Clement Mahachi (born 27 September 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 nine first-class matches between 1999 and 2002.

Biography

Coming from a family primarily interested in soccer, Mahachi had no familial ties to cricket. His introduction to the sport happened around age ten or eleven at a primary school in

Bulawayo Bulawayo (, ; Ndebele: ''Bulawayo'') is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council ...

townships, part of

Zimbabwe Cricket Union Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC), previously known as the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) until 2004, is the governing body for the sport of cricket in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe Cricket is a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC), and administers th ...

's development scheme. He later attended Bulawayo Academy. Despite his initial focus on soccer, Mahachi showed promise in both

batting Batting may refer to: *Batting (baseball), the act of attempting to hit a ball thrown by the pitcher with a baseball bat, in order to score runs * Batting (cricket), the act of defending one's wicket with the cricket bat while attempting to score r ...

and

bowling Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), thoug ...

, leading his friend to encourage him to participate in the cricket sessions run by Nicholas Sisingo. In his debut match against the Rhodes Estate Primary School team, Mahachi was the top scorer for his team and also took four wickets. Unfortunately, lack of a

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarsh ...

scheme for a cricket-playing high school in Bulawayo meant Mahachi had no school cricket opportunities. However, he joined

Bulawayo Athletic Club Bulawayo Athletic Club is a sports club in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The Bulawayo Athletic Club Ground is the 12,000-capacity stadium. History The club was founded in 1894. Cricket is the main sport played at the club, but tennis, bowls, squash and ...

(BAC), scoring 133 against a team from Sunrise in Form One. It was only during the 1998/99 season that Mahachi joined the BAC first team. He successfully captained the local development team to two league titles and averaged 51 runs in the 1997/98 season. Former New Zealand cricketer and coach Bob Blair played a significant role in helping him secure a place on the Matabeleland Under-19 team despite the absence of school cricket. Though he was part of the Matabeleland team and an invitee for the national Under-19 World Cup trials, he was unable to fully showcase his skills. He also found out he was over-aged and could not qualify for the World Cup team. In 1999, playing for Bulawayo Athletic Club, Clement delivered strong performances with several fifties and regular wickets, his highest score being 70 against Bulawayo Sports Club. His potential led him to be recommended for the Academy by the Matabeleland Board and impressed players such as John Rennie. During his time at the Academy and in the

Logan Cup The Logan Cup is the premier domestic first-class cricket competition in Zimbabwe. It is named after James Douglas Logan. History The first recorded cricket match in what was known at the time as Rhodesia was played in August 1890 near Fort Vi ...

, Mahachi played as an all-rounder. He admitted to initially lacking batting confidence, which may have resulted in a low position in the order. While he typically opened in Bulawayo club cricket, he aimed for the sixth position in the Academy side. Mahachi spent the 2000 English season playing for Brook Cricket Club in Surrey. However, due to a calf injury mid-season he switched to spin bowling. After his year at the Academy, he had a successful stint with Old Hararians in the Vigne Cup. Later, he played for MacDonald Club. During his final contract year with the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, he moved to Bulawayo Sports Club and scored 101 not out in the first match. However, a back injury caused him to miss early parts of Logan Cup programme. Mahachi credits Blair and Carl Rackemann for developing his bowling skills.

References

External links

* 1979 births Living people Zimbabwean cricketers CFX Academy cricketers Matabeleland cricketers Cricketers from Bulawayo {{Zimbabwe-cricket-bio-stub