Keith Dabengwa

A useful allrounder from Matabeleland, Keith Dabengwa is a left-hand batsman and bowls orthodox left-arm spin. He learned his cricket at Baines Junior and Milton High School in Bulawayo, and good league performances earned him a place at the CFX Academy in 2001. Cheerful and unassuming, he nevertheless works very hard at his game, as was shown by his award as the Student of the Year at the Academy. He represented Matabeleland regularly but without creating headlines until hitting a remarkable 161 against Midlands in 2004-05. His developing allround talents earned him a place in the national squad the following season and he made his debut against New Zealand at Bulawayo but struggled to make an impression in a struggling side. Since then, he has represented Zimbabwe regularly in one-day cricket without ever cementing a spot in the side. He was originally a bowler who could bat, and although his flighted spinners, though accurate, have rarely earned him much success, he did take a remarkable seven wickets for just one run in a Logan Cup game in 2007. As a batsman he is usually studied and watchful, but can score quickly when the mood takes him. Originally thought of as a middle to lower-order batsman, he opened the innings for the Matabeleland Tuskers in the latter part of the 2009-10 Logan Cup and found some success, cracking 158 against the Midwest Rhinos in January 2010. Small and slight in build, he is an athletic fielder but is yet to truly fulfill his undoubted allround potential.
John Ward January 2010