FULL NAME: Alistair Douglas Ross Campbell
BORN: 23 September 1972, Salisbury (now Harare)
MAJOR TEAMS: Zimbabwe (since 1990/91), Mashonaland Country
Districts (1993/94-1995/96), Mashonaland (1996/97- ). Present
club team: Universals
KNOWN AS: Alistair Campbell (nickname `Kamba'; Shona for
'tortoise', due to his former lack of speed in the field)
BATTING STYLE: Left Hand Bat
BOWLING STYLE: Off Spin
OCCUPATION: Professional Cricketer
FIRST-CLASS DEBUT: Zimbabwe B v Pakistan B, at Harare South
Country Club, 2 October 1990
TEST DEBUT: Inaugural Test v India, at Harare Sports Club,
1992/93
ODI DEBUT: 29 February 1992, v West Indies, Brisbane (World Cup)
BIOGRAPHY (updated September 1999)
Alistair Campbell, if not quite born with a bat in his hand, has
at least been playing cricket for as long as he can remember.
His father is Iain (`Poll') Campbell, a prominent league
cricketer after the Second World War and headmaster of Lilfordia,
one of Zimbabwe's foremost cricketing primary schools, for over
twenty years.
When Alistair first handled a bat, his father insisted that he
use it left-handed, despite Alistair doing everything else with
his right hand. The theory was that the strongest hand should be
at the top of the bat, which for a natural right-hander would
mean turning around to bat left-handed. Certainly it seems to
have done no harm to Alistair's batting! Alistair names Iain as
the greatest influence of his cricketing career, while also
paying tribute, in adult cricket, to the advice of Dave Houghton
during his years at Old Hararians, and John Traicos for the
mental side of the game.
He attended junior school at Lilfordia, during the time of his
father's headship, but it was hardly nepotism that caused him to
set a school record by playing for the first cricket team at the
age of 8, with most of the other players four years his senior.
This meant he spent five years in the team, often opening the
batting. His first century came in his Grade Six year, 102 not
out against Courteney Selous School, but he had recorded quite a
number of sixties and seventies before them; afternoon cricket
rarely gave a player the time to reach three figures. He was
selected for the Partridges, the national primary schools
representative team.
He then moved to Eaglesvale High School, creating a sensation in
his first year there by scoring five successive centuries. He
played for the first team from Form Three onwards. He was
selected for the Fawns, the national Under-15 side, and then for
Zimbabwe Schools during each of his final three years. His final
year at school was a prolific one. In the National High Schools
Cricket Week, at Prince Edward School, he scored three centuries
in successive innings, and then did the same for Old Hararians in
the National League.
These successes led to his selection for the national side while
still at school. He played four matches against the touring
Pakistan B team, including two for the full national side, and
then became the youngest Zimbabwean to score a first-class
century with an unbeaten 100 against the touring county side
Glamorgan at the end of the season. He had limited success
against Australia B, but won his place to the 1992 World Cup.
Again, success was limited, but his class was obvious, and he was
already batting in the key position of Number Three.
He was a natural choice, even though he had only just turned 20,
for the Inaugural Test against India, and he played some good
attacking strokes in his first innings of 45. But he had a high
proportion of failures, and quickly drew criticism for the ways
in which he tended to get himself out when he should have been
set for a major innings.
He really came to the attention of the cricketing world during
the series in Pakistan in 1993/94, when he took on the pace of
Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, and plastered them all over the
Rawalpindi Ground. He scored three fifties in five innings, and
the two he scored at Rawalpindi created a tremendous impression.
Pakistani journalists went into ecstasies over his talent, going
so far as to name him as likely to be the outstanding batsman of
world cricket in the Nineties. Back home, practical Zimbabweans
were asking when he would start turning his brilliant fifties
into big centuries.
