NewsHawks 29 October 2021

NewsHawks Sport Page 51

Issue 54, 29 October 2021 Skipper Mary-Anne Musonda
joins illustrious company
ENOCK MUCHINJO
Mary-Anne Musonda bats on her way to a historic ODI century and, inset: Tim Keeley holds the bats he personally crafted bond that has proved unbreakable
IN a country short of genuine he- for Musonda, and (right) some of the equipment. over the years. 
roes these days, captain Mary-Anne
Musonda’s century against Ireland Musonda will also be allocated pads British summer.  ment: gloves, bats, the pads.” He played and coached here in the
on Zimbabwe’s Women ODI debut and helmets continuously over a pe- “It is a big thing for Zimbabwe Barbados-born Weekes, who lives ‘80s up to the ‘90s as part of crucial
was greeted by many as a national riod, with a possibility of her playing groundwork for Zimbabwe’s build-
success story, a rare occasion to cel- club cricket in the UK in the next cricket,” Weekes said. “She will also in London, has a lifelong relation- up to attainment of Test status,
ebrate. receive helmets, a surplus of equip- ship with Zimbabwean cricket, a
one of the key overseas profession-
Perhaps starved of success by their als who contributed to those efforts.
traditional local teams, and disillu-
sioned by it, a broad base of fans, In much later years, Weekes has
including those that traditionally turned into a keen agent, facilitating
follow other codes, stood up and short-term contracts for Zimbabwe-
saluted a newfound hero. That the an cricketers to feature on the UK’s
series eventually ended 3-1 in favour club circuit.
of the Irish did not diminish at all
the new love relationship with the Weekes is best known for his as-
faithful. sociation with fast bowler Blessing
Muzarabani, a favourite protégé of
And now, Musonda has scored his who last year returned to the
another first as her global visibility Zimbabwe team after becoming the
got boosted by her landmark ton on first black player from here to play in
Zimbabwe’s historic ODI. the English County Championship
on a full-term contract.
The 30-year-old Lady Chevrons
captain becomes the first Zimbabwe- The former Northamptonshire
an – male or female – to receive kit speedster was in May this year in-
sponsorship from the world’s leading cluded in a Cricinfo Dream Team
bat manufacturer, Keeley Cricket. for the “world’s best

You just have to take a look at Test XI” earmarked to dominate
some world cricket superstars who for the next decade. 
have a long-standing relationship
with Keeley’s hand-crafted bats, But let us not steal Mary-Anne’s
which are made from top-quality thunder for now.
English willow.
She could also soon be heading to
Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, Liam the UK for a season of club crick-
Livingstone, Jason Holder, Rashid et, on the back of her kit deal, and
Khan. It is quite a list of some of Weekes will, as ever, be there to
the greatest cricketers in the world make sure that happens. 
and for a female Zimbabwean to be
recognised by Keeley is “a big thing “We will try and get her to play
for Zimbabwean cricket”, according in the UK in the summer yes, but
to facilitator Winston Weekes, a nat- we have to find her a club,” Weekes
uralised Briton with strong links to said. “We have a few clubs we are
the African country. talking to.”

Keeley Cricket is an East Essex
company fronted by brothers Tim
and Nick Keeley, who have pro-
duced this premium bat for over 40
years.

And they do not only do bats,

EVERY once in a while, there comes Two years on, it is Patson But that is life and football for you.
a player who makes that indelible first Daka making bigger waves I do not imagine that Billiat will be
impression on you, with just one sim- sitting today somewhere and think-
ple movement that suggests they are Billiat’s football profile was, at that move from Austrian outfit Red Bull Patrick Daka. ing that the Zambian youngster he
far from ordinary.  time, higher than young Daka’s, to Salzburg to former English champi- outshone two years ago, in masterly
anyone who follow the game world- ons Leicester City at the beginning of HawkZone delivering a famous win for Zimba-
It does not necessarily have to be wide. Unlike Daka, the Zimbabwean the current season makes a mockery bwe, has no right to be where he is
a spellbinding performance across the playmaker had not played in Europe of two years in football. Enock now. 
entire 90 minutes. Ask any football — he still has not. But to his cred- Muchinjo
fan, a lifetime impression can be cre- it, Billiat had already enjoyed success After a rather slow start – then The powerful hand of fate, and
ated in a fraction of a second in this with Mamelodi Sundowns and he scoring against Manchester United ly basking in the limelight in the best God’s timing, are not stuff for man-
game. now turned out for another South and becoming the first Zambian to football league in the world. kind to control – even talented foot-
African glamour club, Kaizer Chiefs, record a goal in the Premier League, ballers.
It can be how the player controlled at the time he outshone the brilliant netting four in a single Europa
the ball with a single deft touch, may- young Zambian attacker that evening League match as well as providing I believe Billiat is immensely proud
be a lovely assist, or a genius chip to in Lusaka. an important assist against Brentford of what he has achieved in his career.
win the game for the team after an this past weekend — Daka is sudden- He ought to be.
otherwise quiet 90 minutes. Fast forward 19 months, Daka’s
Early next year, he will be a sure
I had not paid much attention to selection for Zimbabwe at the Africa
Patson Daka for most of the match, Cup of Nations finals in Cameroon,
two years ago, in an Africa Cup of probably his last major international
Nations qualifier against Zimbabwe tournament appearance. 
played in Lusaka.
Daka, and Zambia, will not be
Until one magical moment.  there. And chiefly due to the defeat
On 18 minutes, the Zambia for- that a Billiat-inspired Warriors in-
ward outpaced a Warriors defender flicted on them in Lusaka nearly two
in a one-on-one situation from way years ago. 
outside the box. Then some metres
inside, he fired an exquisite left-foot- But Billiat will be turning 32 later
ed effort that rose sharply into the far in the year, most likely he will not be
corner of the net — beating Zim- around for a next tournament. 
babwe’s goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze
with pace, power and technique. I re- The Zambians, African champions
alised, instantly, that we had just wit- 10 years ago, will feel they can bring
nessed something pretty special from back the glory days in the near future,
somebody so young, 21 at that time with the likes of Daka in their midst. 
in November of 2019.
As it turned out, Daka’s equaliser Just like Zambia, South Africa also
at Heroes Stadium – sandwiched be- did not make it to next year’s
tween Khama Billiat’s crucial brace Nations Cup finals. Stung by
for Zimbabwe — was not enough to this failure, Bafana Bafana made
prevent the visitors from posting a fa- the bold decision of dropping
mous maiden win on Chipolopolo’s the old guard for the on-going
home turf. World Cup qualifiers, replac-
Billiat was already an established ing them with a crop of red-hot
star in Zimbabwe’s line-up, a tal- young talent. The newbies are in
ismanic figure in the team. As for strong contention for a place at
Daka, he was for his country a new the World Cup finals in Qatar
pin-up boy of the national side. next year.
These are further lessons for
Zimbabwe to also look into the

