Tarisai Musakanda

One of Zimbabwe’s brightest talents, Tarisai Musakanda is a top-order batsman with quick hands and explosive hitting power, he is also a tidy bowler that bowls both spin & seam. The talented Right-hander made his professional debut in 2014 at 19 years old on his return from the 2014 ICC U-19 World Cup.

In 2014, Muskanda made both List A and first-class debut for the Mid-West Rhinos. Making a name for himself in the domestic circuit for over two years, the Masvingo-born batter made his ODI debut in the final of the tri-series featuring Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. In the mouth-watering clash, Musakanda was sent at the crucial number three spot and he didn’t disappoint scoring a quickfire 36 from 37 balls.

On his Test debut in the one-off series against Sri Lanka on July 14th, 2017, it was a catastrophe for the youngster as he just managed 6 runs in two innings including dismissal on a duck in the second innings, and was sidelined from the squad thereafter. His focus returned and his consistent performances in the domestic circuit saw him bounce back in the T20 series against Pakistan in June 2018. Next month on July 1st, he played his maiden T20I match against Pakistan and was the top-scorer with 43 runs in the second innings. Although Zimbabwe lost the match, the national selectors were pleased with his performance.

With Zimbabwe cricket going through its current woes, the landscape will no doubt see some fundamental change, and an intelligent young man like Musakanda will be a strong candidate to be in the leadership in the upcoming years, once Zimbabwe cricket is back to its full glory.

(As of March 2021)