Vusi Sibanda

Vusi Sibanda was one of the Zimbabwe youngsters who showed a lot of promise at a very early stage. He made his ODI debut against West Indies in 2003 and re-inforced the faith placed on him by scoring a 58 on debut. He could not maintain the same standards in the following years and was out of the radar for a while.

He cemented his place in the side after the rebel players decided not to represent Zimbabwe. He continued to open for Zimbabwe and was gifted with some success. He made some impressive fifties against sides like South Africa and West Indies but failed to convert it into a bigger score. He was a part of the 2007 World Cup squad and he managed only one fifty in the entire series. It came in the tied game against Ireland where he was unfortunate to have been out hit-wicket.

Controversy followed soon after the World Cup when speculations arose that he had announced his retirement from International cricket so that he could pursue a career in club cricket in Sydney, Australia. He came out in denial and continued playing for Zimbabwe with some success.

His only century came against Bermuda in a tri series final in 2006. His inability to stay on and convert some good fifties into something more substantial has been his biggest drawback. He played in three Tests before Zimbabwe's ban but failed to make an impression. However, he has shown signs of maturity in domestic games and will definitely be an asset to the team as Zimbabwe make a return to Test Cricket.

Sibanda came of age with the 2009-2010 domestic season. He was named the captain of Midwest Rhinos and represented Zimbabwe XI that took on Kenya later that year. Exhibiting a fantastic form, Sibanda scored almost 1500 runs in the Logan Cup with an average of 95, including nine tons.

With a record like this, it did not take a long time for Sibanda to establish himself a an important member of the team. Although he has not made much of a contribution in Tests, he has been a consistent limited overs player. Sibanda hit his 2nd ODI ton in May 2013 against Bangladesh leading his team to victory over the visitors in the third game of a 3-match ODI series. Although Zimbabwe were not able to go much further in the 2014 World T20, Sibanda was instrumental in hitting a last-ball six to set up a thrilling win against Netherlands in their second game of the tournament.

Sibanda keeps getting better with age. PLaying for the Midwest Rhinos in a recent game against the Matabeleland Tuskers, he slammed a brilliant 217, his highest score in first-class cricket, thus ensuring the Rhinos a massive victory by an innings and 299 runs.

By Cricbuzz staff

As of April 2014