Online Reporter
Brandon Moyo, Zimpapers Sports Hub
AGE, they say, is just a number, and for seasoned batter Brian Chari, those words ring louder than ever after a phenomenal campaign in the recently concluded 45-over 2025 National Premier League (NPL) for Amakhosi Cricket Club 1.
Chari has turned back the clock with performances that not only elevated Amakhosi 1’s standing in the country’s premier club cricket competition but also reignited discussions about his place in the national squad. The 33-year-old batter finished as the third-highest run scorer while Amakhosi 1 also secured a third-place finish.
In 10 innings, Chari scored 565 runs with three centuries and one half-century at a staggering average of 94. His highest score was an unbeaten 134 runs off 127 balls in a comfortable 145-run victory over Gladiators Cricket Club. All his big knocks, including the centuries and the half-century, came at crucial moments for Amakhosi, mostly playing a key role in seeing the team to victory, as they only lost two matches in 13 games.
While it’s acknowledged that club cricket may not always be the perfect yardstick to measure a player’s readiness for the international stage, there are instances where the NPL has played a part in getting a player looked at. A few examples show that the NPL has often provided both an avenue for redemption and a platform for re-entry for some players.
Brendan Taylor’s return to the national side following the end of his three-and-a-half-year suspension was preceded by a domestic campaign in this very competition. His first competitive match when he returned to cricket was in the colours of Takashinga Patriots 1 in this year’s tournament, the one where players like Chari have stood tall.
After a seven-year lay-off, former Chevrons skipper Graeme Cremer similarly found himself back in the conversation for national selection after showing his class in NPL action. He was the leading wicket-taker in the competition with 40 scalps to his name in 12 innings at a staggering average of just 9.33.
Cremer has been training with the national team, and he was with the squad in Bulawayo during the Chevrons’ three-match T20I series against Namibia at Queens Sports Club last week. The former skipper is said to be training with the team just in case an injury occurs to any of the players, he and the likes of Newman Nyamhuri can be called up. The 39-year-old is being reintegrated back into the team off the back of the NPL.
If those names could use the league as a springboard, why not Chari or another forgotten star, Innocent Kaia, who was also scoring runs for fun in the tournament, finishing as the top scorer with an impressive 791 runs at an average of 87.89. Kaia last played one-day cricket for Zimbabwe in 2023 but has alsofound form in the domestic set-up.
It is this precedent that makes Chari and Kaia’s case a serious one. Unlike players searching for relevance, they are cricketers who have already worn the national colours before. Chari, who has represented Zimbabwe across all three formats in the past, last featured in 2020 in the ODIs against Pakistan. Last year, he was a key player in the Logan Cup, finishing as the leading run scorer with 692 runs at 49.43. He was, however, overlooked.
