Latest news with #HenryOlonga
BBC News
24-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Test Match Special England v Zimbabwe: Bashir bags 6 in England win
Jonathan Agnew presents reaction to England's victory by an innings against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge. Ashes winning captain Michael Vaughan, and former Zimbabwe bowler Henry Olonga discuss the test for England's bowlers with Zimbabwe putting up stern resistance with the bat. England captain Ben Stokes and player of the match Shoaib Bashir give their thoughts on the win, as Zimbabwe captain Craig Irvine looks at the positives his side can take from the defeat. Former England players Phil Tufnell and Vic Marks look at Bashir's performance as he picked up nine wickets across the match. Plus, Henry Olonga sings the podcast out from the middle at Trent Bridge.
CNA
23-05-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Vaughan says first-innings injury substitutes should be allowed to bat and bowl
NOTTINGHAM, England : Former England captain Michael Vaughan said substitutes who replace injured players in the first innings of a test match should be able to bat and bowl for the remainder of the contest instead of being restricted to fielding duties. Under the current laws of the game, injured players can be replaced during a match but the substitute is only allowed to field, with the lone exception being a concussion substitute. The restriction leaves teams shorthanded with only 10 eligible batters and puts added strain on a bowling corps if the injury was to a bowler. Zimbabwe's frontline seamer Richard Ngarava could bowl only nine overs before being helped off the field due to a back injury on the opening day of their one-off test against England on Thursday. England's top three batters then feasted on Zimbabwe's pedestrian attack, with each of them smashing a hundred as the hosts racked up 498-3. "Injury replacements should be permitted in test cricket in the first innings of the game," Vaughan told BBC Sport. "If there's a genuine injury in the first innings, it affects the game and the entertainment, which fans pay money to watch. The first innings is a good cut-off to make it fair." Former Zimbabwe seamer Henry Olonga said substitutes should be allowed to bat or bowl regardless of when they enter a match. "I'm open to the idea of substitutes, perhaps with a limited number, but not necessarily like-for-like and not only restricted to injuries," the 48-year-old said. "If you want to grow the game globally, then make it more like other sports where subs are allowed. "Think of football, tactically if a game is going in a certain way, substitutes can be used to tweak the direction."
Reuters
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Vaughan says first-innings injury substitutes should be allowed to bat and bowl
NOTTINGHAM, England, May 23 (Reuters) - Former England captain Michael Vaughan said substitutes who replace injured players in the first innings of a test match should be able to bat and bowl for the remainder of the contest instead of being restricted to fielding duties. Under the current laws of the game, injured players can be replaced during a match but the substitute is only allowed to field, with the lone exception being a concussion substitute. The restriction leaves teams shorthanded with only 10 eligible batters and puts added strain on a bowling corps if the injury was to a bowler. Zimbabwe's frontline seamer Richard Ngarava could bowl only nine overs before being helped off the field due to a back injury on the opening day of their one-off test against England on Thursday. England's top three batters then feasted on Zimbabwe's pedestrian attack, with each of them smashing a hundred as the hosts racked up 498-3. "Injury replacements should be permitted in test cricket in the first innings of the game," Vaughan told BBC Sport. "If there's a genuine injury in the first innings, it affects the game and the entertainment, which fans pay money to watch. The first innings is a good cut-off to make it fair." Former Zimbabwe seamer Henry Olonga said substitutes should be allowed to bat or bowl regardless of when they enter a match. "I'm open to the idea of substitutes, perhaps with a limited number, but not necessarily like-for-like and not only restricted to injuries," the 48-year-old said. "If you want to grow the game globally, then make it more like other sports where subs are allowed. "Think of football, tactically if a game is going in a certain way, substitutes can be used to tweak the direction." The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the custodian of cricket's laws, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
News18
22-05-2025
- Politics
- News18
Henry Olonga's Heartbreaking Story: From Being Zimbabwe's First Black Cricketer To Singing On Ships
Last Updated: Henry Olonga, ex-Zimbabwe cricketer, now performs music on cruises and small venues, reflecting on his career and 2003 World Cup protest. Former Zimbabwe pacer Henry Olonga has revealed that years after retiring from cricket, he now sings on cruises, in small retirement villages, for school kids and in little bars, even if there are just three people present, as life has taken a massive turn for him over the past decade. Olonga always had a knack for music, and his song Our Zimbabwe was released at a time of political violence 24 years ago as the Robert Mugabe regime went about grabbing lands and invading farms. Olonga last played cricket in 2008, in a T20 tournament in New Zealand, and since then, he has gone on to try odd jobs. 