Former Zimbabwe international opens new academy

Mathew Townshend, the former Zimbabwean Under-19 and Matabeleland allrounder, is reported to have opened a cricket academy at Whitestone School in Bulawayo. Townshend is a product of the Harare Sports Club-based Zimbabwe Cricket Academy that was destroyed in an arson attack last October.

He learnt his cricketing skills under the guidance of Dave Houghton and was one of the first intake there. He toured Kenya with a Zimbabwean development team in 2000, Both his father Derrick and uncle Trevor played for Rhodesia in the late 1960s in the South African Currie Cup.

In another development, Ray Price, the ex-Zimbabwean and current Worcestershire spinner, made a surprise appearance for Old Hararians in the national league semi-finals against Harare Sports Club on Saturday. It's not clear whether this is a one-off or whether this is a sign he is contemplating a return to the Zimbabwean set-up with an eye on the World Cup in the Caribbean later in the year. The final squad announcement is set for February 15.