Zimbabwe's Craig Wishart began the 1998/99 season in prime form,
with a one-day century against India followed by two good Test
innings. But a mixture of reduced opportunity, with the return
of Grant Flower after injury, and a run of bad luck culminated in
his being omitted from the World Cup touring party.
Then at the start of the new season he suffered a knee injury
which kept him out of cricket for almost two months. He returned
to club cricket for Old Georgians Sports Club in Harare with a
burst of runs, and scored a superb 152 in last weekend's
top-of-the-table clash with Alexandra Sports Club. John Ward
spoke to him and found him positive and eager to regain his place
in the national side.
Craig Wishart's knee injury at the start of this season may yet
prove to be a blessing in disguise. The powerful and talented
right-handed batsman feels that it has helped him to mature as a
player and sharpened his hunger for the game.
The problem flared up just before the national side's departure
for Singapore in early September, a tour for which Craig had been
restored to the Zimbabwean side after missing out on the World
Cup. He hurt it in practice, while the team was playing 'touch
hockey'. A team-mate came to touch him and it felt as if his
left knee had just snapped. It was quickly diagnosed as a
ligament injury. He suffered increasing pain on tour, and on his
return went to see a specialist, who said he had torn a cartilage
and needed an operation.
He had a minor operation; he could walk after two days, but the
specialist told him to give it six weeks to recover. It took
eight weeks, in fact, but when Craig returned to see him as it
was giving him a little trouble he was told not to worry as that
was normal, and that he could play again.
While Craig was recovering he still attended Old Georgians club
matches to support his team and found his attitudes were
changing. "I found that sitting on the sidelines was a bit of an
eye-opener for me," he says. "When you are playing you get so
caught up in the game that you don't notice that much, but from
the side you see different aspects of the game; you see where
your mates are going wrong and you say to yourself, 'Well, I
don't want to do that,' and you set yourself targets for when you
come back. And since I've come back all I want to do is get
myself some decent runs by batting a full fifty overs, which is
all I've got to play at the moment, and concentrate on occupation
of the crease; I want to put a price on my wicket now."
He began practising again about a month after his operation -
batting only, no running; just a knock in the nets. He played
his first club match about three weeks ago, a 35-over match
against Alex, and then a Vigne Cup match against Universals. He
scored a 60-odd, a thirty, and then last weekend 152.
While batting and bowling his knee has given him no trouble, but
when he has been exercising for some time and then stops, he can
feel it stiffening up. There is no pain, but it feels as if it
is going to seize up, although it doesn't.
He batted number three last Sunday against Alex, a match between
two unbeaten teams in the Vigne Cup while the national players
were taking on Sri Lanka in Bulawayo. He went in about the
fourth over when the first wicket fell. The pitch was very green
and a little damp after a great deal of rain the day before. The
ball moved around a bit, but there were no bowlers of any great
pace in the Alex attack, with Andy Blignaut feeling his way back
after injury. Also bowling were Mashonaland A players Gary du
Plessis and Craig Anticevich among others; "a mix-and-match
attack, really," says Craig.
He and wicket-keeper Bruce Moore-Gordon, who had opened the
innings, decided to bide their time and see off the new ball.
Craig encouraged his junior partner just to be patient and play
straight. The weather conditions were improving, so the pitch
was going to dry out and batting would become easier. Craig
found it quite difficult at the beginning and left a lot of balls
to start with. His first fifty runs came slowly; from 50 to 100
he accelerated, and then opened his shoulders for his final 52
runs, as the team entered the last twelve overs of the innings.
"My main aim was to play straight, occupy the crease, and the
shots would come after that."
Craig concentrated on hitting straight, especially over the
bowlers' heads, and recorded seven straight sixes. Team-mate
Craig Evans says, "This was one of the best innings I've seen him
play. Right from ball one when the ball was moving around he
knuckled down, left the good balls and hit the bad balls for four
- simple as that. If other players in the country learn from
that we'll have a better national side, I think. He waited very
patiently until he got his hundred and then just took the bowling
apart. It wasn't the greatest bowling attack I've ever seen, but
it doesn't matter what the bowling is like, you still have to
scored 150 runs, which he did. He hit the ball very methodically
and showed the way it should be done. Any youngster starting out
in cricket should have been made to watch that innings."
Craig feels rather frustrated that he now has three weeks without
any club cricket, as the national side is playing Sri Lanka in
Harare then and club matches cease. He and Evans both feel that
club cricket should continue despite the international matches;
in fact, Evans makes the suggestion that two-day cricket should
be played between club sides - one match per month is his
thought.
So Craig's present realistic hope is that he will be selected to
play in the next Zimbabwe Board XI match, against Gauteng B in
Mutare next month. His target after that is to force his way
back into the touring party which will participate in the
triangular tournament in South Africa, along with England, next
January and February.
"I'm dying to get back in and play," he confesses. "All I want
is to be given another opportunity and hope I take it. I want to
take it with both hands; I feel much better equipped now
upstairs."