HE might still be relatively unknown back home in Zimbabwe, but fast bowler Tinotenda Tafadzwa Musarara Jr has been proudly lifting the country’s flag high in Scotland, where he plays for one of the top clubs in the country, Forfarshire Cricket Club.
Founded in 1880, Forfarshire Cricket Club is one of the most successful clubs in Scotland and recently capped off a successful season by winning the T20 Scottish Cup in August.
Musarara, who is a gifted medium/fast bowler and middle-order batter, is establishing himself as a key player at the club in addition to featuring for the first-team cricket side at the University of Dundee where he is also studying for his masters degree.
By playing competitive cricket and furthering his tertiary education in Scotland at the same time, Musarara is following the same path taken by Zimbabwe star Sikandar Raza.
Raza studied for a BSc in Software Engineering at Glasgow Caledonian University while also playing for Weis Cricket Club and Renfrew, and it was during his time in the European country that he realised his cricketing potential.
For Musarara, while he revealed that national team selection is the last thing on his mind at the moment, he hopes his exploits in exploits in the UK will earn him an opportunity to showcase his ability back home.
“I wouldn’t say my ambition is to play for Zimbabwe exactly, but to have an opportunity to showcase my talent and to inspire people to explore opportunities in sports wherever they are,” Musarara said in an interview with The Sports Hub this week.
The former Gateway High School student, who is the son of businessman and politician Tafadzwa Musarara, also expressed his desire to feature on the domestic cricket scene if he gets the right opportunity.
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“Yes if I’m available to play I would definitely give it a go. I love to contribute in a team that’s welcoming and where I am needed. I'll be alternating between Scotland and Zimbabwe and hopefully I will be able to play more cricket here as I have been doing in Scotland.”
Musarara’s rise in Scottish cricket circles has been remarkable given that he initially moved to the “Land of the Brave" to study after enrolling for a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics with Marketing at the University of Dundee in 2018.
“I initially started playing for the university first team and clubs from the local area took notice of me. I then decided to play for Forfarshire as they had top-class facilities and the quality of their cricket was superb.
“When it comes to sport I always enjoy it more when it’s a challenge as it automatically pushes you to play better and learn from top-class players,” Musarara said.
Last year Musarara enrolled for his Master of Arts in Business/Managerial Economics at the same university while also continuing to make progress on the cricket field.
While playing for Forfarshire Cricket Club, Musarara has had an opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the top players in Scotland.
In fact, some of the players he played with and against were part of the Scottish side that beat Zimbabwe during the ICC World Cup qualifiers in July to end their hopes of qualifying for the ongoing global event.
“One of the highs of my time in Scotland has been playing alongside top-class players like Christian Robertson, Scott Cameron, Jack Hogarth, Callum Garden, and Micheal Leask as well as competing against the likes of Syfan Sharif, Chris Greaves and Chris Sole. I tend to score runs when the team is under pressure and taking crucial wickets earlier on has been some of the moments,” he said.
While he has been focusing on improving himself both on the cricket field and in the lecture room in Scotland, Musarara, who is a big fan of the national cricket team, says he has been pleased by the big strides made by the Chevrons recently.
“Yes I have been following Zimbabwe cricket it’s been an exciting brand of cricket for the past year. Sikandar Raza has been excellent in all three departments. "It’s always good when you chat with mates and they ask you who you have in your team that’s good we say, Raza. It’s just unfortunate that we didn’t qualify for the World Cup at the hand of the guys I have been playing cricket against in Scotland,” he said.
Born and raised in Harare, Musarara who considers himself “a proud Chiweshe boy” started his cricketing journey at the age of 10 after his early promise was identified by Joshua Magwaku, who is now the deputy headmaster at Gateway Primary School.
“The first principle he taught me was catches win matches and I carried that principle on even at senior level. I was then taught some skills by Mr. Austin Nyachowe who also coached me and Mr. Tariro Chawafambira from Gateway.”
After preceding his Gateway High School, Musarara was part of a talent-laded first-team squad in 2013 which caused a few upsets on the schools circuit.
“Those were the days; it was a great bunch of lads I remember playing with them at the St. George’s T20 tournament playing against the likes of Luke Jongwe from Prince Edward who are now playing for the national team,” he said.
