Andre Neethling (born 3 July 1979) is a Zimbabwean former

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

er. He played seven first-class matches between 2000 and 2002.

Biography

Andre Neethling developed his interest for cricket due to his mother's then-partner, Kevin Walters, who played cricket with him at a young age. Despite no familial connections to cricket and a slow start at Eaglesvale Primary School, Andre found his footing by Grade Seven. His cricketing skills advanced in Form One at St. John's College, which led to his selection for the national Under-15 team. He excelled both as a batsman, scoring four school centuries, and a bowler, securing eight wickets against

Hillcrest College , established = 1985 , oversight = Hillcrest Schools (Pvt) Ltd , headmaster = Orlando Fernandez , grades_label = Forms , grades = 1–4, Sixth Form , gender ...

. His highest score ever was 139 not out, a record that remains unbroken. In 1997, he joined the Under-19 team's tour of England but was limited due to

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi ...

. Interestingly, Andre's exceptional eight-wicket performance came from seam bowling. However, Bill Flower, father of Test players

Andy Flower Andrew Flower (born 28 April 1968) is a Zimbabwean cricket coach and a former cricketer. As a cricketer, he captained the Zimbabwe national cricket team. He was Zimbabwe's wicket-keeper for more than 10 years and is, statistically, the greatest ...

and

Grant Flower Grant William Flower (born 20 December 1970) is a Zimbabwean cricket coach and former cricketer. He is the current batting coach of Sri Lanka cricket team and Sussex. He is rated among the best Zimbabwean cricketers in history for his consisten ...

, saw potential in Andre as a leg-spin bowler. His guidance helped Andre develop a successful leg-spin technique, along with a top-spinner, arm ball, and a still erratic googly. Andre cites Bill as his career's most influential figure. In 1997, Andre joined

Old Georgians Sports Club The Old Georgians Sports Club is a sports club Harare. Its facilities include a cricket ground. The cricket ground played host to one first-class cricket match in October 1992, when Zimbabwe B played the touring New Zealanders, which saw the N ...

, where he continues to play. Despite a preference for batting third or fourth, he has often opened, scoring over 400 runs in the 2000/01 season. His bowling skills were less utilized due to the presence of another promising leg-spinner, Stephen Wright. After leaving St John's in 1997, Andre attended Ilsa College to complete his O-levels. He then worked with his father and stepfather before undertaking an A+ computer course and obtaining an international driver's license. Initially unsuccessful in joining the

CFX Academy The CFX Academy cricket team was a first-class cricket team representing the Zimbabwe's cricket academy in the country's domestic cricket competitions. They competed in the Logan Cup from 1999 until 2002. The club played their home matches at the ...

in 2000, he re-applied the following year with encouragement from his mother and was accepted.

References

External links

* 1979 births Living people Zimbabwean cricketers CFX Academy cricketers Mashonaland A cricketers Cricketers from Harare {{Zimbabwe-cricket-bio-stub