Zim lose another prodigy
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE have announced the signing of teenage Dane Schadendorf, a wicketkeeper who played for Zimbabwe in the 2020 Under-19 World Cup, on a two-year contract.
Schadendorf became a viral hit in the warm-up matches ahead of the tournament, thanks to a leg side stumping in a fixture against New Zealand that evoked MS Dhoni in his prime. He also made 81 against eventual finalists India in a warmup match, though he was less successful in the World Cup itself with 138 runs in nine innings.
He was born in Harare, but will qualify as a local player in county cricket thanks to a British passport. He had played club cricket for Caythorpe as well as for Nottinghamshire's Under-18s and second XI in the 2020 season.
“As soon as I walked into Trent Bridge for the first time, I could imagine how special it must be to play with a full house in here,” he said.
“That first day in training with the lads was just an unreal experience.
"My game is probably more suited to white-ball cricket at the moment, but I'm working really hard on my red-ball game, and I think I'm getting better," Schadendorf said. "My aims for the next year or so are just to get off to a good start here, score as many runs as I can, and try to stake my claim for a place in the first team."
Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire's director of cricket, said: “Dane has significant talent both with the bat and with the gloves.
“We believe there's a high ceiling of potential there and — under the experienced guidance of the likes of Matt Wood, Anton Roux and Andy Pick - we hope to see him pushing for a place in our first team in the near future.”
Schadendorf follows his compatriot Nick Welch in signing a county contract. Welch, a 22-year-old top-order batsman, gained British citizenship in September and played five games for Leicestershire in the T20 Blast.
Welch will play for Mountaineers in the Logan Cup, Zimbabwe's major domestic competition, which started on Wednesday. There is further representation from county cricketers in the tournament in the shape of Shane Snater, the Essex seamer, and Ben Curran, the Northamptonshire opener and brother of Sam and Tom, who will both play for Southern Rocks. — Cricinfo.