Malcolm Jarvis

Malcolm ('Mallie') Jarvis was a great-hearted and underestimated servant of Zimbabwe cricket, a left-arm seam and swing bowler who was at his best with the new ball. Unfortunately his lack of pace was sometimes held against him, but he played in Zimbabwe's Inaugural Test match against India in 1992-93 and was proud of the fact that, in his five Tests, he never finished on the losing side; had not a catch been dropped, he would have taken Zimbabwe's first wicket in Test cricket.

He grew up in the Midlands and attended Que Que (as it was then) High School, later moving to Harare. He had a classic bowling action, could bowl in the blockhole and moved the ball predominantly away from the right-hander off the pitch and into him in the air. There was no harder trier and he would bowl for hours on end, even through nagging injuries, although there were few fitter men. He was a great team man, particularly helpful to younger players. He was no batsman, although occasionally applying the long handle, and a good honest trier in the field. He retired at 38, just having regained his national team place against Sri Lanka in 1994-95, saying he did not want to be the oldest man in international cricket! He was for a while the national team's fitness trainer, but since then the Zimbabwe cricket authorities have sadly neglected his expertise.
Steven Price