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by John Ward Andy Whittall has the unusual, but not unique, distinction of representing his country overseas before playing first-class cricket at home. (Peter Rawson, Eddo Brandes and Dan Rowett among others also share this distinction.) But Andy is very much a Zimbabwean, and after a profitable time at Cambridge University has now come home to stay. He was born in the eastern border town of Umtali, now Mutare, but spent most of his boyhood outside school on Humani Ranch, which is about 120 kilometres from Chiredzi in the Lowveld. He and his cousin Guy, almost a year older, lived together on the ranch which was started by his grandfather and later taken over by his two sons, the respective fathers of Guy and Andy. Andy's grandfather had captained Rugby School at rugby, but decided to hunt in Africa at the age of 18 instead of staying in England and probably playing international rugby. He had just enough money to complete the trip; he then worked on a farm in Borrowdale, Salisbury (now Harare), until he had enough money to buy a ranch in the Lowveld in partnership with another man. Humani is near to the original ranch. Although Andy's father did not have much personal interest in cricket, he encouraged him, and the boys played together a great deal on the ranch. Andy was fortunate in attending schools which fostered his talent for and interest in the game. Living so far from an urban centre, Andy was naturally a boarder at school. His junior school was Ruzawi, a well-known cricketing school, and the headmaster at that time, Bryan Curtis, was a strong influence on Andy's early progress. He found both good coaching and excellent support there, as he did at his high school, Falcon College, near Essexvale (now Esigodeni). He was always an off-spinner, from his early junior school days, but he still feels he did not really get into the game until he was selected for the Fawns, the Zimbabwe Under-15 team, for whom he also opened the batting. During his final two years at Falcon he represented the school's first team and also the Zimbabwe Schools team. The major highlight was the visit of the national schools side to Australia, where he played with such other well-known current players as Heath Streak, Craig Wishart and Stuart Carlisle. Despite opening the batting for a while, Andy has yet to score a century in any form of cricket, an omission that he will surely correct before long. His highest score, as far as he can remember, was his unbeaten 91 against Oxford University in 1994. Probably his greatest achievement in school cricket was his eight wickets for 11 runs, together with a fifty, in a key match for Falcon against their rivals Plumtree School. He also played hockey and rugby at school. While still at school, Andy played club cricket for Old Miltonians in Bulawayo, the club to which he has now returned. He had nine months to wait between the end of his school career and his departure for England to read an engineering degree at Cambridge University. It was then a further six months before the English cricket season began; he immediately found a place in the University team, with John Crawley as his first captain and Graham Saville the coach. He played as one of two off-spinners in a bowling line-up that relied primarily on spin; his batting was hardly considered and he spent the season batting at 10 or even 11. This was a mistake, as shown in the University match: in the Cambridge second innings he hit 40 out of a last-wicket stand of 70, which saved his team from an innings defeat, although they still lost the match. His bowling average of 51, and indeed his bowling figures through most of his career, do not do him justice, but he has spent all his career so far playing for struggling teams. He found it a big step upwards from schoolboy cricket to playing against professionals, and soon realised the importance of personal discipline if he was going to make the grade. In 1994, Andy was appointed captain of a very weak team, and his own bowling form suffered as he struggled to make his side competitive. However, he did have the satisfaction of saving his team from another defeat in the University match against Oxford. He scored 40 in the first innings, but Cambridge were forced to follow on. An innings defeat looked inevitable, but Andy stood firm and also played some fine aggressive strokes in his unbeaten 91. When time ran out, he and his team were still batting but would undoubtedly have lost without the fighting spirit of their captain. 1995, Andy's second year as captain, was his most successful at Cambridge. His team also did well, and Andy himself said that they constantly surprised by playing above the level expected -- although this did not extend to winning a first-class match. He took 29 wickets in a good personal bowling season, and again his best batting came in adverse circumstances, staving off defeat against Nottinghamshire. However, the University match was lost after Cambridge collapsed in their second innings. In his fourth and final year, Andy decided not to stand for a third year as captain, but continued playing. His figures were disappointing, but he was still highly regarded by English critics. That great character Derek Randall was now the university coach, and Andy particularly benefited from his exceptionally good mental approach to the game, which rubbed off on everyone else, and his ability to help keep the players' spirits up despite the uphill battles that university cricketers have to face throughout every season against county opposition. While at Cambridge, Andy played rugby for his college, Trinity, hockey for the university Under-21 team and also represented the university at the pole vault. With his university career coming to a successful conclusion, he had to make decisions about his future. He did apply for jobs in London, but his heart was not really in it; he wanted to return to Zimbabwe and continue his cricket career there. Had he stayed in England, he would either have had to take up a full-time engineering job or join a county