8 Facts about Mark Vermuelen - The Fiery Zimbabwean cricketer

Mark Vermeulen is a former Zimbabwean cricketer who featured in 9 Tests and 43 ODIs. Mark was a right-handed batsman, a handy off-spinner, and an excellent slip fielder. At his most comfortable against pace bowling, Vermeulen was a back-foot player by inclination, particularly strong on the cut, pull and hook shots, although he was also a sweet timer of the ball through the covers. He was aggressive, naturally athletic and had all the ability to have a lengthy playing career. However, disciplinary problems, on-field injuries and controversial behavior harmed and ended his career. Here are some interesting facts about Mark Vermeulen.

1. Born on:

Mark Andrew Vermeulen was born on March 2, 1979, Salisbury (Harare)

2. Early cricketing years:

Vermeulen played for the Zimbabwe Under-19 team and had led them on a tour to England.

3. Other Interests:

Vermeulen is a former national junior javelin champion and also part time golfer.

4. Test & ODI Debut:

Vermeulen made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in 2000 at Sharjah. His Test debut came in the 2nd Test against Pakistan at Bulawayo in 2002.

5. Chilling blow:

On the 2003–04 tour of Australia, Vermeulen fractured his skull during a One-Day International match against India after being struck on the head by a lethal bouncer Irfan Pathan. The ball snuck between grill and visor and cracked the other side of his skull. He spent three hours in surgery and left with a plate in his head.

5. Chance to resurrect his career:

In July 2014, he was given hope that his international career would be resurrected when he was picked for the Zimbabwe Aside to play Afghanistan. He scored a century in the first four-day match and could not be overlooked for the one-off Test against South Africa which followed. Brendan Taylor described him as calm, for a change. A decade after last playing in whites for Zimbabwe, Vermeulen made a comeback in August 2014.

6. Violent altercation with the fan:

Then in 2006, he was banned from all cricket played under the auspices of the England and Wales Cricket Board after a violent altercation with spectators at a match between Ashton and his club, Werneth in the Central Lancashire League. The original ban imposed was ten years, but on appeal it was reduced to three years, two of which were suspended. The ban took effect from 1 April 2007.

7. Arson charges:

In November 2006, Vermeulen was held by police after apparently fleeing the scene of a suspicious fire at the Zimbabwean Cricket Academy in Harare. A fire had also been set at the Zimbabwe Cricket headquarters. ZCU Managing Director Ozias Bvute confirmed that Vermeulen was being held “for questioning” in the incident. Vermeulen was formally charged with arson in the incident on 2 November. In January 2008, he was cleared on grounds of mental illness

8. Racist remarks and ban from the game:

In October 2015, Vermeulen was banned from all cricket by Zimbabwe Cricket after posting racist comments on social media. In a Facebook conversation thread started by former Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor over Proper Utseya’s claims of racial discrimination by Alistair Campbell, Vermeulen expressed regret at the way blacks had been educated, claiming it was the reason the whites were subjected to racism in the game.