Prosper Utseya

Prosper Utseya is a former Zimbawean skipper and is an useful allrounder. He rose from the ranks of township cricket in Harare's Highfield suburb, he attended Churchill High School (the cradle of many black Zimbabwean players), thanks to Zimbabwe Cricket Union scholarships. A promising talent, he opened the batting at the age of 15 for his domestic side.

Like many Zimbabwe players, he was forced to play for his country in 2004 when the rebel players withdrew and made his Test debut against Sri Lanka. In 2006, he was appointed the national captain and had a wonderful tour of the West Indies when he troubled the great Brian Lara in an ODI.

A canny off spinner, who relies more on pushing it through, Utseya gets through his overs pretty quickly. Before the batsmen realise, Utseya would've completed 5-6 overs, not going for many. His parsimonious nature with the ball and his useful lower-order batting helped Utseya nail a permanent place in the national side.

Domestically, he formed a potent spin combination with Timycen Maruma and has enjoyed considerable success. Utseya resigned from the post of national captain after the T20 World Cup in the West Indies in May 2010.

Over the next few years, Utseya established himself as one of Zimbabwe's key bowlers. He might not have too many wickets to speak of, but his ability to maintain a tight leash on the the run-rate makes him an important part of the Zimbabwe squad.

The year 2014 was an up and down one for Utseya, he picked up his maiden ODI five-wicket haul (which also included an hat-trick) against South Africa and was one of the architects in the upset win over Australia. However, these joys lasted for a month as he was banned from bowling in international cricket for a suspect action. He went through the usual norms and was cleared to bowl, but not his off-breaks. Chief selector, Givemore Makoni, after picking the 15-man World Cup squad for 2015, said \"He (Utseya) is our mystery spinner, bowling mediums and cutters, and his experience will be vital for us.\"

By Cricbuzz staff