“I remember that Test match because of some things that happened. It is arguably one of Zimbabwe’s more infamous tours, for one reason or another, but one four-run innings Mbangwa has been known to use as a rib on Flower here and again.Ĭoming in at number 10, Pommie had to help guide Flower on 91 to a century. Of the many Pommie anecdotes, on the field of play, one that stands out is the time when he helped guide Zimbabwe talisman then - Andy Flower - to a much needed century during the Chevrons tour of New Zealand and Sri Lanka in 1998. He has no regrets about how his career panned out, with the only thing he would change being that he would have loved to play more games. “The three fast bowlers generally made up Zimbabwe’s attack and when I got my first call up for the Pakistan tour, all three, for some reason, were injured at the same time.” “Eddo Brandes was in the twilight of his career, but when fit was also a sure-in for selection, and it was the same with Henry Olonga. “At the time Heath Streak was the country’s best bowler and would be in any team due to that fact. “By this, I mean it wasn’t advanced, or viewed as a necessity until that time and prior to that, I remember I got into the side largely due to a series of injuries. “With regard to the quota system, I don’t really think that conversation started, or took centre stage, until probably about the year 2000 and this is from my own memory. He, however, declined to align his debut selection in 1996, to the now dreaded quota system. Mbangwa then shed some light on issues like the quota system and his famous contribution to one of Andy Flower’s 12 Test hundreds. “Cricket appealed to me, I enjoyed the sport, but I saw that there were guys who were playing cricket as a sport professionally. “Today, when I talk to kids I always try to encourage them to be and do whatever they want, but I decided that I wanted to become a cricketer when I was about 13 or 14 years,” said Mbangwa. While a short career in modern-day cricket, it was an eventful stint.Īt the heart of it, is strong West Indies influence. Pommie, having gone through the age-group structure, eventually did get his Test and odi debuts, in 1996 against Pakistan, and would go on to play 15 Tests and 29 ODIs respectively, between 19. “Today, those that know me from school rarely call me Pommie, although it does tend to come out occasionally, they mostly call me by my surname.” “The accent eventually disappeared, but the nickname evolved. They will be joined by Mark Nicholas, Darren Gough, Pommie Mbangwa, Darren Sammy, Shaun Pollock, Vernon Philander, Ashwell Prince, and Mike Haysman.“Guys in that set up did not necessarily have any contact with me as a 12 or 14-year-old, with regard to what my name or nickname was, and so from their perspective the way I spoke kind of said I speak like a Pommie. AB de Villiers, Herschelle Gibbs, Kevin Pietersen and Chris Morris will be hoping to give the viewers a sneak peek into how a modern-day cricketer thinks. A panel of 16 eminent commentators from various parts of the world have been pencilled down, enhancing the viewers’ experience significantly. The quality of cricket, thus, is going to be very high, with MI Cape Town among the favourites in the latest SA20 odds and betting. Aiden Markram, David Miller, Quinton de Kock and Wayne Parnell will also captain Sunrisers Eastern Cape, Paarl Royals, Durban Super Giants and Pretoria Capitals, respectively. Rashid Khan is set to lead MI Cape Town, while Faf du Plessis will be in charge of Joburg Super Kings. Several world-class stars will be taking the field for their respective sides. SA20 is not very far away now, and there is a lot of excitement around the tournament. Here is the full list of commentators and broadcasters for the SA T20 league. The inaugural edition of SA20 is scheduled to begin on January 10 at Cape Town, with MI Cape Town taking on Paarl Royals.
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