Tawanda Muyeye

Tawanda Muyeye
Personal information
Full name
Tawanda Sean Muyeye
Born (2001-03-05) 5 March 2001 (age 23)[1]
Harare, Zimbabwe
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm off break
RoleAll rounder
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
2021–presentKent (squad no. 14)
2023–2024Oval Invincibles
FC debut13 May 2021 Kent v Sussex
LA debut22 July 2021 Kent v Durham
Career statistics
Competition FC LA T20
Matches 28 11 39
Runs scored 1,557 221 718
Batting average 33.12 24.55 19.40
100s/50s 2/8 0/0 0/5
Top score 211 40 73
Balls bowled 329 60 –
Wickets 3 1 –
Bowling average 68.00 33.00 –
5 wickets in innings 0 0 –
10 wickets in match 0 0 –
Best bowling 2/70 1/17 –
Catches/stumpings 22/– 2/– 18/–
Source: Cricinfo, 30 September 2024

Tawanda Sean Muyeye (born 5 March 2001) is a Zimbabwean-born professional cricketer who plays for Kent County Cricket Club in England. He is a right-handed batsman and right-arm off break bowler.[2]

Early life

Muyeye was born in Zimbabwe and grew up close to Harare.[3][4] He was educated at Peterhouse Boys' School in Mashonaland East Province[5][6] and captained the Zimbabwe national side at under-13 and under-16 level, as well as playing rugby union for the national under-14 side, before earning a scholarship to Eastbourne College in England.[6] Muyeye was named as a reserve in the Zimbabwean squad for the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup at the age of 15.[3][6][7]

An asylum seeker who came to the UK with his mother, a supporter of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, Muyeye was granted indefinite leave to remain and settled in the UK.[8] He has expressed an ambition to play international cricket for England.[8]

At Eastbourne he was coached by former professionals Rob Ferley, James Tredwell and Andy Hodd and scored 1,112 runs and hit 56 sixes in his first season, both records for the school.[9] His batting performances for Eastbourne, including two double hundreds, led him to being named the 2019 Young Wisden Schools Cricketer of the Year.[10][11][12]

Professional cricket career

While at Eastbourne, Muyeye played for Sussex's under-17 and second XI sides,[13] but signed his first professional contract with Kent in March 2021, qualifying as a domestic player after his time at Eastbourne.[14] He made his first-class cricket debut for Kent on 13 May 2021, in the 2021 County Championship against Sussex at Hove[15][16] and his List A debut later the same season in the 2021 Royal London One-Day Cup.[17] He made his Twenty20 debut on 7 June 2022 in the 2022 T20 Blast.[18]

In January 2023, Muyeye signed a new three-year contract with Kent.[19] He made his maiden first-class century on 26 June 2023, scoring 179 as part of a 318-run partnership with Daniel Bell-Drummond for Kent against Northants.[20][21]

In July 2023, he was drafted into The Hundred by Oval Invincibles.[22]

References

  1. ^ Tawanda Muyeye, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2021-05-13. (subscription required)
  2. ^ Tawanda Muyeye, CricInfo. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  3. ^ a b Sibanda M (2020) Muyeye not yet lost to Zim, The Herald, 2020-04-20. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  4. ^ Howard D (2020) Who is the Eastbourne pupil named Wisden Schools Cricketer of the Year for 2019?, Eastbourne Herald, 2020-04-08. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  5. ^ Zim not conducive: young cricketer, NewsDay, 2020-07-16. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  6. ^ a b c Sibanda M (2020) Muyeye makes history in UK, The Chronicle, 2020-04-09. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  7. ^ Chikamhi E (2017) Mangongo picks his boys, The Herald, 2017-11-18. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  8. ^ a b Ronay B (2021) Tawanda Muyeye: asylum seeker who could become ‘best cricketer in the world’, The Guardian, 2021-05-29. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  9. ^ Tawanda Muyeye, Kent County Cricket Club. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  10. ^ Tawanda Muyeye: The Wisden Schools Cricketer of the Year taking Eastbourne College by storm, The Cricketer, 2020-04-09. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  11. ^ Gardner B (2020) Who is Tawanda Muyeye, the Wisden Schools Cricketer of the Year for 2019?, Wisden online, 2020-04-08. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  12. ^ Bone S (2020) Sixth-former Muyeye is the Wisden Schools Cricketer of the Year, Eastbourne Herald, 2020-04-08. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  13. ^ Sussex youngster, Tawanda Muyeye named Wisden Schools Cricketer of the Year, Sussex County Cricket Club, 2020-04-08. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  14. ^ Cawdell L (2021) Kent Cricket sign Wisden Schools Cricketer of the Year Tawanda Muyeye, Kent Online, 2021-03-31. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  15. ^ Edwards P (2021) Jofra Archer ruffles Kent before Ollie Robinson nags Sussex into the ascendancy, CricInfo, 2021-05-13. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  16. ^ Edwards P (2021) The grand arrival of Tawanda Muyeye and the beauty of Hove, The Cricketer, 2021-05-19. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
  17. ^ Beckenham, Jul 22 2021, Royal London One-Day Cup, CricInfo, 2021-07-21. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  18. ^ South Group (N), Chelmsford, June 07, 2022, Vitality Blast, CricInfo, 2022-06-07. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  19. ^ Tawanda Muyeye: Kent batter signs new contract until end of 2025, BBC Sport, 2023-01-30. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  20. ^ Aldred T (2023) Bell-Drummond and Muyeye hit 318 partnership for Kent: county cricket. The Guardian, 2023-06-26. Retrieved 2023-06-27.
  21. ^ County Championship: Bell-Drummond and Muyeye build big Kent lead against Northants, BBC Sport, 2023-06-26. Retrieved 2023-06-27.
  22. ^ Roller M (2023) Maxwell, Marsh pulled out of the Hundred by Cricket Australia, CricInfo, 2023-07-04. Retrieved 2023-07-04.