Travis Friend: updated biography

FULL NAME: Travis John Friend
BORN: 7 January 1981, at Kwekwe
MAJOR TEAMS: CFX Academy (1999/2000)
KNOWN AS: Travis Friend. Nickname: Testosterone
BATTING STYLE: Right Hand Bat
BOWLING STYLE: Right Arm Fast
OCCUPATION: Student at CFX Academy

FIRST-CLASS DEBUT: 3-5 March 2000, CFX Academy v Mashonaland, at Country Club
TEST DEBUT: 15-18 June 2001, at Harare Sports Club
ODI DEBUT: 30 September 2000, Zimbabwe v New Zealand, at Queens Sports Club

BIOGRAPHY (updated January 2002)

`Travis Friend' is an unlikely name for a fast bowler, and in a way Travis is an unlikely person for a fast bowler either. He has the powerful build associated with the tradition of express bowling, but his modest, friendly personality hardly seems to fit in with the intensity and hostility of the likes of Dennis Lillee, Curly Ambrose and others. Yet Henry Olonga has a similar personality, and Travis is now probably the fastest bowler in Zimbabwe after Henry. He is also a top-order batsman, so he has the potential to fill for Zimbabwe a role rather like that of South African Jacques Kallis, who is actually Travis' foremost cricket hero.

Travis is the son of Ian Friend, a medium-pace bowler who played two first-class matches for Rhodesia B in 1978/79, and one who `always used to say he thought he was a batsman, but he batted at 11 so he never scored runs'! Cricket is a long tradition in the Friend family, as his grandfather played for Kwekwe (then Que Que) Sports Club, and his great-uncles Eric and Leslie played in the Logan Cup for Midlands. Travis' first introduction to the game came in the family garden, and he used to play a lot with his older brother Jason. "It was really a challenge and we used to get quite hyped up about the game," Travis says. "It was good - all that has helped me get where I am now."

Travis has lived all his life in Kwekwe, where his father still lives. He attended Goldridge Primary School there, where his father was the coach and taught him most of his cricket. Travis played his first match for the school team while still in Grade 3, and was so promising that he was chosen for the Midlands team to play in the national primary schools cricket week while in Grade 4, when most boys in the team were three years older than he. So Travis played for his provincial side for four years, a remarkable record, and in his final year he was selected for the national primary schools team as captain. He also went on a tour to South Africa with a Mashonaland Country Districts team.

In those days he was more of a batsman who bowled leg-spin, and only developed his pace bowling later. He had another couple of years as a leg-spinner in his teens, when there was an abundance of pace bowling in the national Under-15 team and he was not particularly quick in those days, but reverted to pace at the age of 17 or 18.

The highlight of his junior school career was a century he scored in his last match; he could not have left it closer, scoring the single he needed for three figures off the last possible ball. He also remembers taking seven wickets in an innings for Goldridge, but cannot remember the opposition in either case.

After leaving Goldridge, he progressed to St George's College in Harare, where he was a boarder. In his first year he scored three successive centuries, against Prince Edward, Eaglesvale and Lomagundi, all strong cricket-playing schools. In Form Two he also scored a century, but did not reach three figures again for another two years. In Form Four he won selection for the school first team; the following year he scored centuries against St John's College and Falcon College, two more illustrious cricketing schools, and a further two in his final year. His 135 against Falcon remains his highest score in any cricket. His bowling was slower to develop, but he remembers taking five wickets for 27 runs on his debut for the school first team with his leg-spinners. The following year he reverted to pace bowling, but still keeps a leg-break as an occasional variation.

He was a regular selection for the national age-group teams, playing at Under-14 (as captain), Under-16 and Under-19 levels. His last year was the most successful, when he averaged in the mid-thirties with the bat at the South African Schools Week, including 85 against Boland and 59 against Natal. In the Under-19 World Cup that followed, in Sri Lanka, he scored 39 against the West Indies, and also thirties against Kenya and Namibia.

Travis began playing club cricket for Old Georgians in the 1997/98 season, with one match, and has played regularly for them since the following season. He does not have a great record for the club, his highest score to date being 31 against Universals at the beginning of the season. He learnt a lot in that innings from batting with Grant Flower.

Travis applied for the CFX Academy in 1998, hoping to miss his final year at school, but was advised by Dave Houghton and others to finish his studies first and then join the Academy for 2000, which is what he did. "It turned out well and I enjoyed my last year, so I think it was the best advice I had," he said.

He began slowly at the Academy, but enjoyed the thrill of Logan Cup cricket, a really new experience for him and the other students. "Every game is a highlight because I've really enjoyed every game," he said. "Taking five wickets against Midlands and scoring 38, and also 48 against Matabeleland - it's really a goal to score 50 in the Logan Cup and I was nearly there! I'm quite pleased with my bowling, and just learning in first-class cricket is a real highlight for me."

