Chronicle Editor
JAYDEN Goodwin, the son of former Zimbabwe batsman Murray Goodwin, could make his Western Australia first-class debut this week after being named in the Sheffield Shield squad to take on Queensland.
Goodwin, a 19-year-old left hander, comes into the squad in place of Sam Whiteman who has been ruled out with delayed symptoms of concussion after weekend grade cricket.
Goodwin has been considered a huge talent for some time, but was set to take two years out of the game to undertake a Mormon mission in Zimbabwe, leaving in 2020 midway through a rookie contract with Western Australia, which was left open for him before the pandemic prevented international travel.
“I had uncles that did (the mission); they go away and serve God and help others, and just give to the community,” he told cricket.com.au earlier this year. I just really wanted to do that. I saw it as a great blessing.
“But when I got the contract (with WA), because it was my dream job, it was the hardest decision I ever had to make.
It’s a weird thing to think about, to give up everything – and having a contract was everything to me – to go and do something to show your love for God and teach others about Christ.”
The impact of Covid-19 meant the mission was relocated to Bunbury near Perth but he has since opted to cut it short and return to cricket.
His father, Murray, played 19 Tests and 71 ODIs for Zimbabwe.
He had emigrated to Western Australia as a 13-year-old and scored 4 078 Sheffield Shield runs. — Cricinfo
Online Reporter