Graeme Cremer has chosen the hardest form of the game to master but his legspin showed enough promise to get him into the Zimbabwe side at 18 years old, after just six first-class matches. His selection at such a young age was entirely due to the exits of Paul Strang and Andy Whittall, and Ray Price's international hiatus, but it still takes some guts for a youngster to stand-up at Test level, and his debut series against Bangladesh provided a glimpse of his talent. He claimed six wickets in the two Tests but his next experience, against South Africa, was a much sterner challenge and he was viciously dealt with by Graeme Smith, AB de Villers and Jacques Kallis. He was on a hiding to nothing but such was the ferocity of the assault one felt for his state of mind, although to his credit he eventually dismissed all three. Zimbabwe's involvement in Test cricket was suspended soon afterward, and Cremer had to wait four years for another chance in the national side, eventually making his one-day debut against Kenya at Mombasa in January 2009. He picked up 15 wickets in that series, establishing a place in the Zimbabwe one-day outfit, and in his first year in the side took 32 wickets at an average of 22.15, although all but one of those wickets came against Bangladesh and Kenya. Cremer has potential with the bat, as is evidenced by his first-class high score of 171 not out, and has more than 250 first-class wickets. He plays for the Midwest Rhinos in the Zimbabwean domestic system.
Andrew McGlashan and Liam Brickhill