The Sunday Mail
Tinashe Kusema
Deputy Sports Editor
Tennis bad boy Dan Evans famously said: “If you get another chance, it’s probably your best chance. If you don’t take the first one, really go after the second.”
Evans, one of Great Britain’s top players, is currently ranked number one in his country and 26th on the Association of Tennis Professionals’ (ATP) rankings.
His talent and potential is only rivalled by his bad boy image.
His alleged vice of choice is drugs, as seen by his 2017 ban from playing professional tennis after testing positive for cocaine at the Barcelona Open.
Evans claimed his innocence, arguing the drugs had been accidentally mixed with his medication in a washbag.
The 30-year-old escaped a four-year ban, which was reduced to just 12 months because the drug was not performance-enhancing.
He has since been able to bounce back and climb to a career-high 26th position on the ATP.
There are some parallels to be drawn between Evans’ redemption story and that of our local cricketer Luke Jongwe.
A one-time bad boy himself, Jongwe recently completed his own comeback story after a five-year hiatus, with the all-rounder returning for the just-ended Pakistan tour of Zimbabwe.
While Evans was banned from the game, Jongwe went for five years without being considered by Zimbabwe Cricket selectors.
And rather than drugs, booze was the 26-year-old cricketer’s weakness.
In 2016 he was involved in a car accident in the company of his former Zimbabwe Under-19 teammates Delan Hondo and Herbert Chikomba.
He suffered a cut on his forehead.
There is also a story of “a drunk Jongwe reportedly burning some cash all in the name of having fun”.
That same year, Tendai Chisoro and Jongwe broke curfew during a national team camp in Bulawayo and both were expelled from the Chevrons.
After those incidents, Jongwe made a five-year absence from the Chevrons during which he had to take a hard look at himself.
“I was a young boy and didn’t know better.
“I was just this young boy, enjoying life and having fun. I think it’s one of those phases where . . . you are just a kid and think that the world revolves around you.
“Looking back, I credit those days and the disciplinary issues for the person I am today.
“I am a better person today because of the lessons I learnt from those days,” he said.
His time in the wilderness gave him an opportunity to reflect.
“This is the new me and this person wouldn’t exist were it not for the time I spent away. “I apologise for the mistakes I made, the time I spent away unable to help my team, and the only thing I can do now is try to make up for lost time.
“I remember the pain of . . . watching my teammates play and being unable to take to the field.
“It was the time I had to take a hard look at my life and make a decision.
“I took a step back, went to play some club cricket in the United Kingdom and that experience helped a lot.
“I was exposed to so many people and cultures and learnt a lot from that experience.”
This year couldn’t have got off to a better start for Jongwe as he shone during the Pakistan tour. He starred in Zimbabwe’s history-making 19-run win over the Asians in a T20 match, taking a career four for 18, and his ‘shoe-phone’ celebration made him an overnight social media sensation.
This was during the second T20 match of the series. He capped his comeback by making his Test debut, which he picked as his best moment.
“It’s hard to pick the one, as all these moments were special.
“If I had to pick one, then it would be the Test debut, as it’s every cricketer’s dream to play Test cricket.
“You are a complete cricketer when you play Test cricket.
“However, the four for 18 was special and comes in close second.
“It helped us cross the line and win the game against a team we had not yet beaten in that format of the game,” he said.
For those hoping to see Jongwe dial it up again on the shoe-phone, the Chevrons all-rounder has some bad news.
“I was caught in two minds over which celebration to pull out during the tour, because I usually do the salute.
“However, I then settled for the shoe-phone celebration as it signified a new beginning for me.
“I had seen Tabraiz Shamsi do it a couple of times during my time away from the game and thought it would be a cool idea to do it too.
“Unfortunately, I got into trouble with the match referee (Andy Pycroft) for the celebration, and I don’t know how often I will be able to use it.
“I think it all depends on who the match referee is during a match and whether they will allow me.”
Jongwe also defended the Chevrons against withering criticism after their disappointing show in the Test series.
The Chevrons fell to innings’ defeats in both Test matches (innings and 116 runs and innings and 147), with fans and pundits criticising the team’s lack of fighting spirit.
Leading the charge was former Pakistan opener Ramiz Raja, who called it a “poor advertisement of the format”.
“Well, Raja is entitled to his own opinion, but where was he when we beat Pakistan?
“This is sport, and things don’t always go the way you want them. However, that doesn’t give people the right to be so harsh in their criticism.
“Yes, the results didn’t go our way, but the team was ravaged by injuries.
“We were missing most of our seasoned campaigners and in their stead we had a lot of young players going up against a talented and experienced side.
“That being said, I have full faith in this team and wouldn’t change them for anything.
“Every country has gone through a rough period, and we will bounce back.
