Wisden overview
Tall, attacking and naturally athletic, Mark Vermeulen was drafted into the Zimbabwe team for the second Test against Pakistan in November 2002, at the expense of Guy Whittall. At his most comfortable against pace bowling, Vermeulen is a back-foot player by inclination, particularly strong on the cut, pull and hook shots, although he is also a sweet timer of the ball through the covers. A former captain of Zimbabwe's Under-19 team, Vermeulen has a desire to succeed that has occasionally spilled over into petulance - in 1996 he was banned from representing his school, Prince Edward High in Harare, for uprooting his stumps after receiving a poor lbw decision. He is an excellent slip fielder, an occasional offbreak bowler, and a former national junior javelin champion. Andrew Miller

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