A talented allrounder, Colin de Grandhomme left Zimbabwe for New Zealand in 2006 and soon found a place in Auckland's line-up. He had represented Zimbabwe at the Under-19 World Cup in 2003-04, and broke into the Manicaland side in 2004-05 before ascending to Zimbabwe A and Zimbabwe Under-23s, for whom he scored a century against Eastern Province in the SAA Provincial Challenge. But de Grandhomme felt his future lay outside Zimbabwe, and he soon made a mark at Auckland. In 2008-09, he averaged 54.50 with the bat and 24.19 with the ball as Auckland won the State Championship. In June 2009 he was named in a New Zealand Emerging Players team to take part in a quadrangular tournament in Australia. His figures in the Plunket Shield in the 2009-10 season were again strong, though his domestic limited-overs form was somewhat disappointing. A steady show in 2010-11 - during which he was part of the Auckland side that won the domestic one-day tournament and wrested the Twenty20 title from Central Districts - resulted in another call-up to the New Zealand Emerging Players team in 2011. He is known for his power hitting, and has smacked sixes off the first ball of his innings several times in the HRV Cup. His maiden call-up to the New Zealand squad was for the Twenty20s against his old country - Zimbabwe - in February 2012.
Liam Brickhill January 2012