Chronicle Editor
Brandon Moyo, [email protected]
FEW bowlers globally have managed to leave Australian legend David Warner shell-shocked at the crease with absolute rippers. For most Zimbabwean bowlers, claiming Warner’s wicket with a perfect delivery is a dream. However, one bowler achieved this remarkable feat twice in just two days.
Tinashe Muchawaya, a 27-year-old right-handed fast bowler from Dangamvura in Mutare, has emerged as a star. He has broken barriers and made a name for himself. Without much recognition thus far, Muchawaya’s exploits in the recently concluded second edition of the Zim Afro T10 league demonstrate Zimbabwe’s untapped cricket talent beyond Harare and Takashinga Cricket Club.
For the longest time, Harare and most dominantly — Takashinga — have been the talent hub of cricket in Zimbabwe. Players from the club have enjoyed a monopoly in selection, seemingly getting first preference over others. The popular belief is that one has to be a Takashinga boy to increase their chances of national team selection.
That assertion has, however, been dismissed by the custodians of the game in the country who claim that national team selection is purely based on merit. However, cases have been made to the contrary on a regular basis with some players being overlooked despite good performances. The majority of players making the national side, in any format, are from the capital and mostly from Takashinga Cricket Club believed to be the talent hub.
However, it is tournaments such as the T10 league and the National Premier League (NPL) that show Zimbabwe and the rest of the world that there is talent outside of the confines of Takashinga and Harare.
The country is laden with cricket talent that needs to be nurtured for a brighter future.
Muchawaya is an example of the abundant talent that resides outside the capital and Takashinga. He is the player that cut short Warner’s time out in the middle on two occasions with many spectators looking forward to seeing the Australian icon bat. Muchawaya’s exploits in the Zim Afro T10 are proof that there is a lot of talent in Zimbabwe that needs to be identified and nurtured to reach its full potential.
Presently in the books of first-class side Mega Market Mountaineers, Muchawaya is a product of the Rising Stars Academy which was dismantled by Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) back in 2018. To date, he has played 46 professional matches in his career. He has 18 first-class, 22 List A, and six T20 matches under his belt. In first class, Muchawaya has 22 wickets at an average of 55, 95 with best figures of 3/53 while in List A, he has picked up 32 wickets at 26, 46 with best figures of 4/31. In the shortest version of the game, he has managed to pick three wickets.
With bat in hand, he has scored 425 first-class runs at 20,23 with a high score of 50 while in List A, he has, so far, managed to amass 289 runs at 24,08 with a high score of 35 runs. It was at the Zim Afro T10 that Muchawaya showed his mettle. He was tasked with defending 21 runs in the last over for Joburg Bangla Tigers by the captain Sikandar Raza.
Joburg Bangla Tigers were up against Cape Town Samp Army, who needed 21 runs to win in the last over that was entrusted to Muchawaya, who had gone for 27 runs in his first over. Jack Taylor and Dawid Malan were in the middle for Cape Town Samp Army and Taylor began with two sixes and a single, but Muchawaya kept his head and Malan for once couldn’t rise to the occasion, missing the fourth delivery and only getting a leg-bye off the fifth. Taylor needed to hit a six off the final delivery to equal the scores and force a super over, but he could only get Muchawaya’s ball away for a single, and the match and the tournament belonged to the Tigers.
Like many other non-Takashinga nor Harare affiliated players, frustration almost got the better of the fast bowling prospect.
“I wanted to quit cricket but Mr Steve Mangongo took me under his wing because I was fed up and he talked to me and he got me back through the High-Performance Centre. And to be honest, the High-Performance Centre is the hope of a lot of people in this country. I wanted to go to South Africa, but finally I’m here,” he said during the T10 league.
On the other end, Tinotenda Maposa — a Bulawayo-bred rising talent was also one of the best players at the tournament. The 21-year-old, early into his career, has already begun showing signs of a bright future with the ball. The Tuskers fast bowler who, in just five first-class matches, has 14 wickets with a fifer, was named the emerging player of the tournament after picking up five wickets in nine innings (18 overs) at an economy rate of 13,22 and an average of 30,4.
There are a number of players on the domestic scene that exemplify Zimbabwe’s cricketing excellence beyond Takashinga and Harare.
These include Muchawaya, Benjamin Banks, Jaden Schadendorf and Ernest Masuku. ZC must therefore tap into the nationwide talent to widen their pool and ensure all players, regardless of club affiliation, are afforded equal opportunity. — @brandon_malvin
Online Reporter