B:-Knockout stage:-Semifinals:In the best World Cup performance to date by a bowler, Gary Gilmour took six wickets as England were bowled all out for 93 , after falling to 37/7...
: Not eligible – not an ICC member - 19791979 Cricket World CupThe 1979 Cricket World Cup was the second edition of the tournament and was won by the West Indies. It was held from June 9 to June 23, 1979 in England. The format had remained unchanged from 1975. Eight countries participated in the event. The preliminary matches were played in 2 groups of 4...
: Not eligible – not an ICC member - 19831983 Cricket World CupThe 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup was the third edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from 9 June to 25 June 1983 in England and was won by India. Eight countries participated in the event. The preliminary matches were played in two groups of four teams each, and each...
: First round - 19871987 Cricket World CupThe 1987 Cricket World Cup was the fourth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from October 8 to November 8, 1987 in India and Pakistan — the first held outside England. The format was unchanged from 1983 except for a reduction in the number of overs a team played from 60...
: First round - 19921992 Cricket World Cup-New Zealand:-Round Robin Stage:Co-hosts New Zealand proved the surprise packet of the tournament, winning their first seven games to finish on top of the table after the round robin. The other hosts, Australia, were one of the pre-tournament favourites but lost their first two matches. They...
: 9th place - 19961996 Cricket World CupThe 1996 Cricket World Cup, also called the Wills World Cup after its official sponsors, was the sixth edition of the tournament organized by the International Cricket Council . It was the second World Cup to be hosted by Pakistan and India, and for the first time by Sri Lanka...
: First round - 19991999 Cricket World Cup-England:-Outside England:-Group A:-Results:-------------------------------------------------------------Group B:-Results:------------------------------------------------------------...
: 5th place - 20032003 Cricket World Cup-Group stage tables and results:The top three teams from each pool qualify for the next stage, carrying forward the points already scored against fellow qualifiers, plus a quarter of the points scored against the teams that failed to qualify.-Pool A:...
: 6th place - 20072007 Cricket World CupThe 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
: First round - 20112011 Cricket World CupThe 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. It was Bangladesh's first time co-hosting a World Cup...
: First round
ICC Champions Trophy
- 1998: First round
- 20002000 ICC KnockOut TrophyThe 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy was a One Day International cricket tournament held in Kenya. New Zealand were crowned champions and cashed the winner's cheque of US$250 000. It was their first win in a major ICC tournament...
: Quarter Finals - 20022002 ICC Champions Trophy-Semifinals: -Finals: =*Ricky Ponting *Adam Gilchrist *Michael Bevan*Jason Gillespie*Nathan Hauritz*Matthew Hayden*Brett Lee*Darren Lehmann*Jimmy Maher...
: First round - 20042004 ICC Champions TrophyThe 2004 ICC Champions Trophy was held in England in September 2004. Twelve teams, including the Test nations, together with Kenya, and – making their One Day International debut – the USA, competed in fifteen matches spread over sixteen days at three venues Edgbaston, The Rose Bowl and The...
: First round - 20062006 ICC Champions TrophyThe 2006 ICC Champions Trophy was a One Day International cricket tournament held in India from 7 October to 5 November 2006. It was the fifth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy...
: 10th place - 2009 : not eligible (Only top 8 teams participated)
ICC World Twenty20
- 2007: First round
- 20092009 ICC World Twenty20The 2009 ICC World Twenty20 was an international Twenty20 cricket tournament which took place in England in June 2009. It was the second ICC World Twenty20 tournament, following the inaugural event in South Africa in September 2007...
: Withdrew - 20102010 ICC World Twenty20-------------------------------------------------Group A:---------Group B:---------Group C:---------Group D:---------Super 8s:...
: First round
ICC Trophy
- 19791979 ICC TrophyCanada proved too strong for Malaysia, Rasiah Ratnalingham's excellent analysis of 12-5-18-3 not enough to stop the Canadians winning by 44 runs thanks to 77 from Cecil Marshall and 4-33 from John Vaughan...
: Not eligible – not an ICC member - 19821982 ICC TrophyThe 1982 ICC Trophy was a limited-overs cricket tournament held in England between 16 June and 10 July 1982. It was the second ICC Trophy tournament to be staged, with matches between the 16 participating teams played over 60 overs a side and with white clothing and red balls...
: Won - 19861986 ICC TrophyThe 1986 ICC Trophy was a limited-overs cricket tournament held in England between 11 June and 7 July 1986. It was the third ICC Trophy tournament to be staged, and as with the previous two tournaments, games between the 16 participating teams played over 60 overs a side and with white clothing and...
: Won - 19901990 ICC TrophyThe 1990 ICC Trophy was a limited-overs cricket tournament held in the Netherlands between 4 June and 23 June 1990. It was the fourth ICC Trophy tournament to be staged, and the first to be held outside England. It was also the first ICC Trophy competition to have a title sponsor, being known...
: Won - 1994 onwards: Not eligible – ICC Full member