"It didn't really sink in," said Alistair three years later about
the praise he received in Pakistan, at the time when he first
became Zimbabwe's captain. "I was still a youngster, yet being
compared to all these great names . . . but I suppose it did
affect me, subconsciously. I felt that whenever I went into bat
there was an air of expectation; I tried to convince myself that
it didn't affect me, but I think it did. Instead of following
the age-old advice of occupying the crease and letting the runs
come, I felt I had to go out there and punish whatever was bowled
at me because that was what was expected of me. I think that led
to my getting a bit lazy and my technique became rather loose.
"As they say, bad habits die hard, and I think the reason I'm
struggling at the moment is that I've fallen into so many bad
habits over the past two years. I'm rectifying them, but it
takes a lot of hard slog to get back to where I was, technically
sound and playing very straight. I've tended to play a lot more
square with the wicket, and I have to play straight -- play in
the V, as they say in cricket. I'm trying to do that, and get my
feet moving again, as I became a bit static at the crease as
well, and failing to get my front foot far out enough. There is
a turning point at some stage in everyone's career, and hopefully
mine is on its way. I believe that, if you work hard enough, the
rewards will come. As Gary Player said, it seems the harder you
work, the luckier you get. Hopefully this series (against
England) may be a turnaround for me." And, to an extent, so it
was to prove.
As yet, Alistair has not yet recorded a Test century, although he
has recorded three centuries in one-day internationals. The
nearest he has come in Test cricket was 99 against Sri Lanka in
1994/95. His form since then has been disappointing, not least
to himself, but little is more certain than that century will
come. He still has to set his mind to really high scores,
though; for a batsman of his ability, his highest in any cricket
of about 170 in a league match is not enough.
Alistair has been called `Zimbabwe's David Gower' -- a batsman of
real class who nevertheless tends to infuriate by his tendency to
lose his wicket to apparently careless strokes and yet remain, to
outward appearances at least, quite unconcerned. He is batting
more responsibly these days, but such a reputation, once earned,
is very hard to lose.
When reminded at the time of the England tour of 1996/97 that he
is often criticised for throwing his wicket away unnecessarily,
Alistair smiled and said, "I totally agree with them! But you
only learn by experience, as you get older, and I think I'm
slowly beginning to learn that patience is not a virtue in
cricket; it's nine-tenths of the game. Before I may have hit a
few crisp shots and then thought that everything must go; the
arrogance of youth, I suppose, and just liking to get out there
and hit the ball. But cricket is a more refined game, and I
think it's taking me a bit longer to learn than people would
like. When I made my debut, I was batting at Number Three at the
age of 18, but those who have been big scorers for our country
like Dave Houghton and Andy Flower really only came to the fore
when they were 25 or 26. So I am learning; I'm only 24 and
should have a good 15 years left in me yet, so I'm confident that
things will improve, and I am learning the value of getting my
head down for a big innings."
Although the big innings still have not come, Alistair quickly
proved himself the man for a crisis. The first one-day
international against England provided him with a severe test of
temperament, and he came through with flying colours. England,
all out for 152, had reduced Zimbabwe to 97 for five before
Alistair came in at number seven, sporting an injured hand. Two
more wickets fell quickly, leaving Alistair to score 47 in
partnership with the last three batsmen in order to win the game.
Heath Streak and Eddo Brandes, who hit his first ball for six,
both did their part, while Alistair put his head down but kept
the score moving skilfully towards that target. His eventual
unbeaten 32 won the match for his team and was worth many times
that amount.
In the First Test in Bulawayo, Alistair came in first wicket
down, as he usually did, after an early wicket fell, and took on
the England bowlers in superb style. He displayed a wide range
of effortless strokes, seemingly devoid of risk, perhaps the best
being an immaculate hook off Darren Gough for four. He seized
the initiative with both hands, but again fell frustratingly
short of a Test century, getting out for 84. He played a major
role in building Zimbabwe's match-winning total in the third
one-day international, and played some valuable innings in the
triangular series in South Africa.
"I think it went reasonably well," he commented on his season.
