Sun sets for Sibanda

Tinashe Kusema Deputy Sports Editor

FOR the better part of the last four years, the fate of Vusi Sibanda’s international career has been a tale of “will he, or won’t he?”

Each time he has been confronted by the media, whether formally or otherwise, rather than taking the more infamous “I’m only here, so I don’t get fined” line by American football star Marshawn Lynch, the 36-year-old has always been polite and brushed off the question with a smile and a gentle shrug.

But, that was then.

Sibanda is now ready to ride off into the sunset.

“It’s a question that everybody keeps asking me, and it’s unfortunate that one just can’t go out quietly,” said Sibanda, who was a guest on Capitalk’s Dean at Stumps.

“Some people have been lucky to go out quietly, while others have not been as lucky, but as for me I think now is the right time to step aside and give an opportunity to the younger guys.

“I think I have done my part. I will still be involved with cricket and given the opportunity, I will always be ready to give back.

“Cricket has always been my passion, and will always be my passion”.

It seems almost ironic that Dean Du Plessis, the anchor of the show and owner of the podcast, is the man Sibanda decided to finally come out and confirm his retirement to.

Du Plessis is a numbers guy with a penchant for breaking down games, statistics and performances to their lowest numeric, but numbers do not really do justice to the career of one of Zimbabwe’s more flexible top-order batsman.

Sibanda rides off into the sunset a veteran — and the word is being used lightly here — of 14 Tests, 127 One Day Internationals and 26 Twenty20 Internationals.

This is in sharp contrast to the fact that he was an international for over 13 years, 17 if you count the fact that he has not been retired, officially, for the last four years or so.

One of the more common perceptions, or criticisms levelled against the top order batsman was his abysmal conversion as he always seemed to fall by the wayside as he tinkered towards many a milestone.

The numbers will reflect that Sibanda retires without a Test century.

In the 14 Tests, he scored 591 runs with a highest score of 93.

Of those 14 Tests, which translates to 28 innings, Sibanda only has two half-centuries (scores of 78 and 93) which he failed to convert into centuries and twice he failed to convert good starts into half centuries.

In the ODI arena, Sibanda has a total 17 half-centuries and two centuries in 127 matches, which is tainted by the fact that of the 17 failed attempts to make centuries, he fell in the fifties on 10 occasions.

Of the remaining seven attempts, he lost his wicket in the 90s on four separate occasions.

However, as he puts it, it was not a case of lacking mental strength, but the lack of game time or at the very least, a consistent run of games.

“I was more like a confident batsman when I was out there playing. I enjoyed the pressure and thrill of being under pressure and used to thrive on that.

“And in all honesty, when I got to the 40s and everything, I was never a fan of looking at the scoreboard as I believed numbers would put me under a lot more pressure.

“In hindsight that might have played a bigger role towards my disadvantage. I tried at all times not to look much at the scoreboard and play accordingly,’’ Sibanda said of his technique and general approach.

He also spoke of his conversion rate.

“Without trying to justify my performances, as a unit (team) or as an individual, it goes without saying that if you don’t get to play games consistently, it’s difficult to see your graph going up.

“It’s difficult to see your game improving if you have longer breaks than games, and we would play just a handful of games in a year.

“Yes, you may understand your game, but to see yourself moving from one step to the next, going upwards, you need games.

“If you look at my career, I made my debut at 20-years-old and played for almost two decades, but only played 127 ODIs and 22 Test matches during that period.

“That is not a lot of cricket,” said Sibanda.

It, however, wasn’t all doom and gloom as Sibanda did have his moments.

He had arguably one of his most memorable stints during Bangladesh’s visit in 2007, when he registered scores of 47, 93 not out, and 64 in the home series while domestically he reached his full zenith during the 2009-10 Logan Cup season.

There he made a record high 1 500 runs, which included nine centuries and a top score of 215.

Sibanda lists that top-score and his Test debut among some of more memorable career highlights.

But the racial abuse he suffered as a teenager prior to his international debut ranks among his lowest moments.

“When I made my debut, it was more of a relaxed environment and if there was any racial tension, at the time, I was oblivious to it. I was just excited to be there in the team.

“However, what I did experience prior to my debut was not fun for lack of a better word.

“I felt unwanted, some of the words and comments that I didn’t deserve affected me and what kept me going was just the passion for the game and wanting to do well for myself.

“I remember, during my academy days, I got an invite to go play a match in Chegutu at Selous Sports Club.

“At the end of the first day, I remember feeling uncomfortable because some words were being directed at me as I was the only player of colour in the team I was playing for.

“We were meant to stay at various family houses, with the local players picking whoever they wanted to house for the night.

“I waited up until around 2am before someone volunteered to give me somewhere to sleep.

“The trip to his house was uncomfortable as he sang these racially discriminatory songs in the car, which was not nice.

“He called out names, said all sorts of stuff about me and my skin colour, and I did not even sleep that night as I was too scared to close my eyes.

“The next morning, sitting at the breakfast table, I looked at him and I just started shaking.

“I accidentally spilled a glass of milk on the table and he just went off at me.

“His wife tried to calm him down, and I ended up not eating at all.

“I didn’t tell anyone up until the end of play that day and made a report when we got back to Harare,” Sibanda said.