The Zimbabwe team that reached the Super Six of the 1999 World Cup: Where are they now?

Zimbabwe '99

The Zimbabwean team stunned the cricketing world by making it to the Super Six stage of the 1999 Cricket World Cup. With the likes of Neil Johnson, Heath Streak, the Flower brothers and led by the inimitable Alistair Campbell, that was possibly the best Zimbabwean team to have represented the country in the last couple of decades.

In the early 2000s however, much of the good work that was being done by this talented outfit got undone as the country and the Zimbabwean cricket board were plunged into the quagmire of politics and myriad controversies. Sick of the political situation, a lot of the talented cricketers of that generation announced their untimely retirement and chose to move on.

So what are most of the talented Zimbabwean cricketers of that generation doing now? Let's take a look.


Grant Flower

grant flower

Grant Flower was unarguably one of the finest batsmen that Zimbabwe have ever produced. Along with his brother Andy Flower, he was one of the batting mainstays for the Zimbabwean team for over a decade.

The Flower brothers also enjoyed formidable batting partnerships during their career and together came to be known as 'Flower power'. Grant Flower was also the architect behind some of Zimbabwe's thrilling victories in the late 90s.

He was a part of the large contingent of Zimbabwean players who announced their retirement in 2004 as a protest against the controversial removal of Heath Streak. He then went to sign a contract with Essex as a Kolpak player, where he was immensely successful.

He made a sensational return to the Zimbabwean team in 2010 turning down a lucrative Essex contract. But following some poor performances, he retired before the 2011 World Cup. During his final stint with Zimbabwe, he was already functioning as a batting coach for the team.

He was appointed as the batting coach for the Pakistan team in 2014 for a period of two years.

Neil Johnson

neil johnson

One of the least remembered yet finest cricketers to have played for Zimbabwe during that era was Neil Johnson. An aggressive opener who doubled up as a more than useful bowler, it was his inspired performances during the 1999 World Cup that made Zimbabwe progress to the Super Six stage.

He won three Man of the Match awards in that tournament for his performances like his 76 and 3 for 27 against South Africa and an unbeaten 132 and 2 for 43 against the eventual champions Australia.

He surprised everyone by retiring early in 2000 due to payment disputes with the board and the volatile political situation in the country. He went on to play domestic cricket for Western province and Hampshire before retiring at the age of 34. He has since then gone back to living in South Africa where he grew up as a child.

Alistair Campbell

Alistair Campbell

Behind Zimbabwe's meteoric rise in the late 90s was the helping hand of the one of modern cricket's finest ever captains, Alistair Campbell. The then Zimbabwean team was a force to reckon with as it boasted of some of the finest cricketers the country has ever produced.

But it was Campbell's direction as a captain that helped the team achieve greatness.

As a batsman, he was prolific with his booming attacking drives when in full flow. With over 2000 Test runs and over 5000 ODI runs to his credit, he was one of the greatest Zimbabwean batsmen of that era.

Taking on the captaincy in 1996, he led Zimbabwe to their maiden series victory against Pakistan in 1998-99. He stepped down captaincy in 1999 and announced his retirement after the World Cup in 2003.

He was made the chairman of the Zimbabwean cricket committee in 2009 and also served as the chief selector for the national team. He also went on to serve as the director of the Zimbabwean cricket board.

Andy Flower

andy flower

With over 4000 runs in Tests and 6000 runs in ODIs, Andy Flower is widely considered to be one of the greatest batsmen of the modern era. The mainstay of the Zimbabwean batting line-up and a fine wicket-keeper, he was a devastating batsman who could tear bowling attacks apart when on song.

He along with his team-mate Henry Olonga ran into controversy for protesting against the lack of democracy in Zimbabwe during the 2003 World Cup. Like his brother Grant Flower, he went on to join Essex after his retirement and also played for South Australia in Australian domestic cricket.

He left Essex to take up the position of the assistant coach of the England team in 2007. After Peter Moores stepped down in 2009, he became the head coach of England. Considered to be one of the finest coaches for England till date, he won three consecutive Ashes titles. England also became the number one Test team during his tenure.

He stepped down from his coaching role in 2014 but continued as the technical director of elite coaching for the England and Wales Cricket Board. He was recently appointed as the head coach of Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League.

Murray Goodwin

murray goodwin

Murray Goodwin had a relatively short career for Zimbabwe representing the country for a span of two years from 1998 to 2000. Yet, he was a compact batsman enjoying an average of over 40 in Tests.

After his retirement, he went on to enjoy phenomenal success in domestic cricket where he represented the Western Warriors in Australia and Sussex in England. He holds the record for the highest individual score for Sussex with his 344 against Somerset in 2009.

He led Sussex to their first ever Championship title in 2003 and the league title in the 2008 Natwest Pro40 competition. With his playing days well behind him now, the county legend has recently been appointed as the batting coach of Sussex.

Guy Whittall

guy whittall

With over 50 Test wickets and having featured in three World Cups, Guy Whittall had a short but illustrious career for Zimbabwe. His maiden Test century at Harare Sports Club against Pakistan in 1995 proved to be a match-winning one as Zimbabwe famously defeated Pakistan in that match.

He is also remembered for his unbeaten 203 against New Zealand in 1997 and came close to repeating his feat when he was dismissed for 188 against the same opposition in 2002. With more than 2000 runs in both ODIs and Tests for Zimbabwe, Whittall announced his retirement in 2003.