"I played a few good 'crunch' innings, but again there was the
lack of a really big contribution. There were times when I had
set it up perfectly for a big score, and just threw it away. So
in that respect I wasn't very happy, but in respect of the team's
success, in my first season as captain and my contributions I was
very happy, apart from the last tour in Sharjah, where I had a
real shocker. But after setting myself up for a few big scores I
didn't follow through, so obviously that's something I have to
work on."
The chief regret of his career remains the fact that he has not
yet scored a Test century. "It's something that will come," he
asserts, "but it's pretty frustrating that it hasn't come
earlier. I've had the opportunities to do so, but I haven't
really followed through yet." He also regrets having thrown his
wicket away on many occasions, a tendency which still has not
left him.
He continued to show his ability to rise to the crisis against
New Zealand early in the 1997/98 season. He had a moderate Test
series with the bat, but Zimbabwe were on top almost throughout
both Tests without being able to finish the match. Alistair
recognises this as being a symptom of Zimbabwe's lack of
experience in winning, a situation which may take time to
improve. But a major test came in the second one-day
international, as Zimbabwe, chasing a New Zealand score of 185,
slumped to 42 for three, thanks to some indiscreet batting from
the top order. Gavin Rennie was still there, playing a fine
mature innings, but Alistair quietly took charge of the
situation. They shared a stand of 123 before four more wickets
fell in fairly quick succession, but Alistair stayed to the end,
scoring an unbeaten 77. He looked ready to pull Zimbabwe out of
an even tighter situation in the final match, only to be run out
by his partner before he was able to get into his stride.
He had now moved down the batting order from number three to
five, deciding at the start of the series to play Andy Flower,
who had been in outstanding early-season form, at three. The
success or otherwise of this move remains dubious, but certainly
Alistair is finding number five a good spot from which to steady
the ship if necessary.
As captain, Alistair still has not started producing the runs
desirable at Test level, and admits that he still gives his
wicket away too often. He aims to get his Test batting average
up to 35 or 40, no easy task now after 33 Tests with an average
of just under 30. He does not find Zimbabwe's lack of continuity
in Test cricket easy to handle, though, with constant mini-series
of just two or even one Test match at a time. He has done far
better in one-day internationals, especially since he started
opening the batting. He first tried this in the two-match
one-day series at home against Pakistan in 1997/98, and continued
to do so until Neil Johnson later took over the role. He scored
a superb 102 opening for Zimbabwe against Australia in the first
match of the triangular tournament of April 1998, when Zimbabwe
were at one stage 143 for one chasing a target of 253. But an
appalling middle-order collapse destroyed their hopes of victory,
although Alistair stayed to be last out in the final over,
immediately after reaching his century.
At home against India in September 1998 he led off with two
dashing fifties, neither of which led to victory, and then
recorded a third one-day century in the Mini World Cup against
New Zealand, another match his team narrowly lost. In Sharjah he
lost form, although in the 'dead' match against India he
experimented by batting at number six and giving Craig Wishart
the chance to open. Wishart failed, and Alistair was required to
come in at 46 for four and stop the rot. He did so with a fine
unbeaten 83, and this time his efforts were rewarded with
victory.
As the team continued to Pakistan, it was decided that Alistair
should stay in the middle order where he have just proved his
ability to add stability, at number five, while Johnson should
open, as he had been used to doing for Natal. For Johnson the
move proved immediate dividends, as he kicked off with 74 and 103
in his first two matches. Alistair steadied the innings in his
first match with 42 almost single-handedly, but since then his
form has been erratic. His best innings perhaps was his 97, run
out, which rescued Zimbabwe, who had been overconfident, against
Bangladesh in the triangular series also involving Kenya in
Dhaka. In the 1999 World Cup in England his form was poor, along
with most of Zimbabwe's other batsmen, his only satisfaction
being useful innings against Kenya and New Zealand. Against
stronger opposition he was unable to rescue his team when
necessary and too often gave his wicket away with 'soft'
dismissals.
