Out with the old, in with the new Test cricket beckons for rising Musakanda
At 33, Vusi faces the sunset
TARISAI MUSAKANDA has been in fine form and the top order batsman has a realistic chance of making a birthday Test cricket debut.
The 22-year old was Zimbabwe A’s second leading batsman in the just-ended series against Pakistan A, averaging 54.00 in the five one-day games.
That impressive show enhanced his chances of donning the whites at the end of the month.
Musakanda turns 22 on October 31, two days after the start of Zimbabwe’s first Test against Sri Lanka at Harare Sports Club.
“I guess the fine form has come because of game time and understanding my role as a batsman,” commented Musakanda. “I talked to most of the coaches that I have worked with and some I am working with in a bid to establish the areas I needed to work on.
“I found out that it was the mental part of my game that was lacking. That took away the confidence to express myself. I took their advice and it has been working well for me.”
Musakanda, who was capped at Under-19 level, is trying to keep his feet on the ground as national team selectors ponder where to deploy him next.
“The trick is staying patient and continue working hard,” he said. “The biggest task I have now is to improve on what I did against Pakistan and I have already started thinking about how I can make life difficult for world class bowlers.
“When the chance for the national team comes I will grab it with both hands and if it happens this month it will be the greatest birthday present ever,” he said.
The former Prince Edward High School student lifted the lid on his workaholic approach to the game.
“Most of my work is done before camps,” Musakanda said. “I usually have a hit in the nets during the morning, bowl a couple and have a review of my sessions with my coaches Adam Chifo and Stan Gogwe.
“Later in the day I work on my fitness and when I get home before sleep I take a look at my footages and assess how I fared in terms of meeting the goals I set out before the start of the day.”
Musakanda is a sports fanatic who played rugby for Zimbabwe at the 2012 Junior Africa Cup and was a member of the Prince Edward football team.
But it is cricket that has bowled him over.
“I have come a long way with cricket. After I made the 2014 Under-19 World Cup team I saw myself getting more opportuni- during the whole ordeal.
“Fortunately, there doesn’t appear to be any lasting damage to the team’s morale and synergy. The door remains open to everyone and anyone, who believes they have what it, takes to make the grade at international level.”
Mandenge’s main focus is arresting the country’s waning fortunes.
“To be honest, I never really felt like I had gone anywhere,”
“The journey back to the Africa Cup group 1A begins now,” he declared. “The main goal is to qualify for the next (2019) World Cup; that was the goal I was given when I first got the job and that has not changed.
“However, for us to achieve this, we will have to return to group 1A first; and so everything we do from this point onwards has to be channeled towards those two things. ties with cricket. I am, however, still involved with rugby and soccer, helping younger guys with skill and understanding of their “Admittedly, I would have loved to get more competitive games under our belt before we play next positions. Last year I was at Wise Owl Group of Schools coaching winter sports, rugby, soccer and hockey.” year’s Africa Cup Group 1B tournament, but I know that will be difficult given the association’s financial BATSMAN Vusimuzi Sibanda turns 33 tomorrow and already the word “retirement” is being associated with his international career.
It appears that the more he plays, the louder calls for him to quit get.
Those pushing for him to follow in the footsteps of contemporaries Tatenda Taibu and Stuart Matsikenyeri in walking away from the game are quick to point at Sibanda’s poor stats.
In his 12 years of international cricket, Sibanda has played just 14 Tests, scoring 594 runs.
He has two 50s in the longest format of the game and zero centuries.
His 127 One-day Internationals have produced 2 994 runs and two centuries - one against a full member country.
Sibanda averages under 25 in Test, ODIs and Twenty20s, and he pays the price for such a poor stat by being regularly dropped.
Zimbabwe Cricket have not handed him a central contract for the 2016/17 season and for a player who reckons he still has a decade worth of international cricket in him, the sun may be setting.
Sibanda is even struggling to pin down a place in the Zimbabwe A squad.
standing.
“What this means is that we have to maximise whatever we have at
Last week he was dropped for the last game against Pakistan A after only managing a paltry 40 runs in four innings.
The top order batsman is the first to admit he has not been doing the business, but adds “I still believe that I have a lot to offer the game”.
“Once I begin to question and doubt myself, then and only then will I consider retiring,” he says.
With ZC not offering him a central contract Sibanda does not need reminding of how far down the pecking order he has fallen.
“Unfortunately at this point in time I cannot really talk about the contract issue, as there are still things being sorted out by Zimbabwe Cricket,” he says. “However, as far as my game is concerned, the fact is we are not getting enough games and those few and far in-between games have not helped any of us. I am not going to use that as an excuse, nor will I use the whole contract issue (as an excuse).”
Sibanda dismisses suggestions that his game might be suffering because of a mental block.
“There are no mental issues at play here. When I get out there, my only focus is to play the best cricket I can. I just have to back myself up to recover my form and hopefully everything else will sort itself out,” he says.
our disposal and if that is a rugby ball and a ground then so be it,” he said.