Zimbabwe debutant Masekesa reveals inspiration behind his Test debut
has received from fellow spinning greats that has helped his rise to the top.
Masekesa won his Test debut during the ongoing second Test between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh and the 28-year-old has already made a strong impression by picking up three wickets on the second day of play here.
It's been a long time coming for Masekesa, who only made his first-class debut at the start of 2021 and finally won a first Test cap on the back of taking plenty of wickets for Mountaineers in Zimbabwe's domestic Logan Cup competition.
Masekesa was the leading wicket-taker in the Logan Cup last season with 43 scalps and his efforts obviously caught the eye of Zimbabwe selectors as the leg-spinner earned a first Test cap against Bangladesh.
Unsurprisingly, Masekesa nominated champion spinner Shane Warne as someone he admires and also singled out a host of current day tweakers that are still at the top of their game, an ICC report said.
"I am always a big fan of leg-spinners. Shane Warne obviously and most of the Zimbabwe leg-spinners and growing up Graeme Cremer was there," Masekesa said.
"I also look up to Adil Rashid from England, (Yuzvendra) Chahal from India...(Adam) Zampa from Australia. Even Rishad (Hossain) from Bangladesh," he said.
Masekesa didn't take long to make an impression with the ball on debut as he picked up Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto for his first Test scalp and then added a further two wickets later in the day as Zimbabwe fought hard in the series finale.
"Honestly, I wasn't expecting that first wicket at that exact moment but it meant a lot. Representing Zimbabwe in Test cricket is a big opportunity, and I was really happy," Masekesa said.
A century to Shadman Islam helped Bangladesh obtain a first innings lead by stumps on the second day of the Test, but Masekesa believes his team is still well in contention of fighting back and picking up the win to complete a series sweep.
"They're playing well, no doubt. But we're still very much in this game. We'll fight hard to keep things under control tomorrow," he added.
UNI BM
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Hesson points how Babar could return to T20Is following Asia Cup omission
Islamabad [Pakistan], August 18 (ANI): Pakistan coach Mike Hesson said that star batter Babar Azam could make his return to the T20I set-up by working on his game against spin and strike rate and admitted that the 30-year-old was 'working really hard on" these things. Babar has not featured in the shortest format for Pakistan since the end of last year, and the right-hander was recently left out of the side's squad for the upcoming tri-series against the UAE and Afghanistan and next month's Asia former Pakistan captain looked in decent touch when he managed 47 from 64 deliveries during the opening match of Pakistan's recent ODI series against the West Indies in Trinidad, but a pair of failures (zero and nine) from the ensuing contests failed to grab the attention of overall strike rate of 129.22 and 133.21 last year in 24 matches and 23 innings, during which he gathered 738 runs with six fifties to his name, attracted plenty of criticism. Hesson suggested two key areas that Babar must address if he wishes to return to the international fold for the next edition of the T20 World Cup at the start of next year, and has left the door ajar should the former Pakistan skipper be able to perform well during Australia's domestic Big Bash (BBL) competition in December and January.'There is no doubt Babar's been asked to improve in some areas around taking on spin and in terms of his strike rate. Those are things he is working really hard on," Hesson said as quoted by ICC. 'But at the moment the players we have, have done exceptionally well. Sahibzada Farhan has played six games (against Bangladesh and West Indies) and won three Player of the Match awards."'A player like Babar has an opportunity to play in the BBL and show he is improving in those areas in T20s. He is too good a player not to consider," he added. The absence of Babar was not the only surprise in Hesson's squad for Pakistan's upcoming contests, with Mohammad Rizwan also missing out on the 17-player group as selectors opted to choose batters that consistently scored at a high strike indicated it was important that players who had performed well in recent white-ball matches were rewarded and said that choosing batters who scored quickly would be part of his selection process going forward.'We were challenged with three different surfaces (in recent matches against Bangladesh and West Indies)" Hesson said.'In Lahore, the surfaces were flat and the batting excelled. We went to Bangladesh, where they were incredibly challenging and low-scoring games. Our top-order sets the game up. All the games we won the top order performed really well."'The third game in the West Indies, our openers put on 140 (138). We need a run rate that puts us ahead of the game. T20 is all about setting the game up and being ahead of the game all the time in case you get yourself out. From a batting point of view, we have got a line-up that can continue to do that," he added. The Asia Cup will kickstart from September 9 onwards, with Pakistan starting their campaign against Oman on September 12, followed by a high-profile clash with arch-rivals India on September squad for tri-series and Asia Cup: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim. (ANI)
