Tom Benade - a biography

FULL NAME: Thomas Benade
BORN: At Harare, 1 September 1982
MAJOR TEAMS: CFX Academy (2001/02)
KNOWN AS: Tom Benade (pronounced `Benardy'). Nickname: Tank (from Thomas the Tank Engine)
BATTING STYLE: Right Hand Bat
BOWLING STYLE: Left Arm Medium Pace or Slow Left Arm Spinner
OCCUPATION: CFX Academy student

FIRST-CLASS DEBUT: CFX Academy v Matabeleland, 22-25 March 2001, at Country Club, Harare
TEST DEBUT: Still awaited
ODI DEBUT: Still awaited

BIOGRAPHY (April 2002)

Promising Academy all-rounder Tom Benade is fortunate to have a second chance after suffering an error that was not his fault. Having been omitted from the original CFX Academy intake for 2002 due to an administrative error, he was offered a place when Hamilton Masakadza withdrew to go to university in South Africa, and he has seized the opportunity with both hands.

Tom thinks his surname was originally Dutch, but more recently his family came from South Africa. His father and uncles used to play the game at school level, and Tom first found his interest in the game when they coached him as a youngster, along with his older and younger brothers, when they played with a tennis ball in the back yard. He grew up in Mutoroshanga in northern Mashonaland, where his family still lives, his father having a career in the mining industry.

He first attended Barwick School at Mvurwi, playing for the colts team in Grade Three, and then moved to Bryden Country School near Chegutu. He was in the school first team for two years; his best bowling performance was four for 30, bowling left-arm spin, and with the bat 69 not out. He also represented Midlands in the national primary schools cricket week and attended trials for the national Under-13 team.

He moved on to Lomagundi College for his high-school years, where he also learned to bowl seamers as there was an urgent need for one in the team. He has kept up his spin bowling, though, and still considers it the main string to his bow, although he can still bowl well in both styles. Here he remembers taking five for 40 against St John's College as his best bowling performance and scoring 79 not out against Prince Edward School, his highest score in any class of cricket.

He was selected for the Mashonaland Under-16 team and so improved as time went on that he reached the national Under-19 team in 2001, although without much success. At school he shared a room with Sean Ervine, who left school at the end of 2000 to attend the CFX Academy, and he encouraged Tom to apply for a position in 2002.

Then came the error that almost saw Tom miss out on a place in the Academy. According to Tom, he left his application for the Academy with the manager of Harare Sports Club, who temporarily went abroad, leaving it with his secretary to pass it on to the Zimbabwe Cricket Union in September - and she failed to do so. When the mistake was discovered, it was too late. But Tom was reprieved when Masakadza withdrew, and came into the Academy after missing the first two Logan Cup matches. He had been working for his father, running a store and learning about mining, and planning to go overseas for a year, when the news of his reprieve came through.

Tom had played winter cricket for the Maribou Club at Mutoroshanga, when he averaged 30 with the bat, and also a few matches for Harare Sports Club when in town. His best performances remain 79 not out - he has yet to score a century - and five wickets in an innings, but his determination and all-round ability in putting in useful performances when they are needed have been obvious.

Tom names Rory Ervine, father of Sean, as the coach who has helped him the most over the years in both batting and bowling, and at the Academy Dave Houghton.

As a batsman he is strongest on the off side, enjoying the drive and the cut. Given the choice, he would like to bat at number five or six in the order, but with specialist batsmen at the Academy he has usually batted in the lower middle order. He has opened the innings on occasion.

As a seamer he generally moves the ball into the right-hander, and as a spinner has developed a useful `slider', along with an inswinger and arm ball. He still considers his spin to be his main bowling style, ahead of his seamers. He likes to field in the region between point and cover.

Cricket heroes: Viv Richards and Sachin Tendulkar.

Toughest opponents: Raymond Price and Craig Evans so far.

Personal ambitions: "Definitely to get my first century! To get into the Zimbabwe A side in the next year or so."

Proudest achievement so far: "In 2000, in the Lomagundi first team, we played Churchill. We made 150 all out and I had to bowl the last over when they needed three runs to win. I kept them down and we won the game by one run."

Best friends in cricket: Sean Ervine, Stuey Matsikenyeri.

Other qualifications: Six O-levels, Pitman's accounts and computers.

Other sports: First-team rugby for Lomagundi and Mashonaland; hockey.

Outside interests: Fishing, especially spear-fishing, and going to the beach.

Views on cricket: "Regarding this quota system coming into Zimbabwe, I think people should be picked on merit."