FULL NAME: Ngonidzashe Blessing Mahwire
BORN: At Bikita, 31 July 1982
MAJOR TEAMS: CFX Academy (2000/01). Present club side: Universals.
KNOWN AS: Blessing Mahwire. Nickname: Madman ('They say I do things that no normal person would do!')
BATTING STYLE: Right Hand Bat
BOWLING STYLE: Right Arm Medium Pace
OCCUPATION: CFX Academy student

FIRST-CLASS DEBUT: 16-18 February 2001, CFX Academy v Mashonaland, at Harare Sports Club
TEST DEBUT: Anticipated 9-13 November 2002, against Pakistan, at Harare Sports Club
ODI DEBUT: Still awaited

The surprise selection of Blessing Mahwire for the First Test match against Pakistan in November 2002 was the latest step in the player's meteoric rise to prominence. He had a useful but not outstanding debut season for the CFX Academy in 2001/02, after which he was posted to Manicaland for the remaining two years of his initial contract.

He did not even win selection for the Manicaland first team at the start of the 2002/03 Logan Cup season, but played instead in the B Division for Manicaland B against a strong Mashonaland B team. He took two expensive wickets, but with the bat scored 99 and 80 to win a place in the senior side for the second round. This time he succeeded with the ball, taking nine wickets in the match, while his crucial 38 in the second innings played a major part in a two-wicket victory over Midlands.

After another five wickets against Matabeleland in the third match, Blessing was selected in the Zimbabwe squad for the First Test against Pakistan, and later named in the team to make his Test debut at Harare Sports Club. He will then become the first player from the minor province of Masvingo to represent Zimbabwe at full international level.

The emergence of Blessing as a promising cricketer is notable, not simply because he is a black player who could become a genuine all-rounder but also because he comes from Masvingo, a province where cricketing roots are still quite shallow. Like other black players, his parents had no real knowledge of the game, but he does have the advantage of an older brother who played.

Blessing feels that his love of the game stems from school rather than his brother, though. He attended Ellen McGhie primary school in Masvingo, where Lazarus Zizhou, the coach, introduced him to cricket at the age of ten. He developed first as a batsman in his school team and progressed to the provincial primary schools team, which was also coached by Mr Zizhou. His best score at junior school was 80 not out against Chikato School, and for Masvingo in the national primary schools cricket week scored 48 against Mashonaland.

He moved on to Victoria High School where he was quickly recognized as a player of great potential. He was promoted to the school first team in his first year at the school and therefore spent six years in that side, captaining the team for most of that time. It must be admitted, though, that the standard of cricket at the school and of the opponents they played was not high, and Blessing's record therefore inevitably flatters him to some extent.

In 1996, when in Form Two, he also decided to begin bowling seriously, no doubt due in part at least to the weakness of his school team in that department. He has always been a seam bowler and by the following year had done well enough to be selected for the national Under-16 team as an all-rounder. He was also to play for the national Under-19 team in his final year. The teams went to the South African weeks in Durban and Bloemfontein respectively.

His highest score for his school was 154 against Mount Pleasant in Harare in 1998. He believes he scored 13 or 14 centuries for his school altogether. His best bowling figures were seven wickets for seven runs in four overs against Mutare Boys High. In most matches, though, he played weak opposition, but nevertheless showed the skill and determination to amass large scores.

He pays tribute to coach Bruce Makovah who helped him especially with his batting, and to Joshua Paul, who helped him with the mental side of the game. He developed such a love of the game that without undue prompting from others he applied and was accepted for the CFX Academy in 2001.

Blessing started playing cricket for Masvingo Sports Club in 1996, although success came slowly at club level where he rarely bowled. He has also played for Old Victorians, for whom he scored two centuries just before joining the Academy, and has now joined Universals in Harare. Number three is his favoured batting position, which he kept throughout his school career.

Coming to the big city, he was not able to dominate the cricket scene as he did in Masvingo and played for the Academy in the lower middle order more as a bits-and-pieces player. He took time to adjust to the stronger opposition. As a batsman he prefers the drive, off either foot, while with the ball he moves the ball predominantly into the bat, in the air and off the pitch. He can field in the slips but has often been used by the Academy at short leg.

"It was of benefit to me all round," he says of his Academy year in 2001. "I became a better fielder, better batsman, better bowler. I'm happy with my batting especially. Now I approach it more professionally, and in a match I have plans about what I am going to do and I set myself standards." In the national league his highest score to date is 98 for Universals against Macdonald Club of Bulawayo, in the 2001/02 season.

When his Academy year had finished, he wished to return to Masvingo to play and coach there, but the infrastructure was not yet in place, so instead he successfully applied to stay in Mashonaland, for a year at least. The local Masvingo club was still in the third league and Logan Cup status was not granted until 2002/03, and he wanted to maintain his standard of play at the highest level possible. However, due to the surplus of top players in Mashonaland, he was seconded to Manicaland for the Logan Cup competition for 2002/03. He aims to return to Masvingo in the future, 'putting Masvingo cricket on the map', as he says. He does at present still coach in Masvingo.

Although he considers himself to be more of a batsman who bowls, he was batted low in the order in the Mashonaland team and the Zimbabwe Board XI, and played more as a front-line bowler. Playing for Manicaland turned out to be a great boost for his career, where he was able to play a major role with bat and ball.

Blessing is a pleasant young man but, no doubt because he is from a smaller centre, he is less guarded about his hopes and dreams than the city-dwellers. He dreams of breaking Brian Lara's Test batting record and says, "I think I am going to bring a surprise for Zimbabwe cricket." How far he goes will depend on his ability to adjust to the higher level and his own determination and commitment.

Cricket heroes: Guy Whittall - 'he's a match-winner and plays to win.'

Toughest opponents: Eddo Brandes and Andy Flower.

Personal ambitions: "I want to play for the national team and one thing I am trying hard to achieve is to break the world Test batting record."

Proudest achievement so far: "In 1999 I performed well and was given an award at the high schools festival at Prince Edward for the most promising upcoming batsman."

Best friends in cricket: "None in particular; they are all my friends."

Other qualifications: 8 points for A-levels. "If I was not playing cricket I would be in architecture or quantity surveying."

Other sports: Basketball, rugby, soccer, tennis and rounders for the school. Now 'just a bit of swimming'.

Outside interests: Listening to music and staying away from the noise!

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