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Brandon Moyo, [email protected]
The dream of many young cricketers is to play alongside their brothers at the highest level and as such the bond between siblings in the world of sport can be a force to reckon with.
The cricketing world has in fact witnessed iconic pairs of brothers who left an indomitable legacy because of this siblings’ desire to partner in sport.
From New Zealand’s McCullum brothers, Brendon and Nathan, to Australia’s Waugh brothers, Steve and Mark, cricket has indeed benefited from extraordinary sibling duos.
In India, the “Pathan Bandhu”, Irfan and Yusuf Pathan, enthralled fans with their talents. The list of cricketing siblings is long and it includes among others, Zimbabwe’s legends — the Flower brothers.
Andy and Grant Flower, Zimbabwe’s finest talents, graced the cricketing arena in the 90s and early 2000s, leaving an everlasting impression.
Andy holds the record for the second-highest individual score in Test cricket, an unbeaten 232 runs while Grant’s remarkable feat of carrying his bat through a completed One Day International (ODI) innings, earned him a distinguished place in cricket history.
Zimbabwe cricket is once again witnessing the rise of two brothers destined for greatness — Jonathan and Matthew Campbell. The Campbell legacy was written by their father, the legendary Alistair Campbell and Andy Flower is Campbell brothers’ godfather. The pair are determined to make their mark in the world of cricket.
Jonathan has already made a name for himself on the Zimbabwe’s domestic cricket scene, boasting numerous First-Class and List-A caps. His younger brother, Matthew, is on the brink of bursting onto the scene, promising to make his presence felt soon.
Having grown up with cricket as an integral part of their lives, the Campbell brothers have always looked up to their father, a former national team player and captain of the Chevrons. For Jonathan, inspiration stems from left-handed cricketers like his father.
“My dad has had a huge impact on our game and we are doing our best to make him proud. We looked up to my dad, obviously, he played a lot of cricket and Andy Flower is actually my godfather and recently, someone like Brendan Taylor, a very good cricketer, Sikandar Raza and Sean Williams. There are a lot of left-handed batters, my dad, Andy, Williams so there’s a lot to look up to from the local point of view,” he said.
Matthew said: “I just looked up to my father. He achieved a lot in Zimbabwe Cricket and if I can achieve half of that it would be gold.”
The two brothers recently participated in the inaugural Zim Cyber City Zim Afro T10 league, showcasing their talent on a global stage. Jonathan’s remarkable catch Cape Town Samp Army under lights at Harare Sports Club added to the excitement of the tournament.
“I couldn’t believe it, I know I played well in the trials but from a club cricketer who just came back a year ago from America playing golf to getting picked up as a professional cricketer is crazy, I didn’t expect it at all,” said Mathew, who played for the Johannesburg Buffaloes.
Both brothers dream of donning the national colours as they want to follow in their fathers’ footsteps. Alistar achieved remarkable milestones as the captain, including a historic series victory in Pakistan in 1998-99 and qualification for the Super Sixes in the 1999 World Cup.
Jonathan has been knocking on the doors of the national team, eagerly awaiting his breakthrough moment. Meanwhile, Mathew aspires to be the best in the world, firmly believing in the power of dreams that continually evolve and lead them on extraordinary paths.
“I have been playing professional cricket for five years and this (T10 league) is a stepping stone in the right direction for me. I have played a lot of games for Zimbabwe-A and I am hopefully on the brink of playing for the national side in the months to come so I look forward to that,” said Jonathan.
His brothers said: “My dreams continue to change, from playing golf to cricket, two professional tournaments in just over a year. The dreams keep changing but I’m aiming to be the best in the world.”
In First-Class cricket, Jonathan has played 21 matches and managed to score 910 runs at an average of 25, 27 and a high score of 73 not out. In List A, he has played 31 games, scored 842 runs and an average of 35, 08 with a high score of 76.
The two Campbell brothers look on track to become Zimbabwe’s next big cricket siblings.
@brandon_malvin
Online Reporter