After being controversially omitted from the Zimbabwe Under-19 team, Tawanda Mupariwa's outstanding form as a pace bowler for Matabeleland in the Logan Cup in 2003-04 forced the national selectors to fast-track him into the national squad when the 'rebel' players withdrew from the series against Sri Lanka. Mupariwa, a product of the Bulawayo development programme, is an accurate medium-pace bowler with a slender build. He relies on mainly on accuracy but has the ability to swing and seam the ball, and possesses a deceptive slower delivery. Mupariwa started off as a wicketkeeper but Wisdom Siziba claimed that position in the local development team. When he joined the Bulawayo Athletic Club, which is associated with the development side, the former umpire Chuck Coventry encouraged him to develop his pace bowling. Although he failed to get selected after the trials for the national Under-16 team, Mike Whiley was impressed enough to offer him a scholarship at Milton High School. He was selected for the CFX Academy in 2004. He began the 2006 West Indies tour as a fringe player, but made such outstanding progress that he finished as Zimbabwe's first-choice new-ball bowler. His batting also developed as he worked hard at it, and he is a competent fielder. Kevin Curran, the former Zimbabwe coach, named him a good learner with the right attitude, and perhaps the player who made more progress than any other on that tour. In 2008, he was the fastest Zimbabwe bowler to 50 ODI wickets, getting there in 28 games, nine fewer than Eddo Brandes. Despite his enviable one-day credentials, he fell out of favour as Zimbabwe searched for genuine pace bowlers but remains a consistent performer at domestic level and could well push for national selection once again in the future.
Steven Price September 2010