Mpumelelo “Pommie” Mbangwa, a renowned cricket commentator and former Zimbabwean cricketer, is celebrating his 48th birthday today (June 26). Mbangwa was a handy medium pacer known for his accuracy and seam movement. However, his name became popular in the cricket fraternity due to his ‘second innings’ in which he decided to brand his voice.
Born in Plumtree, Zimbabwe in 1976, Mbangwa had no family background in cricket. He made his Test debut during the 1996–97 tour of Pakistan after key bowlers Heath Streak and Edo Brandes were injured. Although Zimbabwe lost the match by 10 wickets, Mbangwa managed to impress the management by picking up two crucial wickets.
The right-arm pacer has represented his nation in 15 Test matches and 29 ODIs between 1996 and 2002. He was part of the 1999 Cricket World Cup squad where Zimbabwe progressed to the Super Six stage. His brief international career came to a close following the 2002 Champions Trophy as he struggled to maintain consistency.
Mbangwa then reportedly moved to England to pursue his higher studies. Later, he decided to serve the beautiful game in a different capacity and took a job as a television commentator. The Zimbabwean has commented on numerous matches over the years and is currently one of the most prominent voices in the game of cricket.
He has worked with popular broadcasters like SuperSport and Star Sports. He was one of the notable commentators in the 2015 Cricket World Cup, 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifiers and 2019 Cricket World Cup. He is also a regular in the commentary box during franchise T20 leagues like Indian Premier League (IPL) and Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Notably, Mbangwa holds the unique record of being the only cricketer to have scored the same amount of runs in multiple formats. The right-hander has scored 34 runs each in both ODIs and Tests. As of 2008, he was one of only nine Zimbabwe bowlers to take 30 wickets in red-ball cricket.
Read More: 1953 – Birth of Ian Davis, the Australian opener who played 15 Tests in the 1970s
Top 3 key player battles to watch out for in T20 World Cup 2024 Final of IND vs SA
3 South Africa players to watch out for in their clash against India in T20 World Cup Finals
2007: The day Sachin Tendulkar made history by playing an Andre Nel delivery towards mid-off and reached 15,000 one-day runs
Top 3 International innings by Sachin Tendulkar