staff as a professional. However, he could not use his qualifications in Zimbabwe and stay on the ranch; neither Harare nor Bulawayo was his home. After speaking to his cousin Guy, he decided to return to Zimbabwe even without an assured future. He arrived back just in time for some trial matches in preparation for the tour of Sri Lanka, and with a first-class record behind him he was included. He had had experience and exposure, and his success in the trial games won him his place on tour. Although he earned praise for his perseverance on helpful wickets, he again failed to take the wickets he deserved and is not yet in the class of the Sri Lankan spinners or Paul Strang. With the presence in the team of other prominent all-rounders, he batted low in the order, but his batting ability should be encouraged. He has shown in the past that his batting thrives on pressure situations. He played in the First Test in Pakistan, where his figures were badly spoilt by Wasim Akram. Back in Zimbabwe, he did not play in the inernational matches against England, being kept out of the team by Paul Strang, who claimed the one spinner's berth. He was a member of the squad which toured South Africa for the triangular series, but spent most of his time as twelfth man in conditions that generally favoured the pace bowler. He got his chance again in the Sharjah tournament, where conditions were more favourable to spinners, but with limited success. However, he remained close to the national side throughout the season, and was happy to see how the team picked up during that season and the enthusiasm of the players and public. He took most pleasure in the Sharjah victory over Sri Lanka; a win over Pakistan and a place in the final would have capped a fine season. Hard work and continued personal coaching from John Traicos have enabled his bowling to improve still further, and by the start of the New Zealand tour in 1997/98 it was acknowledged that Zimbabwe now had three spin bowlers of genuine Test class -- Strang and the recently returned Adam Huckle, both leg-spinners, and Andy himself. Huckle kept Andy out of the Test team against New Zealand, although the possibility of playing three spinners in the Bulawayo Test was strongly considered. In retrospect, it was admitted that this might in fact have been the best move in both Tests, rather than play a third seamer who did little in either match. Andy did replace the more erratic Huckle in the one-day internationals, though, and did a fine job in containing the opposing batsmen. He was a natural choice for the Three Nations tournament in Kenya, but he took a while to adjust to the different conditions and to batsmen well used to playing off-spin. Alistair Campbell in three matches opened the bowling with him. But he learnt well and triumphed in the final match of the tournament, an 82-run victory over Kenya, when he took three wickets for just 23 runs in 10 overs, opening the attack and bowling out the first three batsmen. For this he deservedly received the Man of the Match award. He will be looking forward in particular to the tour of Sri Lanka, when Zimbabwe will be expecting to play all three spin bowlers in the Tests. Andy has now been given a part-time professional contract with the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, keeping him in employment for six months of the year. During 1997, he spent his time out of employment in England, playing for Wembley in the Middlesex league. In the future there is the possibility of a coaching job with Dulwich College, when he would be available to play as well. Andy is a lover of the outdoors, as befits one brought up on a ranch: he enjoys travelling, going skiing, fishing, and has recently taken up golf for fun. His cricket continues to develop: as a fellow off-spinner, he finds the advice of John Traicos particularly helpful. John has helped him to put more body into his bowling action, and also taught him a great deal about tactics and the mental approach to the game. He has also learnt a great deal by simply playing with the national side, especially from Dave Houghton and Andy Flower.
Comments on Andy Whittall before the New Zealand tour: Dave Houghton says, "Andy hasn't really had a chance as such, and the way things are at the moment Andy's best bet of playing a full role for us is probably when we go to the Indian subcontinent where the wickets suit playing two or three spinners." Andy Flower says, "Whenever Andy has played for Zimbabwe, which hasn't been that often, he's always done a good job for us. I think he's quite a good one-day bowler and a very good fielder; he's an excellent guy to have in a squad or a team. He's always going to struggle a little to get into the side because our front-line spinner is Paul Strang. He came into the side from Cambridge University without playing much local cricket, which surprised some people. He struggled a little in Sri Lanka, not because he bowled badly, but because the Sri Lankans play the spinners really well and if they are offered any sight of a bad ball they do dispatch it. I think he could do a good job for Zimbabwe; he's young and he has a good cricketing brain. I think he needs to be more disciplined in bowling tightly as he tends to let the batsman off the hook every now and then." Alistair Campbell (after the New Zealand tour) says, "Andrew has been limited in his opportunities to play for the national side; he has only come into the Test team when we played on the Indian subcontinent, but he is very much in the frame for the one-day games. Against New Zealand and in Kenya especially he did really well; he bowled magnificently on the slow wickets. We actually opened the bowling with him and he acquitted himself well. He's a very hard worker, willing to learn, and he's always out there trying to improve on his bowling and to invent different balls to make himself more successful. The guys who work so hard deserve success, and hopefully when we go over on our next tour, which is to Sri Lanka, he should fit into our Test line-up." |
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