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Chinyama last featured for the Warriors in 2008 during their failed 2010 World Cup bid when the senior team was still under the guidance of Brazilian coach Valinhos.
Then, Chinyama was plying his trade with Polish giants Legia Warsaw.
But ever since his return home at the start of the year, Chinyama has hogged the limelight with his goals, some of them spectacular, which have helped champions Dynamos get off to a promising start to the defence of their Premiership title while also firing the Glamour Boys into the Champions League second round.
The big 29-year-old forward is one of 16 locals named in an enlarged Warriors squad that is expected to go into camp in Harare on May 22.
Zimbabwe begin their bid for a place at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil with a home date against Guinea on June 3.
The Warriors will then travel to Mozambique for another World Cup qualifier the following weekend before they turn their focus to 2013 African Cup of Nations qualifying duties with a first round, second leg date against Burundi at home.
Interim Warriors coach Rahman Gumbo, seeking his first win since returning to the national team following an eight-year absence, has also widened his selection base by including midfielder Bradley Pritchard who plies his trade with English outfit Charlton Athletic.
Although Pritchard’s nationality is listed as English on his club’s website, the same site notes that the 25-year-old is Zimbabwean born and he appears to have opted to play for his country of birth resulting in Gumbo including him in his plans.
Pritchard becomes the second England-based player after Plymouth Argyle defender Onismor Bhasera to be included in the squad.
While it could not be immediately ascertained whether Pritchard had confirmed his availability for the clash against Guinea, it is almost certain that — barring injury — Chinyama will be fighting for a place in the Warriors attack that is fronted by talisman Knowledge Musona.
The Warriors attack looked lightweight in their last international assignment against Burundi with Musona having been left short of experienced partners upfront following Zifa’s decision to suspend all the players fingered in the Asiagate report.
But there was some selection reprieve for Gumbo last Friday when the Zifa board announced that they had exonerated 33 players which meant the FC Platinum coach could call on the talents of such key figures as France-based midfielder Ovidy Karuru, Ajax Cape Town hotshot Khama Billiat and hardworking Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Willard Katsande.
Gumbo did not waste time in including Karuru, Billiat, Katsande and Moroka Swallows utility player Oscar Machapa who was also cleared of match-fixing allegations.
But there is no doubting that a lot of attention will also be focused on Chinyama given the impact he has made in so short a time at Dynamos that is has become almost impossible to see his name missing on the score sheet whenever the Glamour Boys play.
Many will be hoping that the former Hwange and Monomotapa player will now transform the kind of scoring form he has shown at Dynamos to the Warriors and help Gumbo and his men overcome the Guinea hurdle as they embark on the mission to qualify for Brazil.
While Chinyama has proved his worth with stellar performances, it would also be interesting to see whether Pritchard for whom much is not known on the local front, could bring a fresh dimension to the Warriors midfield which has been the senior team’s Achilles Heel.
According to his profile on the Charlton Athletic website, Pritchard has, in the 2011-2012 season, played 10 league games, made two FA Cup appearances and as many in the League Cup scoring once.
But before he joined Charlton Athletic, Pritchard had scored 14 goals for Hayes and Yeading United in the Blue Square Bret Premier which is the top tier of non-league football and once he got a trial stint at the Addicks, he impressed manager Chris Powell who in turn snapped him up.
Powell spoke glowingly about Pritchard.
“Bradley is a player we watched quite a bit in the second half of the season. He scored a number of goals from midfield which is always a good sign and he came and spent some time training with the squad and played in the reserve game.
“He is a good midfielder with a good use of the ball but what I like most about him is that he is very energetic and technically aware.
“Also he has that knack which doesn’t happen a lot with players, of arriving in the box unnoticed and that’s why he is got into double figures last year from midfield.
“People may say it was Conference level but in my eyes that’s the fifth league. So he’s jumped a couple of levels and we feel that he has the right attitude to progress and carry on learning his trade with us,’’ Powell said.
There was room too for such familiar faces like that of Tinashe Nengomasha, skipper Tapuwa Kapini, Archiford Gutu, Vusa Nyoni and veteran Motor Action goalkeeper Marlon Jani in the squad.
Gumbo has also sought to give a number of locals such as Dynamos defender Partson Jaure, midfielder Simon Munawa of Highlanders and the Hwange pair of Rodwell Chinyengetere and Francisco Zvikumbaware a chance to fight for Warriors recognition.
Meanwhile, inactive Warriors have remained unchanged on the latest Fifa World rankings on which they are still outside of the top 100 football nations on the globe.
The Warriors who last played a game on February 29 when losing 2-1 in their 2013 African Cup of Nations first round, first leg qualifier against Burundi are still pegged on 104 on the monthly global rankings with 328 points.
In a month in which there were only eight international friendlies across the globe largely due to the championship run in, in most leagues around the world, the Warriors were one such team that did not play any game.
Spain continue to top the global ladder ahead of Germany and Uruguay, followed by the Netherlands and Portugal.
The only change in the top 30 has been Argentina’s ousting of Denmark to occupy ninth place.
The composition of the top 50 remains unchanged: with 28 teams, Uefa remains the best represented confederation in the top 50, followed by CONMEBOL (9), Caf (7), CONCACAF (3) and the AFC (3). In 130th place, New Zealand are Oceania’s top-ranked team.
The June edition will undoubtedly bring more movement with it, as friendlies are played in Europe to warm up for Uefa Euro 2012 and another batch of 2014 Fifa World Cup Brazil™ qualifiers influence the calculations. The next Fifa/Coca-Cola Ranking will be published on June 6 , just three days after the Warriors would have played Guinea at Rufaro.
Warriors squad:
Tapiwa Kapini (Amazulu-SA), Njabulo Nyoni (Chicken Inn) Marlon Jani (Motor Action), Timothy Sibanda (Hwange)
Defenders
Tapiwa Khumbuyani (CAPS United), Godfrey Moyo (Motor Action), Patson Jaure (Dynamos), Nyasha Mukumbi (CAPS United),Onismore Bhasera (Plymouth Argyle-UK), Carrington Nyadombo (Amazulu-SA)
Midfielders
Simon Munawa (Highlanders), Denver Mukamba (Dynamos), Charles Sibanda (FC Platinum), Kuda Mahachi (Chicken Inn), Ronald Chitiyo (Monomotapa), Welcome Ndiweni (FC Platinum), Bradley Pritchard (Charlton Athletic-UK), Vusa Nyoni (Gerninal Beerschot-Belgium), Tinashe Nengomasha (Kaizer Chiefs-SA), Khama Billiat (Ajax Cape Town-SA), Ovidy Karuru (US Boulogne), Willard Katsande (Kaizer Chiefs), Oscar Machapa (Moroka Swallows), Archiford Gutu (Kalmar ff-Sweden)
Strikers
Rodwell Chinyengetere (Hwange), Takesure Chinyama (Dynamos), Francisco Zvikumbawire (Hwange), Terrence Mandaza (Platinum Stars-SA), Arnold Chaka (Mochudi Centre Chiefs-Botswana), Knowledge Musona (Hoffeinheim-Germany).
Online Reporter