Sean Ervine: a biography

FULL NAME: Sean Michael Ervine
BORN: At Harare, 6 December 1982
MAJOR TEAMS: CFX Academy (2000/01)
KNOWN AS: Sean Ervine. Nickname: Slug ("Sometimes [at high school] I was a bit slow around the crease!")
BATTING STYLE: Left Hand Bat
BOWLING STYLE: Right Arm Fast Medium, occasional Off Breaks
OCCUPATION: CFX Academy student

FIRST-CLASS DEBUT: 23-25 March 2001, CFX Academy v Manicaland, at Harare Sports Club
TEST DEBUT: Still awaited
ODI DEBUT: Still awaited

BIOGRAPHY (March 2001)

Sean Ervine has a superb cricketing pedigree, with a father (Rory) and uncle (Neil) who both played first-class cricket for Rhodesia B during the seventies and a grandfather who represented the national schools team.

Naturally his father introduced him to the game at a very young age on the family farm, in northern Mashonaland, and he soon developed his talents at Bryden Primary School near Chegutu. He played for the school colts team, with and against boys mainly three years his senior, in Grade Two, and was promoted to the senior side two years later. He thus played for his junior school first team for four years. He has always been an all-rounder, his highest score being about 108, against Goldridge School, and his best figures eight for 11 against a local Chegutu team. In his Grade Six year he was selected for the national primary schools team, although he failed the following year to win a place in the national Under-14 side.

His high school was Lomagundi College, and in his first year there he was invited to play for and captain a Lilfordia School eleven against an English touring side. He scored 145, still his highest score in any class of cricket. He batted at number three, his regular position throughout his school career. He first won a place in the Lomagundi team while in Form Two, and was a regular from the following year onwards, for four years. His highest score for the school was 109 against Eaglesvale School and his best bowling figures five for 23 against Prince Edward.

In representative teams, he was more successful with selection for the national Under-16 team and made the Under-19 team as early as Form Three, at the age of 16. He has therefore played for the Under-19 side for three years and is still available for the next World Cup in Australia. In one match in the recent Under-19 tournament in South Africa he took four wickets for 10 runs in one match and was disappointed that he did not win a place in the record book there, which is kept for players taking five or more wickets in an innings. In the last Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka he scored 61 against South Africa.

Due mainly to living on a farm and attending boarding school away from Harare, Sean did not play club cricket until the 2000/01 season, when he joined Old Hararians. "I was lucky enough to get somebody to try me out, and I did reasonably well, so I stayed in the side," he says. He has not been able to play regularly due to the Under-19 tour and injury, but his best performances have been four for 33 against Harare Sports Club and 42 against Alexandra Sports Club, batting at number eight, where he inevitably gets little opportunity in the 50-over league.

He has played regular winter cricket, though, for Doma, near Mhangura, his home club in the northern areas of Mashonaland, over the past three years. His best score is 115 against Ayrshire and took five for 30 against Kadoma.

He left school at the end of 2000, in Form Five, to join the CFX Academy. Unfortunately injury ruled him out of an active role during his first few weeks there; he had been bowling at Harare Sports Club during a winter league festival during March 2000 when he twisted his knee trying to field a straight drive, tearing a cartilage and ligaments. He had an operation but the injury recurred while playing hockey at school. After recovering he enjoyed several months without trouble, bowling without a protective brace, but then when warming up for a league match against Queens Sports Club he suffered another recurrence, necessitating another operation when he should have been starting at the Academy.

He was finally declared fit to make his first-class debut in the fourth match of the Academy's Logan Cup programme, as a batsman, although he bowled a few overs of gentle off-spin. He was also awarded the captaincy for this his first match, following fellow student Terry Duffin in captaining the side on his debut. He has captained his teams throughout junior school until the age of about 15. He plans to wait another two months before trying to bowl pace again, to ensure it is properly healed and strengthened.

As a batsman he feels his best strokes are the cover drive, the flick off his legs and the cut, while with the ball he is primarily an away-swing bowler, with an inswinger as a variation. He can also move the ball either way off the pitch and has developed a good slower ball. He can field in any position, but prefers the covers.

"My dad has been my main coach," Sean says. "Davy Houghton helps me a lot at the Academy."

Cricket heroes: "Andy Flower is a favourite of mine, with Jacques Kallis."

Toughest opponents: "As a bowler, Charlie Lock in Districts cricket. As a batsman, Craig Evans has given me a few problems." He has not yet had the pleasure of bowling to Andy Flower!

Personal ambitions: "To reach national level and do well for my country."

Proudest achievement so far: "To make the Under-19 side when I was only 16 years old."

Best friends in cricket: Barney Rogers and Ryan Butterworth.

Other qualifications: O-levels. If he was not playing cricket, would probably be involved in "artwork design of some sort."

Other sports: At school, hockey, tennis, rugby, cross-country. Still likes to play tennis socially. Has given up hockey because of his knee injury. In Form Three, "my dad said to me, `If you are thinking of taking cricket up as a profession, you had better stop [rugby] now because you will mess up your body.'"

Outside interests: "Someday I would like to play the electric guitar."