Mufudza happy with Chevrons debut
TAPIWA MUFUDZA would have never dreamt of a better start to the year than getting his first international cap for the Zimbabwe senior cricket team.
As Wellington Masakadza conducted the pre-match ritual for the debutant — giving a welcoming speech to the new member of the One-Day Internationals (ODI) Chevrons squad — Mufudza hardly took his eyes off the red cap in Masakadza’s hand.
He listened attentively to the speech, but he was battling to control his emotions.
“I was so happy when I was named in the squad that was to tour Sri Lanka . . . the call made me realise that the hard work I was putting was being noticed,” said Mufudza.
“I do not know how to describe the feeling I felt when I was presented with the cap. To be honest, I was at a loss for words.
“This is one day that I will always be grateful for; a dream I had looked forward to for 23 years was finally achieved.”
The spin bowler had a decent outing on his debut, bowling all his 10 overs.
He ended the match with 10 for 37 runs, which translated to an economy rate of 3.7. With such decent figures on his debut, Mufudza is set to make a mark in the team.
“When I saw my name in the squad that was to tour Sri Lanka, I knew that I would play, so it was from that moment that I started preparing myself mentally for the day, and I am happy with my performance on my debut,” he said.
Despite making it late into the national team, the 33-year-old Mufudza said he had never lost hope of a Chevrons call-up.
“Well, the road has never been any easy one.
“It is always a dream for every player to represent his country at the highest level, and I never lost hope on my dream; I kept believing.
“I was confident that my time would come.”
His team could, however, not grant him the kind of start he had wished for as the Chevrons have struggled in Colombo.
They lost the three ODI series 2-0, with the first game having been washed out by rain.
“Unfortunately, we lost the series, which I would have wanted to win.
“This is a new chapter with new challenges, and I am looking forward to win games for my country and do the same thing that I was looking for all the years.
“I want to make my country proud.” After putting on a poor show in the ODIs, the Chevrons will once again come under the spotlight as they begin the threematch T20 series against the Asians this afternoon.