Chibhabha enjoying new lease of life

Sport
EVERY time Chimurenga music legend Thomas Mapfumo’s 1991 hit song Chamunorwa is played during an international cricket match at Harare Sports Club, there are no prizes for guessing that Chamu Justice Chibhabha has made a significant contribution to Zimbabwe’s cause.

EVERY time Chimurenga music legend Thomas Mapfumo’s 1991 hit song Chamunorwa is played during an international cricket match at Harare Sports Club, there are no prizes for guessing that Chamu Justice Chibhabha has made a significant contribution to Zimbabwe’s cause.

BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE

Since he bounced back into the national team fold ahead of the 2015 cricket World Cup at the beginning of the year, Chibhabha’s form has been remarkable. He has been at the centre of almost every good thing that the Zimbabwe cricket team has achieved in the field of play.

A maiden one-day international ton remains elusive, but his recent exploits reflect that it is on the horizon and his highly economic seam bowling communicates that an accomplished all-rounder has finally been born for Zimbabwe.

He admits that the Mapfumo song provokes an inescapable grin every time he hears it, even when he is in the thick of action.

Chamu Chibhabha

“It’s funny really because I have realised that the song is played as an appreciation of my contribution. It’s good when people appreciate you when you have done well. It always reminds me of the importance of doing well for your country,” Chibhabha said in an interview with Standardsport last week.

It has taken the Zimbabwe star batsman close to eight years since he made his debut to finally start enjoying international cricket and establish himself as a top performer.

An inauspicious start to his international career saw him record a duck against New Zealand at Harare Sports Club in 2005 and since then, fear of failure gripped and affected his performances for years to come.

But a two-year stint with Harefield Cricket Club in the English Home Counties Premier League seems to have exorcised the ghost that dogged the talented all-rounder’s early career.

“I have played almost 10 years of international cricket and most of it has been surrounded by a bit of failure. I had to change my mindset and attitude to be able to attain what I am achieving now,” he said.

“I played in England for almost three seasons and during that time, I grew as a person, my character and attitude changed because during that time I was playing as an overseas professional and all the responsibility was on me to win games for my team.

“For someone who had played international cricket, I had a big responsibility because when they invite you to play for them, they are paying you to make a difference. That challenge, I think, is where everything changed.

“When I got back into the [Zimbabwe] team, I was more like an underdog so I had to work really hard. I was under pressure to perform at first but I have found a way to embrace that pressure. I trust myself more, I have a stronger mind and I don’t have a lot of fear anymore,” the 29-year-old cricketer said.

While the former Takashinga star has been at the top of his game lately, most cricket analysts have documented a theory that his ability to play against spin bowling is almost nonexistent.

But he thinks differently.

“To be honest, I am not the best player of spin. I wouldn’t say I struggle, but I am not the best player of spin. I played a series against Pakistan a team full of top spinners and I was the top run getter for Zimbabwe.

“I then played India, they have a very good spin attack and I scored the most runs for Zimbabwe. Recently against Pakistan, I started badly, but I worked it out and managed to score runs. I think I am the leading run scorer for Zimbabwe, so for people to say I struggle against spin is not fair,” he said.

Chibhabha was a beneficiary of the Zimbabwe Cricket development programme and started his career at Highfield’s Chipembere Primary School, the same place where most of the other top black players such as Elton Chigumbura, Prosper Utseya, Stewart Matsikenyeri and Tatenda Taibu began their cricket journey.

He then went to Churchill High School where he caught the eye of national team selectors. He made his national team debut in 2005.

Born in Masvingo and bred in the high-density suburb of Highfield, Chibhabha is the only boy and last born in a family of four.

One of his sisters, Julia, was the first-ever national women cricket team captain and a key member between 2006 and 2011.

While the Zimbabwe team’s penchant for crumbling like a deck of cards from commanding positions to lose matches has seen them receiving insults from fans, Chibhabha defended his comrades.

“Obviously, people are disappointed with us, but we are winning against big teams. Each series that we play, we manage to win a game. Building on from there, we are going to start winning two games, then maybe win a series.

“We are very positive in the changing room. It is going to be exciting in the next couple of months. With the amount of cricket we are playing, there is no excuse because we are getting international exposure. We just need to improve fast and start winning games consistently,” he said.

For him, it is surely going to be an exciting couple of months even off the field of play as he has picked his best career period to officially tie the knot with his sweetheart Natsai.

“At the moment, I stay with my lovely wife Natsai and our two-year-old daughter. Our wedding is coming up sometime this month,” he said.