Gary Crocker

Gary Crocker was a tall, rangy, left-handed all-rounder with a fine temperament, who may well have failed to make a mark on international cricket but for an injury to Ali Shah on the eve of Zimbabwe's inaugural Test match. Living in Bulawayo, Crocker was captain of Matabeleland but at the age of 30 had never represented the full national side when he received an emergency call late at night and made an overnight car journey of 440 kilometres to take his place in Harare the following morning. His Test record was not spectacular, but he had a memorable ODI debut with a fifty and four wickets against India. Unfortunately the following season he made a business move to Kadoma, where he lacked good practice facilities, lost form and was never included contention again. He now lives in the USA. He was also a superb baseball player.
John Ward