Solomon Mire

Solomon Mire's reputation as a big hitter preceded his international debut by several years, but the allrounder only came into contention for national honours on the strength of club cricket performances thousands of miles away from his native Zimbabwe. As a teenager, he put together knocks of 94 against Southerns, an unbeaten 79 against Westerns and 52 not out against Northerns in the 2006-07 Faithwear Inter-Provincial One-Day Competition. He was then part of the Zimbabwe Under-19 team's dire trip to the Youth World Cup in early 2008, but his performances there and subsequently didn't suggest an outstanding talent, and an abductor injury upon his return to Zimbabwe was another set-back.

Mire's fortunes began to change when he emigrated to Australia in 2012. As something of a nomadic Grade cricketer, he spent some time in country Victoria and then moved on to Premier Cricket in Melbourne, where he played for Carlton and Essendon while also spending time in Darwin during the winter. He made community paper headlines in July 2014 when he slammed a 157-ball 260, including 21 sixes, for Waratahs to set a new tournament record in the Darwin and District Cricket Competition. His exploits for Essendon in the Victoria Cricket Association Premiership had also led to a game for Victoria Under-23s, and then a handful of games for Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League in 2013-14 as a community rookie. Zimbabwe eventually came calling, and Mire cobbled together a pair of fifties in unfamiliar conditions in his debut series in Bangladesh in late 2014. He'd done enough to earn a place in Zimbabwe's 2015 World Cup squad, with his experience of Australian conditions also adding to his value.
Liam Brickhill