13 facts about Elton Chigumbura: The Zimbabwean all-rounder

One of Zimbabwe’s finest all-rounders, Elton Chigumbura is an aggressive batsman, who generally bats in the middle order for his team. He is strong on the lofted drive and he consistently clears the fence in ODI with his big hitting in the final overs. He is also a useful seam bowler and an athletic fielder. Chigumbura has also led Zimbabwe in ODI and T20 internationals.

1. Birth.

Elton Chigumbura was born on 14^th March 1986 in Kwekwe, Zimbabwe.

2. ZC development programme:

Chigumbura is a product of the ZC (Zimbabwe Cricket) development programme and took to the game at Chipembere Primary School in the Highfield township of Harare. A protégé of coach Stephen Mangongo, he won a ZCU scholarship to Churchill High School.

3. Earl Impressions:

Chigumbura made his First-class debut for Mashonaland aged just 15 and went on to represent Zimbabwe in two consecutive Under-19 World Cups. He took four wickets in their upset win over Australia in the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh in 2004.

4. International Debut:

Chigumbura was fast-tracked into the Zimbabwe national side in the absence of the ‘rebel’ players in 2004. He played his first Test aged just 18 during a tour of Sri Lanka. It was a demoralising tour for Zimbabwe and the all-rounder looked out of his depth.

5. Injury:

Chigumbura missed the majority of 2005 due to a stress fracture in his back which he picked up during a series against South Africa in March that year. He was capable of surprising pace before being forced to sit out due to this injury.

6. 5 Ducks:

Prior to Zimbabwe being barred from Test cricket in 2005, Chigumbura played 6 Tests for his country. He struggled with the bat, making five ducks in his twelve innings. He made one half-century, an innings of 71 against Bangladesh in Chittagong. It turned out to be a good game for him as he followed up his batting performance with a career best bowling return of 5/54.

7. Africa XI:

Chigumbura played as a specialist batsman on the West Indies tour in May 2006 due to his injury, and in the home series against Bangladesh which followed and as his bowling recovered consistent, if unspectacular, performances lead to his inclusion in the squad for the Africa XI v Asia XI games in 2007. He played well in the first match at Bangalore, dominating his 67-run partnership with Shaun Pollock with a combative 40.

8. A Memorable win:

Chigumbura played a vital role in Zimbabwe’s upset win over the mighty Australians in the 2007 World T20 in Cape Town. His spell of 3/20 from 3 overs included the wickets of Aussie openers Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist.  In a run-chase of 139, he rotated the strike well with Brendan Taylor and made an unbeaten 4 off 3 balls as Zimbabwe squeaked home with one ball to spare.

9. Best Year:

After a year of middling performances in 2008, Chigumbura came into his own in the home series against Kenya in 2009. He tormented the Kenyan bowlers, smashing consecutive scores of 79, 68, 43 and 36 at a strike rate well above a-run-a-ball, and picking up seven wickets for good measure. He followed that up with a starring all-round performance in the first match of the ODI series in Bangladesh, taking three cheap wickets and guiding Zimbabwe home with an unbeaten 60.

10. Country Cricket:

In March 2010, Chigumbura was signed up as Northamptonshire’s overseas player for the County Championship and 40-over league. This gave him the chance to return to England after having a short spell at Eppleton Cricket Club in Durham.

11. Captaincy:

Chigumbura took over as captain of the national side after Prosper Utseya’s resignation, having already gained leadership experience as Mashonaland Eagles’ skipper, but after some initial success – including leading Zimbabwe to the finals of a home tri-series including India and Sri Lanka – Chigumbura’s own form fell away alarmingly and in June 2011 he was replaced as captain by Brendan Taylor. He was handed back the limited-overs captaincy in July 2014 as part of ZC’s plan to split the leadership between him and Taylor. In January 2016, Chigumbura stepped down as the skipper following the conclusion of the T20I series against Bangladesh.

12. First two ODI centuries:

Chigumbura’s finally got his maiden ODI hundred against Pakistan at Lahore on May 26, 2015 — on his 161st ODI innings. He did not stop at that. He scored another ton in his next innings, against India at Harare on July 10, 2015. He had no century from 160 innings and then got two in two. He is the only one for whom both innings were scored at a strike rate of more than 100. Before Chigumbura, 14 other batsmen started their centuries’ campaign in a similar way — but none took so many innings to achieve the same. He is the only one to score both centuries while chasing.

13. Stats:

Chigumbura has played 14 Tests and scored 569 runs including 4 fifties and a top score of 88 against Bangladesh. He has taken 21 wickets in the format with a best of 5/54 against the same opposition. His 199 ODIs have produced 4179 runs including 2 tons and 19 fifties with a best of 117 against Pakistan. He has taken 101 wickets with a best of 4/28 against Zimbabwe. His 44 T20Is have produced 711 runs including 2 fifties and a best of 54 against Pakistan. He has taken 16 wickets with a best of 4/31 against England.