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Shubman Gill unlikely for Asia Cup T20I with selectors keen on status quo ahead of Tuesday selection meeting
India's Test captain Shubman Gill might find it difficult to get into the Asia Cup T20 side, with selectors struggling to find a way to slot him into the squad of 15. The Indian team management and selectors are of the opinion that Gill at the moment doesn't fit into their T20 scheme of things. Which means there are chances of Gill not boarding a flight to Dubai as the Indian team management want to stick to players whom they have backed post the 2024 T20 World Cup. The Indian Express understands that the selectors will convey this to the Indian board bosses before the selection committee assembles on August 19, to make them aware of the situation. The Indian team will continue to be led by Suryakumar Yadav, who has cleared his fitness. It is understood that in a series of informal talks before the selection, there was discussion on Gill's inclusion in the playing eleven. If India's Test captain makes it in the squad the team management would have to open the innings with him. However, with Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson having done well in the top order, the team wants to stick with their tried and tested openers in whom they have invested so far. There was also a discussion informally on whether to drop Tilak Varma and accommodate Gill. However, the team management felt that it would be unfair on the left-handed batsman, who is holding the number two ranking in International Cricket Council (ICC) T20I's batting rankings. The team doesn't want Gill to be seen warming the bench. This means recent success in England, where a young Indian cricket team without stars earned a 2-2 draw, might not have much of an impact on the upcoming selection, given it's two different formats. ALSO READ | Empty slots: Players in contention for the last two spots for India in Asia Cup squad 'If Gill is included then he will straight away bat at the top and if he doesn't get a game then there is no point in having him. At the same time it will be unfair on Sanju, who did well in the past. If Gill gets in then Sanju might have to miss out and Jitesh might get a game,' a source in the BCCI informed. The Indian team management and selectors are looking at Mumbai's Yashasvi Jaiswal as the third opener. Jaiswal was part of the Indian team that won the 2024 World Cup but didn't get a game. There was an informal discussion whether to drop Jaiswal and pick Gill but it seems that the suggestion has been turned down. Gill's last appearance in T20I's came in July 2024 against Sri Lanka in Pallekele. India played a T20I series against Bangladesh at home followed by a tour to South Africa and later a home series against England. The selectors had not picked Gill in those three series that India played. However, with recent success in Test cricket, Gill is pushing his case hard for inclusion in white ball formats. In the IPL, Gill was the fourth highest run getter after Sai Sudharsan (759), Surya (717), Kohli (657) with 650 runs. Shreyas (604) and Jaiswal (559) were 6th and 7th respectively. With his success in the red ball format, the buzz had risen to make him the all-format captain of the Indian team. However, selectors are not jumping the gun after the England success and have decided to carry on with their old captain who is yet to lose a series in his leadership stint. The selectors and team management alongwith BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia will have the final round of discussion on August 19. The Asia Cup will be played from September 9 to 28.
United News of India
2 hours ago
- United News of India
Australia wins 3rd straight FIBA Asia Cup
Jeddah, Aug. 18 (UNI) Australia won the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup after beating China 90-89 in the final on Sunday. Australia has never lost a game since joining the Asia Cup in 2017. Sunday's victory marked the team's 18th straight win at the continental tournament. China had the chance to make a kill with three seconds left, but Hu Mingxuan's shot missed the target. Xavier Cooks scored a game-high 30 points for Australia. Jaylin Galloway added 23. UNI XINHUA RKM
