5 Zimbabwean players to watch out for in the future

Over the last decade or so, Zimbabwean cricket has gone downhill due to lack of performances and also political interference. Before the commencement of the One Day International series against Sri Lanka, no one gave them a chance to compete the Lankan Lions, let alone humble them.

However, they defied the odds and went on to pocket the series by a margin of 3-2. While there were individual brilliance from the Zimbabwean players, they also strung together collective performances to fetch Zimbabwe their maiden series victory against Sri Lanka.

Apart from the triumph, the series has also brought forward some players from Zimbabwe who have a bright future in the offing. As we move ahead, we take a look at five Zimbabwean cricketers who can make a name for themselves in the future.

#5 Carl Mumba

Carl Mumba, the Zimbabwean fast bowler, can crank up decent pace to disturb the best in the business. He is raw, young and is undoubtedly one for the future. He made his Test and One Day International debut against Sri Lanka in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

Though he played a solitary match out of the five ODIs Zimbabwe played in their recent tour to Sri Lanka, he showed tremendous potential with the ball. In the first-class and List A format, he has picked up 83 and 17 wickets respectively.

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His best performance came during Zimbabwe’s home Test series against Sri Lanka last year. In the first Test of the series at Harare, he mustered figures of 4/50 in Sri Lanka’s second innings that included wickets of the likes of Kusal Perera and Upul Tharanga.

#4 Ryan Burl

Ryan Burl in action

Ryan Burl is a Zimbabwean middle-order batsman and also a part-time leg-break bowler. With the bat, he has displayed promise to take Zimbabwean cricket forward. Earlier this year, he made his One Day International debut against Afghanistan in a 5-match ODI series in Harare.

With scores of 28 and 27, he notched up a couple of handy contributions with the willow in the series. However, his highest score of 30 not out came in an ODI against Scotland when he guided his team through to a victory, chasing 170 runs in 50 overs.

He is also no mug with the ball, as with his leg-breaks, he has picked up 13 wickets in 14 first-class games. With the prominence of part-time bowling increasing by the day, Burl’s role with the ball may come in handy for Zimbabwe in the future.

#3 Tarisai Musakanda

Tarisai Musakanda

Tarisai Musakanda has represented Zimbabwe in nine One Day Internationals and has also been a part of Zimbabwe’s erstwhile ODI series against Sri Lanka. He was introduced into the team after the first two ODI’s and he impressed with scores of 48, 30 and 37 at an average of 38.33.

He also scored them at a strike-rate of 89.14, which showed his ability to keep the scoreboard moving. Coming in at number three in the line-up, he has shown great temperament with the willow and is a handy prospect for the future of Zimbabwean cricket.

With the composure he has displayed at the top of the order, Musakanda’s contributions with the bat may turn out to be a crucial if Zimbabwe has to stitch together impressive performances against the big teams in world cricket.

#2 Solomon Mire

Solomon Mire after his maiden ODI ton

Solomon Mire provided Zimbabwe the blazing starts needed to push Sri Lanka on the back foot. Before the Sri Lanka series, Mire averaged a mere 21.35 in 17 One Day Internationals, which weren’t impressive figures by any stretch of the imagination.

However, he racked up 211 runs in the series at an average of 42.20 and also played with a strike-rate of 114.67. He set the tone for Zimbabwe in the series by notching up his maiden ton in ODIs as he compiled together an innings of 112 runs in 96 balls in the first ODI.

With a total of 22 games, Mire is somewhat inexperienced in the world stage, but he has enough potential with the willow to cause quite a stir on the international arena.

#1 Tendai Chatara

Tendai Chatara celebrating a wicket

Opening the bowling for Zimbabwe, Tendai Chatara has been impressive to say the least. With immaculate line and lengths, he has been reliable for Zimbabwe with the ball. Till date, he has picked up 55 wickets in 41 One Day Internationals, which has manifested his wicket-taking ability.

Albeit Chatara was expensive in the recent ODI series against Sri Lanka, he turned out to be Zimbabwe’s top wicket-taker with six wickets. He has made his ODI debut in 2013 against West Indies at St Georges and since then he hasn’t looked back.

He has also represented Zimbabwe in the 2015 Cricket World Cup, hosted by Australia and New Zealand. With 10 wickets in six games, he has arguably been Zimbabwe’s stand-out bowler of the tournament. At 26, he still has plenty of cricket left in him and is a bright prospect for Zimbabwean cricket.