tawandamusarurwa
Tinashe Kusema
Deputy Sports Editor
CRICKET siblings have become part of the modern game so much that it is now common for an international side to have brothers or sisters on its books.
Some of the most common siblings are Shaun and Mitchell Marsh (Australia); Brendon and Nathan McCullum (New Zealand); Michael and David Hussey (Australia); Irfan and Yusuf Pathan (India); and Steve and Mark Waugh (Australia).
In Zimbabwe, we have had Hamilton and Shingirayi Masakadza; Craig and Sean Ervine; and Andy and Grant Flower.
In fact, the country holds a unique distinction, as the 1997 team that played a Test match against New Zealand from September 18 to 22 had the highest number of siblings in one team.
It had the Flower brothers, Grant and Andy; Paul and Bryan Strang; and Gavin and John Rennie.
It is for this reason that the story of Tawanda and Tinotenda Maphosa — two of the country’s brightest prospects — seems to have largely gone under the radar for the longest time.
But that was until last month’s Zim Afro T10 tournament, as the brothers were selected among eight emerging players who made the cut for a four-month developmental programme to the Qalandars High Performance Centre in Lahore, Pakistan, next month.
Tinotenda — the younger brother — was named the Emerging Player of the Tournament.
The Maphosa siblings, who credit their eldest brother Tafadzwa for their fortunes in the sport, come from a family that is crazy about cricket.
“I started playing cricket through my brothers, who introduced me to the sport when I was roughly 10 years old,” said Tinotenda.
“It has always been in the family, as my eldest brother, Tafadzwa, was the first one to take up the sport, and he passed it down to Tawanda, who then passed it onto me.”
Tawanda said seeing Tafadzwa play cricket on the streets inspired him to join the school team when he was in Grade Five.
In the last couple of years, Tawanda and Tinotenda shared the dressing room at both Amakhosi Cricket Club and Tuskers.
Their love of the game has strengthened their bond as teammates and brothers.
Tawanda has played age-group cricket at all levels, and was a non-travelling reserve for the Zimbabwe Under-19 World Cup squad in 2019.
“We have a very strong bond as we have been playing together, mostly in the same team, for a very long time,” said Tawanda.
“We have been each other’s support system, as I would mentor him and try to keep him away from anything that will ruin his cricket career.
“This goes both ways, as he always calls me out whenever I do or I am about to do something bad.”
Sibling rivalry between the two, however, exists.
“Every family is bound to have it and we are no exception,” explained Tinotenda.
“We rarely play against each other and have little bets for meals when we do.
“The one who can hit the other out of the park the most or take the wicket of the other gets the loser’s meal.”
The Zim Afro T10 will probably be remembered as the turning point of their careers.
But the two had to take the longer route to the tournament, through the “Emerging Players Programme”.
Over 300 aspiring cricketers showed up for trials and the two brothers made it into the final 15.
Unfortunately, only Tinotenda made it into the final five, who were then assigned to franchises that took part in the tournament.
The 19-year-old was in the books of the Harare Hurricanes and has since described the experience as “special”.
“Playing in the Zim Afro T10 was really awesome and a special experience for me,” said the Tuskers and Harare Hurricanes all-rounder.
“It is something I did not expect because there were hundreds of people who tried out for the programme, and to make it into the final five was really something for me.
“I also got the opportunity to share the journey with my brother. We played for the same team and both made it into the final 15 together.
“While he didn’t get the opportunity to play in the actual tournament, he was very happy for me and was there supporting me along the way,” he said.
Tinotenda got the opportunity to share the dressing room and pitch with some of the games’ biggest names such as Christopher Mpofu, Robin Uthappa and Sheldon Cottrell.
“There are guys like Robin Uthappa who I grew up watching, and now, getting to meet and talk to him was just special.
“I also got some insightful tips on how I can improve my bowling, like how to swing the ball both ways and also got strength and conditioning tips from Cottrell.
“Personally, meeting and sharing the dressing room with Christopher Mpofu was a special highlight for me as he is a cricket icon here in Bulawayo,” he said.
Online Reporter