The Sunday News
ZIMBABWE senior national cricket team medium pace bowler Tawanda Mupariwa leaves the country on 22 April for Northern Ireland where he will turn out for Strabane Cricket Club.
It is the second year in a row that Mupariwa, who was part of the team at the 2015 International Cricket Council Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, has chosen to play in Ireland during Zimbabwe’s off season.
In 2013, he had his first stint in club cricket overseas when he turned out for Downend Cricket Club in Bristol, England. Strabane are the reigning North West Senior League champions.
Mupariwa will not have any time to settle down when he arrives in Ireland as the season starts on 25 April and ends in September. An added incentive for Mupariwa is that he is going to play first class cricket for North West Warriors where he will get a chance to play against some of the Irish national team players.
Mupariwa says playing club cricket was beneficial to his career since his game had improved a lot.
“I have made a lot of progress, playing club cricket in Ireland and has played a big part, cricket over there is competitive, there are lots of responsibilities on me as an overseas player. This season I will also get the chance to play first class cricket for the North West Warriors where I will get an opportunity to play against some of the Ireland national team players,’’ said Mupariwa.
Last year, he was forced to miss the last three matches of the season for his club as he had to come home early for the Zimbabwe A tour to Bangladesh. Even though he was omitted for the national team tour to the same country afterwards, Mupariwa made the final 15 men squad for the World Cup which was the first time he made it into the national team since August 2009 when Zimbabwe took on Bangladesh in Bulawayo.
Mupariwa pointed out that with tours to Zimbabwe by India and New Zealand before the end of the Irish season, he is prepared to return home to play for the national team if he was required.
Veteran Matabeleland Tuskers left handed batsman Keith Dabengwa is already in Scotland where he is player/coach for Ferguslie Cricket Club.
Tuskers skipper Godwill Mamhiyo is due to leave for England soon to take up a contract with Cookham Dean in Berkshire, England while other players from the same franchise Tafara Mupariwa, Steve Chimhamhiwa and Nkosana Mpofu are waiting for their visas to travel to England where they will take up club cricket contracts. Tafara, young brother of Tawanda has an option of joining the Dolphins Academy in South Africa where his Tuskers teammate Ainsley Ndlovu is already enrolled.
Local cricketers have for years taken up club cricket contracts in England, Ireland and Scotland during Zimbabwe’s off season so as to earn a living. Franchise contracts expire at the end of this month which means the players have to find other means of survival until the start of the domestic which usually gets underway between September and October.
Nationally contracted players are fortunate with their contracts coming to an end in July.