future, starting now.

Sports A crippling A crippling
poverty of
poverty of leadership
at Zifa

leadership

at ZifaThursday 1 October 2020

Friday 29 October 2021 @NewsHawksLive TheNewsHawks www.thenewshawks.com

WHAT’S INSIDE NEWS CULTURE
Andy Flower sees parallel$60Covid
tariff for
visitors &
Community
radio
regulations

tourists under review
between Afghanistan, ZimZIMBABWEgreatAndyFlowersays
Story on Page 3 Story on Page 8
Chamisa reacthe importance of cricket in Afghan-
istan now is similar to his homeland
when the African country was grant-
ed Test status nearly three decades out to Khupe
ago. 

The legendary wicketkeeper-bats-
man and former England coach is
currently working with Afghanistan
at the T20 World Cup in South Asia,
in the role of team consultant. 
The Afghanistan team has im-
proved by leaps and bounce over the Unofficial president calls for emerge
past few years and in 2017 they were
awarded Test status by the Interna-
tional Cricket Council (ICC) along-
side Ireland. 
But it is in the shortest format of
the game where the Asian side is a
genuine force to be reckoned with
and in hiring Flower – who guided
England to the 2010 T20 World Cup
title – they are attempting to squeeze
every ounce of potential in themselves
to make a mark in this tournament.
Overall, Flower believes that de-
spite the turmoil in Afghanistan
heightened by the Taliban takeover,
the cricket-mad country has what it
takes to continue growing the game.
Flower, a recent ICC Hall of Fame
inductee, likened the current exciting
phase in Afghan cricket to Zimba-
bwe’s at the time of Test status at-
tainment in 1992.  The 53-year-old
Zimbabwean was speaking in an in-
terview with The Daily Telegraph in
the UAE this week. 
“One of our (Zimbabwe) big driv-
ers in our very early days when we
were initially given Test status was,
No 1, sort of justifying that status
by the quality of our play as a team,”
Flower said.
“No 2, representing our country
and making sure that we were proud
about what we were delivering as
a group. And I definitely recognise
some of those similar feelings in this
group.”
Flower rejects the notion that, if ALSO INSIDE Finance Ministy wipes out $3.2 Billion depositors funds Zim's latest land c
Afghanistan are successful, that will
be used for the Taliban’s own ends. Andy Flower working with the Afghanistan team at the T20 World Cup. Pic ICC.

“I haven’t given that a moment’s lace to those in Afghanistan. In Af- And really their cricketing story is an the T20 World Cup in 2021?” Cup in protest against the “death of
thought. Remember that this team ghanistan, the Taliban takeover will amazing story. And I think for the Flower himself is familiar with democracy in Zimbabwe.”
is representing Afghanistan and the not preclude people from following cricketers here they are keeping it as the power of sport. 18 years ago, the Both stars left the country in fear
people of Afghanistan.” the tournament on TV and online. simple as that – what are we going former Zimbabwe captain and team- of persecution after that, abruptly
Instead, Flower believes that if the “Cricket has done an enormous to do? Can we do something special mate and Henry Olonga wore black ending their international careers.
team thrive, it will provide a little so- amount of good in that country. with this opportunity that we have in armbands during the ODI World
— STAFF WRITER/ DAILY TELEGRAPH.

ALSO INSIDE Skipper Mary-Anne joins illustrious company