At the start of the 1999/2000 season the decision was made to
move him back to his old position at number three for one-day
matches, as Murray Goodwin had suffered a long period of poor
form in that position. He feels, though, that since he started
opening he has made a great improvement in his one-day cricket.
He was keen to try out innovations, to improvise and develop new
strokes with the field compulsorily in close, and he enjoyed
simulating match situations in the nets. He was disappointed to
drop down the order, but was unselfish enough not to demand his
own way and to realise that this was for the good of the team.
On leaving school, Alistair was immediately engaged as a
professional coach by the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, eager to
preserve and exploit this young talent to the full. At club
level, Alistair has moved from Old Hararians to Universals, his
present club. He felt he needed a change, but the commercial
aspect was also a strong factor, as he was offered a good salary
and realises the need for cricketers, with a comparatively sport
career span, to cash in on offers coming his way. During the
recent off-season in 1997, he did a lot of marketing on behalf of
his fellow players, which he recognises as an important part of
the modern game. He managed to close a few deals for the
players, concerning, for example, fuel and cell-phones. "With
the team's success, there are people out there willing to help
and contribute," he says. "It's just a matter of going out there
and putting a proposal forward. I do quite a lot of that in the
off-season."
He was appointed vice-captain of the team to tour Australia in
1994/95, replacing Dave Houghton who was not available for the
full duration of the tour. He captained Districts occasionally
in the absence of Andy Waller, but had had very little experience
of captaincy before his appointment to succeed Andy Flower at
national level. Reports generally agree that he did a good job
on tour in Sri Lanka and Pakistan, and had the respect and
support of his team.
Since then he has kept the captaincy of the national side,
through good times and bad. He has frequently been criticised by
television commentators in particular for a lack of tactical
awareness, especially since Dave Houghton retired and was only
able to give advice in his off-field capacity as coach rather
than on the field itself. But that is trying to put an old head
on young shoulders, and Alistair admits that he is still learning
the job all the time. He tries to maintain a positive approach,
to learn when to attack and when to defend, and to keep the
attitude of 'We can win'. Houghton has always been more than
willing to give wise advice and he is satisfied with the way
Alistair is developing in the job.
The best innings of his career, Alistair feels, was his
first-innings score of 63 against Pakistan at Rawalpindi, that
innings which won him such lavish praise from the Pakistan
scribes and which was concluded with a very dubious lbw decision,
one that was highly unpopular even with the partisan home crowd.
He remembers, when reaching fifty, that Javed Miandad came up to
him in the middle of the pitch to shake his hand, a rare
occurrence. He feels inclined to rate Wasim Akram, one of the
bowlers he pasted all over the ground on that occasion, as
perhaps the best bowler he has faced during his career. He also
notes the Pakistani off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq as a bowler who
has bowled particularly well to him.
He thinks that some of the nations are playing too much cricket,
especially with the amount of travelling involved. He also fails
to see the need, as professional cricketers, to tour abroad and
spend two weeks warming up by playing local sides; this, he
thinks, is overly tiring. One week should be sufficient at the
start of a tour, and after that cricket should be confined to
international matches. Any young player in the party coming into
the side due to injury or loss of form on the part of a player in
the team should be professional enough to work out what needs to
be done in the nets and should not need practice matches to keep
in form. The strain of unnecessary matches tells on senior
players, especially pace bowlers. If countries like England want
inter-national teams to tour the counties, he feels, they should
invite teams such as Kenya and West Indies B, rather than put the
strain on top international players.
His main aims for the future, more vital to him than reaching
that first Test century, are to win a Test series for the first
time as captain, especially a series away from home. He feels
that away victories are the real measure of a team's ability,
which cannot be judged simply by its successes at home.
Outside cricket, Alistair spends most of his spare time playing
golf, which he finds important in order to relax, and is also not
averse to a spot of gambling -- which he is learning to do less
frequently when batting! He is married to Adrienne, and they
have a step-son approaching his sixth birthday, and a young son.