He has picked up a lot from a number of coaches during his career to date. "I suppose every coach helps," he says. "Every coach gives you different points; they all teach you different things; they have their own style of teaching, but they've all got something new to say and something you can pick up. I think every coach is important." He names his father as the main influence early in his life.

Travis' extra pace did not pass the Zimbabwe selectors by, and he was amazed to find himself in the one-day squad to play New Zealand early in 2000/01. He enjoyed a good spell of bowling, taking three wickets in a warm-up match against the tourists, and feels this was what propelled him into the national side. He was very excited at his selection, although he also found it rather nerve-racking.

He played in the second of the one-day internationals, down to bat at number ten but not required, and opening the bowling opposite his captain Heath Streak. His figures were none for 29 off seven overs, and felt "personally I was quite satisfied but felt I could have done a bit more. Nerves did come to me during that game, but I was fairly happy with my first game and it's something to build from. The crowd was very exciting, and just being part of the attack was very exciting, and a good experience."

He would have played in the third match as well, but did not feel fully match-fit for it, as he was still being troubled by a stress fracture in his back after playing Logan Cup cricket in March, which put him out of cricket for the winter. He did gain selection for the trip to Sharjah that followed in October, though, where he played in all four matches, with considerable success, considering the slow pitches there. In two (losing) matches against India he took seven wickets.

In the Indian tour that followed he was less successful, but he was again being dogged by injury, which prevented him from making his Test debut. He managed to play only one match in the triangular tournament in Australia, and he was diagnosed as having another stress fracture.

Fortunately it did not take him long to heal, and he was soon back playing Logan Cup cricket for Midlands, initially as a batsman only. In the final match, against Mashonaland, he recorded a fine 115, which was actually his first score of over 50 in first-class cricket. His Test debut finally came in the winter series against India, when he took three wickets.

Travis played a lot of one-day internationals during 2001, perhaps too many, as his lack of the consistent line and length necessary in this form of the game often allowed the opposition to get off to a cracking start. Similarly in the First Test match against South Africa he was hammered mercilessly for 147 off 27 overs, although he took a couple of wickets with bad balls.

Since then he has remained a regular member of the national side in both forms of the game. Against Bangladesh in Dhaka he scored 81, as well as taking five wickets in the first innings and seven in the match, for a total of only 57 runs. Apart from a gallant 44 as night-watchman, the highest score of the innings, he along with most of his team-mates had little to cheer him about the dismal three-match series in Sri Lanka.

As a batsman Travis has always been a strong driver, and is also stronger on the leg side, preferring to play, as befits a tall man, off the front foot. "I think I really prefer seam bowling where the ball comes on to the bat, but spin bowling doesn't really bother me," he says. "Playing with Paul Strang as captain and coming back from the recent tour of Sri Lanka, on those turning wickets, I've developed and learned to play spin a lot better." He enjoys batting at number five, which he finds very comfortable in the middle order, giving him time to rest if he has been bowling beforehand.

As a bowler his main asset is his pace, but realises he needs to concentrate on line and length. He has suffered a lower back injury recently, which he did not consider serious but in fact prevented him from travelling to Sri Lanka with the Zimbabwe A team. He likes to field in the slips when possible, but since leaving school he has been `demoted' and has instead developed a liking for the covers and midwicket. He likes to keep close to the game.

He played club cricket at Duncombe Park, Helmsley, in North Yorkshire during the 2000 season, where Gary Brent used to play, but his back injury prevented him from bowling at more than a gentle medium-pace. Still, he topped the club's batting averages and won many good friends there. He still receives great support from his family, who always follow his cricket and are keen to know what he is doing. They try to watch him play every game when possible, although his father now lives in Kwekwe.

Cricket heroes: "South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis. That's the person on whom I base my challenge in life, and I want to be much like him, both with the bat and the ball."

Toughest opponents: "I can't really point to any individuals. I suppose in every team there's always a tough opponent."

Immediate ambitions: "My ambition this next year is to get closer to the national side, and hopefully make the squad, being a regular in the B side, and progress from there."

Proudest achievement so far: "I think the one game I'll never forget was my last game at senior school. Obviously it's always a memorable game, but I scored 127 at number three off about 80 or 90 balls, to win by six wickets, chasing 240. We actually got that in about 32 overs, so it was a very good win."

Best friends in cricket: "Everyone; I've got lots of friends! All cricketers are my friends. Except batsmen who make my figures and my stats look bad!"

Other qualifications: "None yet. I've just come out of school. I'm hoping to pursue that when I've got time, but I'm thinking about become computer-literate for a start, because I think that's the future. I need something behind me, just to fall back on."

Other sports: "Another sport I really enjoyed was rugby. I played that a lot at high school, and I did represent my provincial side. But I always knew that I wouldn't go further than school, even though it was a good sport to enjoy. I play a lot of golf, and I'm quite keen on that sport as well."