Ed Rainsford

Ed Rainsford was a tall right-arm seamer with the reputation of being one of the quickest bowlers in Zimbabwe. He won early selection for the national squad against Sri Lanka in 2004 when the 'rebel' players withdrew. He played five ODIs during that dispute, but never really made an impression. Zimbabwe's continuing player drain led to his recall to national colours in 2006. He developed an excellent yorker, which worked best with left-handers as his stock delivery swung the ball into them.

Rainsford grew up in the Midlands town of Kadoma, and despite attending a minor cricket-playing junior school showed little interest in the game until he was 11, when his father, who had played at school himself, coached him and fired up his enthusiasm. One of his older brothers played for Midlands in the early nineties before the Logan Cup acquired first-class status. After five years in the first team at Jameson High in Kadoma, he was so 'hungry' for cricket that he would catch a lift three times a week to Kwekwe, 45 miles away, to practise with the National League club team there. This led to selection for Midlands in the Logan Cup, as well as the Under-19 World Cup team and the CFX Academy in 2004. He performed commendably on the West Indies tour, but still tended to be inconsistent and left early to fulfil a club contract in England. He was less impressive in outings against Bangladesh and an Australian Academy side later in the year. After an outstanding performance in the Logan Cup in 2007, he was troubled by a bad stress fracture in his back, and did not feature in a single game for the national side between March 2007 and November 2008. After his return to international cricket Rainsford struggled for penetration. He remained a potent force at domestic level.
Steven Price