"100 Test wickets would be really special...": Zimbabwe pacer Blessing Muzarabani

India Gazette

19-05-2025

London [UK], May 19 (ANI): Ahead of his side's one-off Test match against England, Zimbabwe pacer Blessing Muzarabani admitted that taking 100 Test wickets 'would be really special.'
England will host Zimbabwe for a one-off Test from May 22 at Nottingham in a bid to prepare for the home series against India starting from June 20.
Speaking about getting to the milestone ahead of the game, Muzarabani said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo, 'Yes, that is a great thing. Because I feel like Test wickets are really hard to get, actually, so getting 100 wickets is a big achievement for any fast bowler. That would be really special. I am working through my processes, and everything that happens, of course, we work hard to make sure those things happen. But, as well, I am not really looking at wickets.'
Muzarabani, a six-foot-eighth-inch pacer, said that 'his greatest weapon is height'.
Zimbabwe does not have a great pace line-up. He had to travel worldwide for his trade, from Harare, to Northampton, to Bulawayo, Belfast, Abu Dhabi and Sylhet to prove himself as a great fast bowler.
In 12 Tests, he has taken 51 wickets at an average of 21.84, with best figures of 7/58. In 2025 itself, he has taken 26 wickets at an average of 18.61. In first three matches, he secured figures of 6 for 95 (against Afghanistan in Bulawayo), 7 for 58 (against Ireland in Bulawayo) and 6 for 73 (against Bangladesh in Sylhet), making him the first pacer since West Indies legend Malcolm Marshall in 1988 to take six-plus wicket hauls in three successive Tests. The only other pacers to achieve this feat are Pakistan's Imran Khan and, in the 19th century, George Lohmann and Tom Richardson.
Muzarabani is already the eighth-highest wicket-taker for Zimbabwe in Tests. With seven more Tests still to go, he could catch up with Ray Price (80 scalps) and end behind legendary Heath Streak (216 wickets). He would be only the second player from his country to reach the 100-wicket mark if he accomplishes it.
Contributing to his team's win, which he has been able to do only twice so far, remains the pacer's top priority as he said, 'That is something that I would really love to do, to make that impact for the team, get those big wickets, so we can win more often. This is a big journey, playing against big teams. But, of course, I cannot be worried about what I am going to do, thinking too much about it. The goal is just to win more games.'
Since he returned to Tests for the first time in three years during mid-2024, nobody in Zimbabwe who has taken 10 wickets have got closer to his career average (21.84) and strike rate (43.70), including Streak. He credits former South African pacer and current Zimbabwe bowling coach Charl Langeveldt.
'I am really just enjoying my Test cricket. Working with my bowling coach, it is about understanding the lengths to bowl in Test cricket. I feel like the more I play, the more I understand how I get my wickets. [Langeveldt] is the guy who has been working with me on my lengths and all the skills that I am trying to use. He's been really helpful in the things he is saying,' he said.
Growing up in Zimbabwe, he developed his ability to 'hit the deck' rather than swing. He is well aware because of his time in Northamptonshire about the importance to trying to pitch it up in English conditions.
'For me, it is about bowling a touch fuller. Yes, of course, my natural length can work, but also you have to be much fuller [to make the ball move],' he said.
'Especially with me being tall, you can get carried away. In England the pitches are slower, sometimes when you bowl back of a length, guys can pull you and take you on. But the swing is something that can make you lose your control, so you have to find a balance. I learned a lot [in county cricket],' he added.
Muzarabani has played at Trent Bridge in Nottingham before, the venue for their one-off Test, though in pre-season for Northants six years ago. The ground's reputation for swing has dissappeared over the years and the pacer expects some bounce that would help him bowl at his favourite 'ribcage length'.
Muzarabani is well aware that the opening pair of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett will aim to attack him early on, but he will be relying on his new ball partner, Richard Ngarava, who is more shorter and stockier and a left-arm swing bowler.
'It is great bowling with Richie, we pick each other up. When it is not going our way, we tend to communicate. When my head is going down, he will come to me, he knows my action. We were both playing together when we were really young, 9 or 10. So you know what to say because we know each other,' he said.
Recently, the pacer has had plenty of franchise cricket experience, in Carribbean Premier League (CPL), Pakistan Super League (PSL) and International League T20 (ILT20) and could make his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) soon after being signed as a replacement for South African Lungi Ngidi, who will miss out on playoffs due to his side's ICC World Test Championship final commitments.
These leagues have helped him develop plenty of variations, durability and skills, which he would need against a 'Bazball' powered England. The pacer said that he is trying to figure out his plans against England who are 'not often going to get caught defending'.
'To be honest, they [England] play almost like T20 sometimes. So for me, I am trying to figure out the plan because they are not often going to get caught defending. It is just more like backing yourself and being positive, because those guys are some of the best in the world. You can't be worried about what they are going to do. You just have to worry about your lengths and your field.'
'In the leagues, you learn a lot of things. You meet new people every day. You have to try to understand the captain that you are working with. Of course, it's not every captain that will believe in you, so you have to prove your point and try to improve yourself. So I feel like it is good. You are not in your comfort zone, but you have to learn. I feel like it is something that is really helping with my awareness and my T20 cricket,' he added.
With a red ball in his hand, he would be looking to back his 'Just hit your length' mantra.
'You cannot start thinking about those guys [what they are going to do], you get confused. Just trust yourself and trust your lengths,' he added.
For Muzarabani, now 28, the priority is to play for his country, and he is enjoying the massive rise in Test fixtures his team has got this year.
'Playing for your country is always the best feeling, because you are representing your family. Of course, playing franchise cricket, you have extra money and you see the world, you get experience. But the first thing is always playing for your country. For me, that's the number one thing,' he said.
He said that walking out at Trent Bridge for the Test 'will be he greatest feeling ever for me and for the team.'
'I am just looking forward to showing everyone what we can do. It is just a dream come true, for sure, getting to play [England in England]. No doubt that everyone is excited for the opportunity.'
'We believe we can actually cause an upset. I believe we are all good enough to really put on a good show. So I am sure if we just come in and then do everything that we have to do, we are doing everything right, we are going to come out in a good position in the game,' he added. (ANI)