A bio of LT Gumunyu-Manatsa

[CrimsonAvenger]

http://www.dailynews.co.zw/index.php/sp ... t-for.html

HARARE - There is always an air of excitement and anticipation when a fast bowler of real talent emerges onto the scene.

Such is the case with new Mashonaland Eagles quickie Tatenda Gumunyu-Manatsa.

Although Manatsa had a brief taste of provincial cricket in 2009, his school-leaver year, it is this season where he has blossomed into a genuine, spritely left-arm fast bowler of abundant promise.

Unlike most emerging young black cricketers in Zimbabwe, young Tatenda enjoyed a privileged background, which meant that his natural talent in sports was well-buttressed with a parental support line which provided essential guidance and support in the formative years.

Born Lovemore Tatenda Gumunyu-Manatsa 21 years ago in Harare, the youngster attended Borrowdale Junior School in the capital city, where the seed of sport was sown.

He started playing cricket in grade three for the school’s Colts team.

Manatsa proceded to St Georges’ College where he became more of an all-round sportsman.

“In senior school I played Under-14As, Under-15Bs, Under-16As, and Mash (Mashonaland) he tells Daily News of his early cricket days."

“In form three I played second team and towards the end of form four I was playing for the first team alongside the likes of (Ryan) Higgins and (Keegan) Meth (who went on to play for Zimbabwe).”

On leaving St Georges’, Manatsa took a gap year in 2009. He played one first-class match for Northerns, now known as the Mashonaland Eagles franchise.

A move he boldly declares as “a big turning point” in his career followed in 2010 when he joined current Zimbabwe pace bowler Kyle Jarvis, his former cricket and rugby first teammate at St Georges’, at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria, South Africa.

The HPC, a world-class sports science training facility situated on 76 hectares of land at the University of Pretoria, is an awe-inspiring venue of choice for sports professionals and enthusiasts alike.

It is home to the Turks Cricket Club, where Manatsa was taken through his paces in a very competitive environment.

“Jarvis was there. I linked up with him on the internet. I applied and was accepted,” says Manatsa.

“That’s where I learnt my cricket. All I know now came from there. It’s a high-class standard cricket because South Africa national team players come back to play when they are not on national team or provincial duty.

“AB de Villiers, the current South Africa ODI captain, played a couple of games for our team. It was very professional.

“They offered me a bursary, and I said I would return. Since I had not played first-class cricket, I learn what kind of a bowler I am. People say I’m like (West Indies great) Curtly Ambrose, the height and looks. I strive to get balance, not going for runs.”

Another huge step in Manatsa’s development was being picked by Zimbabwe Cricket alongside fellow upcoming seamers Tendai Chatara and Andrew Lindsay to attend a two-week fast bowling course in Brisbane, Australia, in 2010.

Manatsa went back to Pretoria in 2011, but selectors back home were taking notice. In June of that year, he returned home to Harare to take up a place in a 30-man Zimbabwe training squad.

Encouraged by that, instead of going back to Pretoria, Manatsa joined the Mashonaland Eagles at the beginning of the current Zimbabwe domestic season.

“Obviously you can’t be selected for the national side if you don’t have first-class selection. So instead of going back to Pretoria, I decided to join them.”

It was a decision which has paid dividends so far in his young career. He took nine wickets in his first match against Midwest Rhinos back in October and has enjoyed a meteoric rise since then, to the extent of sparking talk of a national call-up soon.

Tall and lean-built, he uses his height to generate awkward bounce off a good length.

“It has been indeed a satisfactory first full season for him under the guidance of the franchise’s coach Kevin Curran, who has been heavily involved in his development. I attribute that to my coach Kevin Curran and captain Stuart Matsikenyeri,” he says.

“The senior players have played a big part by showing confidence in me. The Eagles side is very talented.

“We have six national players in the side. We’ve good balance. KC is a very positive man, he wants the best out of his players. Definitely KC has been influential. He first spotted me at senior school and said I had potential.”

Manatsa has formed a formidable new ball partnership with Jarvis for the Eagles, and he names his teammate and another new Zimbabwean sensation, Brian Vitori, as his role models.

“Definitely in my eyes I see Jarvis and Vitori, they have potential to achieve great things in years to come,” he says.

The adjustment from club cricket to first-class level has also presented its challenges.

“Definitely,” he says. “There is definitely a difference between club cricket and first-class for two different things.

