Zimbabwe has become one of the rising teams in the 21st century. The Zimbabwe team has achieved some phenomenal heights till now, and one of them is attaining the status of a Test-playing nation. Some great players from Zimbabwe have also gone to represent their country in the longest format.
Here, in this article, we look at some of the longest-serving Zimbabwe cricketers in Test cricket and their records in the most demanding format.
1. Grant Flower (67 Matches)
Grant Flower was a right-handed batter and a part-time slow left-arm orthodox bowler from Harare. He made his Test match debut in 1992 against India and played his last match in 2010 against Zimbabwe. Grant scored 3457 runs in 67 Test matches at an average of 29.54 and took 25 wickets, with his best bowling figures of 4 for 41 in an innings.
2. Heath Streak (65 Matches)
Next, we have Zimbabwe’s most successful bowler, Heath Streak. Streak played his maiden Test match against Pakistan in 1993 and played his last game against India in 2005. In 65 Test matches, he took 216 wickets, the highest for a Zimbabwean bowler, at an average of 28.14. He also had close to 2000 Test runs with one century to his name.
3. Andy Flower (63 Matches)
Andy Flower, a left-handed top-order wicketkeeper batter and a Zimbabwean legend, is next to feature on the list. Andy started playing Test cricket in 1992 and played 63 matches before retiring in 2002. He scored 4794 Test runs, the highest by a Zimbabwe batter, at an impressive average of 51.54. He also has 12 centuries to his name, the most for any Zimbabwe Test batter.
4. Alastair Campbell (60 Matches)
Alastair Campbell is a former left-handed opening batter from Harare. Campbell represented Zimbabwe in Test cricket from 1992 to 2002 and was a brilliant stroke maker with a variety of shots in his armoury. In 60 Test matches, he scored 2858 runs at an average of 27.21 and got two hundred to his name.
5. Guy Whittall (46 Matches)
Guy Whittall, a right-handed middle-order batter and a part-time right-arm medium bowler, is next on the list. Whittall began his Test career in 1993 against Pakistan at Karachi and was an aggressive batter who looked to score runs quickly. In 46 matches, he scored 2207 runs at an average of around 30 and took 51 wickets. He played his last Test match against Pakistan in Harare in 2002.
6. Hamilton Masakadza (38 Matches)
Hamilton Masakadza, a right-handed top-order batter from Harare, is next on the list. Masakadza represented Zimbabwe in Test cricket from 2001 to 2018, achieving some incredible milestones. He played his debut Test match against the West Indies at Harare and played his last game against Bangladesh at Mirpur. He made 2223 runs at an average of 30.04, including five hundred and eight fifties.
7. Stuart Carlisle (37 Matches)
Stuart Carlisle is a former right-handed top-order batter from Harare. Carlisle represented Zimbabwe in Test cricket for 11 years, from 1995 to 2005, and featured in 37 games. He played his maiden Test match against Pakistan and his last match against New Zealand. In 37 Test matches, he scored 1615 runs at an average of 26.91.
8. Brendan Taylor (34 Matches)
Brendan Taylor is a former captain and a right-handed wicketkeeper batter for Zimbabwe. He was Zimbabwe’s premier wicketkeeper in the modern era. Taylor played his first Test match in 2004 against Sri Lanka and played his last match against Bangladesh in 2021. During his 34-match career, Taylor scored 2320 runs at an average of 36.25 with six hundred to his name.
9. Henry Olonga (30 Matches)
Henry Olonga is the only fast bowler to feature on the list. Olonga was born in Zambia and was Zimbabwe’s fasTest bowler. He made his Test match debut in 1995 against Pakistan in Harare. He took 68 wickets in 30 matches at an average of 38.52. In 2002, he played his last Test against Pakistan at Bulawayo.
10. Dion Ebrahim (29 Matches)
Dion Ebrahim is a former right-handed top-order batter from Bulawayo. Dion started his Test career in 2001 against Bangladesh and was one of the main openers for Zimbabwe in red ball cricket. In 29 Test matches, he scored 1225 runs at an average of 22.68, with ten fifties to his name. He played his last match in 2005 against India.
