Everton Matambanadzo

Fast bowler Everton Matambanadzo was an example of Zimbabwe's ability to take promising young cricketers almost out of nowhere, and pitch them into international cricket, with success. Strictly speaking, he did not come from nowhere, as he had been regarded as a promising player for several seasons, but certainly at the end of the 1995-96 season nobody thought his international debut was imminent. Sadly, he was to fade away in his early twenties, repeatedly hampered by a string of niggling injuries, and became an example instead of how Zimbabwe often loses talented players while still in their prime. Unable quite to regain his best form, he missed selection for several seasons and he married and emigrated to the United States in 2001.
John Ward