'One of the lines goes: 'Though I may go to distant borders, My soul will yearn for this my home, For time and space may separate us, And yet she holds my heart alone.' And then another is: 'As we all stand to build our nation, This is our land, our Zimbabwe,' Olonga said, as quoted by The Telegraph. 'Literally some of the words in that song… they speak of where my life is now, but when I listen to the song again, it's somewhat triggering," Olonga added. Two years after releasing the song, he and former cricketer Andy Flower wore black armbands during the 2003 World Cup to protest at the 'death of democracy' in the nation. Olonga got death threats, was thrown off the team bus and forced to run away from Zimbabwe. 'Our Zimbabwe was a call for Zimbabweans to work together. I try to be a peacemaker, but a lot of people think I'm the opposite. I don't know why, but if you look at my lyrics, if you look at things I've done in my life, I think generally, I'm trying to inspire people for better outcomes," Olonga said. 'I'm not just wagging a finger at people, and that's what the black armband protest was about; we can be better as a country, we can be better as politicians, we can be better as citizens," Olonga added. This week, he will be at Trent Bridge working as a summariser for Test Match Special during their coverage of Zimbabwe's first Test in England in 22 years, not long after his act of defiance. 'It was a struggle, mate. I had this amazing platform, this springboard to then hopefully, you know, go on to record, and it all just came to nothing," Olonga said while speaking about a reality show that he participated in, which shut down because of COVID-19. 'It's not necessarily the peak of music performance being on a cruise ship. Some people think that singers go to die on cruise ships. It's like where you go when you haven't made it anywhere else," Olonga added. He was the first black Zimbabwe Test cricketer and the youngest as well, when he made his debut aged just 18. Olonga was 27 when he wore the black armband, a protest that began at Zimbabwe's first group match in Bulawayo and continued throughout the World Cup. 'I've been accused of being scared. I've been accused of being a chicken; that I should have stayed in Zimbabwe. The high commissioner pulled me aside. The first thing he said was: 'Why are you denigrating the government of Zimbabwe?' I thought: 'My gosh, that's a lovely way to say hello," Olonga said. 'I tried to be respectful. I excused myself, but he had that old-school mentality and thought I'd betrayed the country like no one else had ever done. And so the whole cricket, Zimbabwe's political scene, was very triggering for me because the perception was that I was a troublemaker," Olonga added.
NDTV
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
From Sachin Tendulkar's Rival To Boat Cleaner: How Henry Olonga's Life Took A Dramatic Turn
For Indian cricket fans, especially those who grew up in the 1990s, the name Henry Olonga evokes a vivid memory of a fierce on-field rivalry. In the 1998 Coca-Cola Cup final in Sharjah, Olonga, a young Zimbabwean fast bowler, faced the wrath of Sachin Tendulkar, who scored an unbeaten 124 off 92 balls, leading India to a 10-wicket victory. Olonga conceded 50 runs in just six overs during that match. Beyond this memorable encounter, Henry Olonga's life took a dramatic turn. In 2003, he and teammate Andy Flower wore black armbands during a World Cup match to protest against the "death of democracy" in Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe's regime. This act of defiance led to death threats and forced Olonga into exile. He settled in Australia, where he pursued a career in music, even participating in "The Voice" in 2019. Olonga's journey from cricket to music has not been very pleasing as many expect, and his life has taken a massive turn for him over the past decade, according to The Telegraph. In a conversation with the newspaper, Henry Olonga recites the lyrics of a song he recorded when he was a Zimbabwean cricketer at the height of his career in the early 2000s and before he was exiled from his country. 'One of the lines goes: "Though I may go to distant borders, my soul will yearn for this, my home, for time and space may separate us, and yet she holds my heart alone.' And then another is, 'As we all stand to build our nation, this is our land, our Zimbabwe.'" Olonga pauses. "Literally some of the words in that song... they speak of where my life is now, but when I listen to the song again, it's somewhat triggering." As per the newspaper, he has never been back to Zimbabwe. He has not seen his father, who is now in his mid-80s and still lives in Bulawayo, for more than 20 years. He now releases music on his YouTube channel and picks up gigs where he can. Recently he was singing on cruise ships. "It's not necessarily the peak of music performance being on a cruise ship. In fact, some people think that singers go to die on cruise ships. It's like where you go when you haven't made it anywhere else. "But I don't mind that. I don't have an ego about my music. I sing in little retirement villages, I've sung to school kids, and I've sung in little bars in front of three people. I just love singing. I love performing. "I've done all sorts of jobs. I've cleaned people's boats. I've done public speaking, as in motivational talks and after-dinner talks. I won't say I'm having the time of my life, because I just live a sort of drab, very predictable, boring life in some people's eyes, but at least it's honest, and I'm staying out of trouble." Olonga was close to returning when Mugabe, who died in 2019, was overthrown in 2017, but there was no homecoming; he remained in Australia. "It's in the too-hard basket. I've started a new life. I think like a Westerner now. I live in Adelaide, where things just work.
