Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has appointed left-arm fast bowler Richard Ngarawa as the new captain of its Test and One-Day International (ODI) teams. Richard Ngarawa was appointed Zimbabwe’s Test and ODI captain following the resignation of Craig Ervin.
Young batsman Brian Bennett has been appointed as the new vice-captain by ZC. However, the leadership of Zimbabwe’s T20I team will remain unchanged, with star all-rounder Sikandar Raza continuing to lead the side in this format. Raza has already led Zimbabwe in 60 T20 matches.
Zimbabwe Cricket has appointed Richard Ngarwa as the new Test and ODI captain.
Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) confirmed that the new appointments were made during the board’s fourth quarter meeting held in Harare, with the selectors and management backing the fast bowler to lead the way in Tests and ODIs.
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“Ngarawa has shown remarkable growth as a player and leader over the last few years. He commands respect in the dressing room and has consistently performed well for Zimbabwe across all formats,” ZC president Tavengwa Mukuhlani said in an official statement.
We believe he is ready to lead the team in its next chapter. Craig Erwin led with professionalism, resilience and dignity during a challenging period. ZC is very grateful for his contribution to the stability and progress of the team.
Speaking on the appointment of Brian Bennett, Mukuhlani said, “Brian’s appointment as vice-captain reflects the confidence we have in his cricket intelligence, maturity and long-term leadership potential. He represents the future of Zimbabwe cricket.”
Richard Ngarawa creates history as Zimbabwe’s rare captain
Meanwhile, Richard Ngarawa created history by becoming Zimbabwe’s new Test captain. Traditionally, team captains have mostly been batsmen, and in some cases spin bowlers. Fast bowlers rarely get this responsibility, and left-arm fast bowlers are even rarer as leaders in the Test format.
When Ngarawa takes the field as Zimbabwe captain for the first time, he will join a very rare group of Test players. Ngarawa will become the seventh left-arm fast bowler to captain a Test team. Before this, only six left-arm fast bowlers have captained the men’s Test team.
These included England’s Andrew Strauss, Australia’s Bill Lawrie and Graham Yallop and New Zealand’s Murray Chappell. The only true left-arm fast bowlers to captain the men’s Test team for a long period were South Africa’s Trevor Goddard, who led his team in 13 Test matches, and Pakistan’s legendary Wasim Akram, who captained in 25 Test matches.
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Richard Ngarawa’s career in numbers
Ngarawa has been a key player for Zimbabwe since making his debut in 2017. So far he has played 11 test matches and 145 limited overs matches for his team. Ngarawa has been Zimbabwe’s most successful and reliable bowler in T20I cricket.
The left-arm fast bowler is the leading wicket-taker for the team in this format with 108 wickets in 90 matches at an economy rate of 7.30. In 11 Test matches, Ngarawa has taken 25 wickets at an average of 38.56, while he has taken 70 wickets at an average of 30.68 in 55 ODI matches for the team.
Ngarava also has franchises in T20 leagues around the world, including the ILT20 in the United Arab Emirates, the Lanka Premier League in Sri Lanka and the Bangladesh Premier League. These stints have helped him grow as a bowler and handle different conditions.