Musakanda feels he is starting all over again

Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter
MIDDLE order batsman, Tarisai Musakanda, has hit the right chords at the right time and this could help him re-establish himself for national team consideration sooner than expected.

Musakanda, who was tainted by the bad boy tag following his ignominious exit from his contract in Australia at the beginning of the year, has responded in the best possible manner. The 25-year-old turned heads during the week with his batting prowess for MidWest Rhinos in the newly-established National Premier League. He became the only player to score a century after the opening two rounds of the 45-over club cricket competition.

“It’s a good feeling considering that it is the beginning of the tournament,” said Musakanda.

“But, the focus is to keep going so that we remain competitive as a team.

“Obviously, this good start will give me confidence going forward but I have to take it one game at a time.

“I missed the game a lot. Covid-19 made it difficult but, now, we can train together, improve our skills and there are more interactions.” Musakanda was enlisted by MidWest Rhinos for the NPL, which begun last week.

They play Rainbow Sharks tomorrow at Harare Sports Club.

Rhinos lost their opening match of the campaign to Takashinga but Musakanda played a big part with his 142 runs when they beat Gladiators by a convincing margin of 148 runs at Harare Sports Club on Wednesday.

But, he began the year on a low after he was sacked by Australian Club New City following his conviction for driving while under the influence of alcohol. Musakanda had headed off to Australia, in November last year, having played for Budleigh Cricket Club in England.

He topped the batting averages for Budleigh’s first XI in 2019, making 846 runs from 16 innings at 76.91. “Obviously it did affect my cricket because I had a lot of games that were lined up in Australia.

“I am sure if I had played all those games it could have impacted positively on my game.

“Mentally, I struggled to cope with it at the beginning. I had to start all over again and now I feel I am getting back to my feet again.

Musakanda. Musakanda has played 22 times for Zimbabwe across the three formats of the game but has not featured for the national side since October 2018. His best score being the 43 runs he compiled against Pakistan on his Twenty20 International debut at Harare Sports Club in July 2018.

NPL Fixtures

Tomorrow: Queens v Takashinga (Kwekwe Sports Club), Amakhosi v Great Zimbabwe (Bulawayo Athletic Club), Easterns v Harare Kings (Mutare Sports Club), Rainbow Sharks v MidWest Rhinos (Harare Sports Club)