The Sunday Mail
Don Makanyanga
Sports Reporter
SOME of the best success stories are from those that would have endured a rough ride, but in the end managed to overcome their obstacles.
Zimbabwe cricket’s middle order batsman Tarisai Musakanda is one such character who found himself on the side of adversity at the start of last year and had to fight the demons that threatened to cut his promising career short.
The 26-year-old was caught on the wrong side of the law in Australia, as he was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol.
The incident earned him the bad boy tag of Australian cricket and saw him getting harsh punishment from his club, Victoria’s New City Cricket Club.
New City Cricket Club sacked him and he had to pack his bags and fly back home.
It was a development which weighed heavily on both his mentality and career.
Facing two options of either letting the challenge bring his career to an abrupt end or fight the demons and continue doing what he loves doing the most, Musakanda had another tough task before him.
“All my lessons and grind from other sporting codes made me realise that the storm had to be faced.
“I chose cricket out of the other disciplines and that alone gave me strength to go back and press the reset button.
“I sacrificed a lot with cricket and so did my parents and family so I could not let that go down the drain because of a bad decision that I had made,” he said.
His family, which stood by him when the chips were down, deserves praise.
“My first push from the incident was the moment I met my family when I got back home. My grandmother and siblings fought a lot to settle the dust and clear my mind.
“After a bit of time the whole family and close friends just kept on swimming with me in the rough tides and that made me stronger than I thought.
“I then realised that I had come a long way to just let everything go but I had to face it and move on,” he said.
“My grandmother and siblings did most of my communication, they all asked me to take the back seat and let the dust settle.
“Most of the chats we had were about how I can turn the tables around although it would take time. So they helped in finding solutions to my predicament’’.
After going on a soul searching mission, Musakanda picked up the pieces and resumed playing cricket.
“I figured my heart would be at peace if I do well and got back on the field and that changed how I approached everything in my sight,” said Musakanda who is currently with the Chevrons in the United Arab Emirates.
When he returned home, he joined Midwest Rhinos, playing in the newly established National Premier League in 2020 where he scored two centuries and earned himself the batsman of the tournament gong.
“The form surprised me too . . . well I have gone back to the old me and I have worked mainly on my strengths.
“With regards to my stats and my game, I have worked more on my mental strength and understanding who I am and where I want to be. That has been my drive and I am working on keeping the routines on the big stages,” said Musakanda.
His fine form during the regional games also helped him secure a place on the tour against Afghanistan, albeit with some surprise.
“It was a surprise, I thought Brendon Taylor and Craig Ervine would come back to fill in their spots.
“I am feeling great at the moment and the feeling is something words cannot describe’’.
Despite not doing well with the bat in the First Test against Afghanistan, Musakanda made a catch which was described as game-changing by Chevrons skipper, Sean Williams.
But he played down the significance of the catch.
“Well I didn’t see it as game changing at that time, but once the ball is in the air, everyone expects it to be taken especially if it’s in my direction.
“That itself is positive pressure and once I took that catch there was satisfaction that I had contributed to the team’s happiness.
“For me fielding is part of winning games and I am happy I contributed to the team with the little I had to do. Getting a victory is always a great moment let alone 10-wickets, we dream of it, but it doesn’t happen all the time,” Musakanda said.
Now that he has found an opportunity to represent his country, Musakanda looks forward to more positive contributions.
“I personally think I haven’t reclaimed my position yet, I have just got back and there is a lot of work that needs to be done and the most important thing is to be consistent with the big scores and winning games for the Chevrons,” he said.