He then went on to concentrate on his family's game-ranch business. In a widely reported incident, he had a close shave in 2013 when he woke up in Humani lodge in Zimbabwe to find a 8 feet long crocodile weighing 330 pounds under his bed.

Paul Strang

Paul Strang

With 95 ODI wickets and 24 Test scalps to his credit, Paul Strang was one of the best leg-spinners to have played for Zimbabwe. With his jerky run-up and classical leg-spinner's action, Strang was the leading spinner for Zimbabwe during the late 90s.

He was never afraid to give the ball a lot of air and extracted help from the pitch whenever available. He first shot to fame in the 1996 World Cup where he picked 12 wickets from 6 matches -- Waqar Younis picked 13 wickets and Anil Kumble 15 in that tournament.

He also played the 1999 World Cup and hung up his boots in 2001. He went on to have a highly successful coaching career with the Auckland Aces after his retirement. He became a high-performance coach in 2008 and the following year, he was promoted to the position of the head coach.

Under him, the Auckland Aces won the HRV Cup and the Men's T20 Cup. He ended his association with the team in 2013 and decided to move on. He then worked with the Papa New Guinea team as a consultant during the qualifying stages of the 2015 World Cup and the ICC World T20 2016.

He is now helping aspiring athletes in a role for Active Auckland Sport and Recreation - the regional sport trust for Auckland.

Stuart Carlisle

stuart carlisle

A utility player who also served as the Zimbabwean captain, Stuart Carlisle might not have done full justice to his talent. He batted in all positions from numbers one to seven and could be unorthodox at the best of times.

One of finest ODI innings came against Australia in the 2001 triangular series when he scored 119 off 45 balls almost guiding Zimbabwe to the required target of 303. Though Zimbabwe would eventually fall short by two runs, Carlisle's innings is still remembered as one of the best ODI innings till date.

His other innings that stands out is an unbeaten 103 against Bangladesh in a Test match in 2004. He ultimately announced his retirement in 2005 publicly stating that he was tired of the politics in the country.

He received an offer to play for Australia after his retirement but chose to start his business of importing food products instead. He now runs Absolute Sports, a golf store attached to the Royal Harare Golf Club, which hosts the Zimbabwe Open.

Heath Streak

heath streak

The man who could bowl with mercurial pace and unplayable swing, Heath Streak was one of the finest bowlers to have played the game. Unarguably the best fast bowler to have represented Zimbabwe, Streak has more than 200 wickets in both ODIs and Tests.

He is the only Zimbabwean cricketer to have more than 100 Tests wickets to his credit. He was also a more than handy batsman with close to 3000 ODI runs for his country. His stint as a captain witnessed a major controversy as he was reportedly asked to tell the white players that they would be replaced by black cricketers.

His controversial removal led to major fiasco as a huge contingent of Zimbabwean players retired in protest.

After his retirement, he went on to play county cricket for Warwickshire and Hampshire. In 2009, he was appointed as the bowling coach of Zimbabwe. He then went on to become a highly successful bowling coach of Bangladesh from 2014, mentoring some promising Bangladeshi bowlers and witnessing the country's emergence as a cricketing superpower in Asia.

Eddo Brandes

Eddo Brandes

Though Eddo Brandes had a long career from 1987 to 1999 spanning four World Cups, he only played in 10 Tests and 59 ODIs for Zimbabwe. A chicken farmer-turned-professional cricketer, Brandes achieved fame when he took an ODI hat-trick against England in 1997.

A good swinger of the ball and a powerful lower-order hitter, Brandes is remembered for masterminding Zimbabwe's shocking victory over England at Albury in the 1992 World Cup. His infamous sledging incident with Glenn McGrath is quoted often -- McGrath had asked him why he was so fat to which Brandes had replied: "Because every time I make love to your wife she gives me a biscuit."

After his retirement, he coached at the national academy but tiring soon of the political situation in the country, he chose to move to Queensland in Australia. He then coached the Sunshine Coast Scorchers. He also runs a tomato farm on the Sunshine Coast.

Henry Olonga

henry olonga

Anyone who has grown up watching cricket in the late 90s will remember the mercurial Zimbabwean fast bowler Henry Olonga. Passionate, with an ability to bowl fast, Olonga never shied away from a good contest. He had a few monumental contests with Sachin Tendulkar, the most memorable one coming during the Coca-Cola Cup Trophy in Sharjah in 1998.

Olonga dismissed Tendulkar in an embarrassing fashion leading up to the final and Tendulkar in turn got his revenge in the final when he blasted Olonga to all parts of the ground. He had a relatively successful career but was forced into retirement after he wore a black armband protesting the 'death of democracy' in Zimbabwe during the 2003 World Cup.

Olonga reportedly received death threats and was forced to flee to England. He then went on to enjoy a successful career in singing and launched his album titled Aurelia in 2006. He recently made an appearance as an opera singer at a charity dinner in the SCG and performed Nessun Dorma.

Singing has incidentally been a long-term hobby for Olonga. Speaking about how he developed his singing skills, he said, "I started as a soloist at the age of 13 when I was cast as a girl for a play called Oklahoma.

"The next year I was in The Gondoliers. I was given the principal part as Marco. It was also the same year I watched the Three Tenors perform in the World Cup in Italy. I just fell in love with the idea of singing like them."

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