Donald Tiripano

Well under six feet tall, Donald Tiripano is a right-arm fast bowler and a good lower-order pinch hitter. He burst onto the scene in the 2009 domestic season and since then has been constantly knocking at the doors of the selectors.

Born in Mutare, Tiripano made his first-class debut in 2009 and had to wait five more years to make his international debut in the ODI series against Afghanistan and impressed the selectors by bagging a fifer in his third ODI match against the same opposition. He registered figures of 5 for 63, but it was not enough to prevent Afghanistan from clinching the victory.

Tiripano’s ability to swing the new ball impressed the selectors and he was given a chance to shine in the longest format of the game. He made his Test debut in the one-off Test match against South Africa in 2014. The speedster took 2 wickets in the match and was making the ball talk in the first few overs which troubled the South African openers.

Not only at the international level, but the Mutare-born pacer has found success at the domestic level as well. In the 2018-19 Logan Cup, he scalped 25 wickets in 6 matches and finished as the leading wicket-taker in the tournament.

The swing bowler was part of the Zimbabwe squad for their two-match Test series against Afghanistan in March 2021. However, he had an average Test series, picking up just 4 wickets in the two Test matches that he played. 

Swinging the new ball away from the right-handers is Tiripano’s trait. Accuracy has been his prime asset and over the years the seasoned campaigner has developed slower deliveries under his armoury which he uses especially in the shorter formats of the game.

(As of March 2021)