“At club you play one-day cricket. At first-class you play the longer version. It’s called Test cricket, its testing. I need to be stronger, fitter. I need to work hard to achieve what I need.”

He says of his national team hopes: “Absolutely. That has always been my aspiration, to play for the national team.”

Both his parents played an active role in his sporting upbringing, a factor he says put him in good stead.

“My parents have been very influential,” he says. “Since junior school, they have always been supportive, coming to watch matches, helping with the Parents Association. and sending me to HPC was a big turning point.”

Manatsa could well have been lost to cricket had he chosen to pursue the other sporting disciplines he excelled at.

At St Georges’ he was a gifted first team rugby player, prompting Zimbabwe Sevens rugby manager Bruce Hobson to offer him a training stint with the national side.

He was also a very good 400-metre runner, and was selected to represent Zimbabwe’s Olympics Development team in Pennsylvania, US, while still in school.

Did the all-round attributes present a dilemma for Manatsa? “Definitely,” he retorts.

“The biggest dilemma was athletics. That’s when Usain Bolt was emerging, and I started associating with him, guys started nicknaming me ‘Bolt’.”

Former Zimbabwe national team coach Curran, his coach at Mash Eagles, played a big role in convincing Manatsa to choose cricket.

A strict disciplinarian, it is befitting that it is under Curran that Manatsa’s talents’ have been developed to a high level.

“I discovered him at St Georges’, I think back then he had an athletics scholarship to go to the US,” Curran says proudly. “I said he has a lot of potential in cricket.

“He’s very quick, very tall. He’s a good athlete. I said he should pursue cricket. I will go as far as saying he will make the Zimbabwe team in the next year.

“He’s got the pace, he’s got bounce. We are just working on a few technical things. But there is no way he can’t play for Zimbabwe."

“He got nine wickets in his first franchise game against Rhinos, getting out good players like (Gary) Ballance. He’s done a good job."

“He’s future is bright. He’s got good attitude, good work ethics. He’s willing to work. I’ve seen him come in leaps and bounce. I see him opening the bowling for Zimbabwe shortly.”

Curran is also delighted by Zimbabwe’s growing fast bowling resources, represented by Jarvis and Vitori and backed up the emergence of Manatsa and other upcoming seamers like Tendai Chatara and Glenn Querl.

“Guys are there, we just need to go and get them,” Curran says.

“With the advent of franchise cricket, guys are playing at a higher level. We can actually pick another Zimbabwe side."

“In the past, we had just 13 players. Now we have 35. Whoever is picked for Zimbabwe is not going to let you down.”

Such a player is Manatsa.

[ZIMDOGGY]

“In the past, we had just 13 players. Now we have 35. Whoever is picked for Zimbabwe is not going to let you down.”

you sure about that my main man?

[hhm]

“In the past, we had just 13 players. Now we have 35. Whoever is picked for Zimbabwe is not going to let you down.”
you sure about that my main man?

it gets worse

I see him opening the bowling for Zimbabwe shortly....We can actually pick another Zimbabwe side.

After seeing how the latest LH fast bowling prospect turned out, I'm not sure if we'll want his career to last beyond his debut Test&ODI!

To be fair, his CV reads - "rich parents", Borrowdale Primary, St Georges cricket, Mashonaland age teams, FC-Northerns, HPC-SA, Curtly Amborse-like, fast bowling course in Australia, "mad" Zim national team trials, Eagles, good Eagles seamer (thanks in part to Matsi), St Georges senior rugby palyer, Zim development 400m runner(endurance sprints) & Zim Sevens trialist! Is there more? Oh Jarvis & Vitori are his role models!

Nothing wrong with having a look at him, he's doing ok in domestic cricket. Afterall with easy passes to international cricekt for Ncube, Vitori & Mushangwe - why not?

[Jemisi]

Ta. Good bio

[eugene]

I think this LT Gumboot-Mutasa fellow shoulod spearhead our attack right away, these old timers like Jarvis and Vitori have had their day.

[Jemisi]

He may be a good Mpofu replacement

[hhm]

I think this LT Gumboot-Mutasa fellow shoulod spearhead our attack right away, these old timers like Jarvis and Vitori have had their day.

YOu're starting to get it!

[Zimbo abroad]

Just as a correction, LT manatsa is a right arm bowler not a left arm bowler as previously stated.

He is far from ready for international, he was a very mediocre schoolboy player and probably on the lucky side of sub-standard first class cricket.