THE GIANT BOWLER INSPIRING THE CHEVS

But when his career started, that was actually all he had.

That, and the backing of a woman who would do anything to see him succeed: his grandmother.

Muzarabani was raised alongside a cousin in the high-density area of Highfield, where so many Zimbabwe cricketing gems have been polished, and his childhood was characterised by lack.

“He was a very humble guy, with not a lot. His is a story of grit, hard work and love, particularly from his grandmother,” Stuart Matsikenyeri said. There was a time when he went Kolpak.

“He took that deal with very good intentions,” Matsikenyeri said.

“It was a perfect time for him to grow more than anything. Sometimes it’s not always a bad thing to leave home, and from an employment point of view, it also made sense.”

In December 2020, with the UK’s departure from the European Union, Kolpak deals ended. Muzarabani was back in the Zimbabwe squad that November and has been a mainstay since. While it is difficult to measure medium-term success because Zimbabwe have had so little of it – and slumped to an epic failure when they failed to qualify for the 2024 T20 World Cup – Muzarabani stands out.

Since the 2024 tournament, of pace bowlers who have delivered a minimum of 50 overs in the format, he has the third best economy rate and is under seven runs an over.

While his ability to generate bounce is obvious, he also maintains a mean line, cramps batters for room and forces them into mistakes.

That was evident from the Australia game at this T20 World Cup, where his career-best 4 for 17 came through a clever back-of-a-length plan which invited the pull but he offered no width for the shot to come off successfully.

“He really takes his art seriously. He’s growing in confidence,” Matsikenyeri said.

Though Muzarabani’s celebrations are becoming more emphatic the further he takes Zimbabwe, his feet are firmly on the ground.

“He’s a shy guy. He doesn’t want to say a lot. He leads by doing, and by taking responsibility. He’s not going to jump up and down and say, ‘I want to do it’, but actually, he just does it naturally.”

He is also close to leading the T20 World Cup wicket-charts and is currently joint-second, four behind Shadley van Schalkwyk, topping the list is not his primary motivation.

“He’s not paying attention to that. He’s paying attention to what he needs to do with his body and what he needs to do to get as fit as possible for the next game.

“He’s not been paying attention to where he’s at in the tournament. He’s more about, now we’re going to India, conditions will be different, what do I need to do?

“It is that time for him where he’s really zoning in on what is important for him to be able to serve the team the next day and the day after that.”

The team has become as important as family to Muzarabani, whose grandmother passed away a few years ago and was never at an international game.

There is no else close to him in the stands cheering him on but 17 million Zimbabwean who are behind his every step.

He is them, someone who has made something from nothing, and shown what they can achieve on a global stage.– Cricinfo