Chronicle Editor
Brandon Moyo, Sports Reporter
THE Campbell surname is one that immediately rings a bell to anyone who has followed Zimbabwean cricket over the years.
It is a name synonymous to greatness, with the legendary Alistair Campbell considered as one of the most naturally talented and finest cricketers to ever come out of Zimbabwe.
Over two decades after his retirement, his 26-year-old son is in line to make his senior national team debut after he was named in the Zimbabwe squad for the upcoming T20I series against Bangladesh.
Left handed — just like his legendary father — and with some calling him son of a gun, it was only a matter of time before the 2023/24 Logan Cup season batter of the tournament, Johnathan Campbell caught the eye of national team selectors who couldn’t have ignored him any longer.
The Campbell legacy was written by his father, the legendary Alistair and he looks set to also make a mark in the game following his consistent knock on the Chevrons door.
That door finally opened and his big breakthrough finally arrived.
Alistar achieved remarkable milestones as the captain of Zimbabwe, including a historic series victory in Pakistan in 1998-99 and qualification for the Super Sixes in the 1999 World Cup.
His son on the other hand, was an integral part of the Zimbabwe Emerging team that won the first-ever cricket gold medal at the 2024 African Games. He also finished the Logan Cup as the second leading run scorer in the 2023/24 Logan Cup with 675 runs in 13 innings with an average of 61,36.
He was behind Brian Chari who scored 692 runs in 14 innings at 49,43.
With his inclusion into the 15-member travelling squad for Bangladesh, Campbell (Johnathan) is now in line to become the fourth son of a former Chevrons player to also follow in their fathers’ footsteps.
The other three to have achieved that feat are Andy and Malcolm Waller (Andy, plated two Tests and 39 ODIs between 1987 and 1997 while Malcolm played 14 Tests, 79 ODIs and 32 T20I between 2009 and 2018); Malcolm and Kyle Jarvis (Malcolm played five Tests and 12 ODIs between 1987 and 1995 while Kyle played 13 Tests, 49 ODIs and 22 T20Is between 2009 and 2020) and Craig and Bradley Evans (Craig played three Tests and 53 ODIs between 1992 and 2003 while Bradley is presently part of the Chevrons team having made his debut in 2022).
Campbell is the only uncapped player for the Bangladesh series while there were recalls for Tadiwanashe Marumani and Faraz Akram.
The rest of the selected players were part of the squad for Zimbabwe’s last T20I series away to Sri Lanka in January.
They include the veterans, Sikandar Raza (captain), Craig Ervine and Sean Williams, pacemen Richard Ngarava and Blessing Muzarabani as well as the young guns Clive Madande and Brian Bennett. Madande, Bennett and Campbell were part of the Zimbabwe emerging men’s team that won the gold medal at the 13th African Games in Ghana in March.
With ZC yet to appoint a new head coach, Stuart Matsikenyeri will be in charge of Zimbabwe against Bangladesh.
The two sides will play the first three T20Is in Chattogram on 3, 5 and 7 May, before concluding the series in Dhaka with matches set for 10 and 12 May.
Zimbabwe squad for T20i Series versus Bangladesh
Sikandar Raza (captain), Faraz Akram, Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Johnathan Campbell, Craig Ervine, Joylord Gumbie, Luke Jongwe, Clive Madande, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Blessing Blessing, Ainsley Ndlovu, Richard Ngarava, Sean Williams. – @brandon_malvin.
Online Reporter