Douglas Hondo
Encyclopedia
Douglas Tafadzwa Hondo (born July 7, 1979 in Bulawayo
) is a Zimbabwe
an cricket
er. He played nine Test matches as a right-arm
fast-medium swing bowler
, distinctive for his dreadlocks
.
and his mates, he attended Churchill High School. He excelled, first as U15 captain and then in the full team, including taking 7-10 versus Gateway High School and scoring 121 versus Hillcrest. Hondo made the Mashonaland
U 13 team and then the national U15 team. A back injury put Hondo out of U19 contention for a year but he made the CFX academy in 2000.
team in Kwekwe
. Hondo was plagued by bad form, taking only 11 wickets at more than 50. Despite this he was, surprisingly, called up for the first Test versus South Africa
. Hondo assumed he was to be a net bowler but he was bowling well in the nets and then the first choice, Brighton Watambwa
, was injured and Hondo made his debut. He did not bowl well, in a poor team performance, and South Africa scored 600-3 dec, Hondo taking the wicket of Gary Kirsten
for 212. Hondo acquitted himself well with the bat, playing supportive innings to Andy Flower
's pair of centuries, but was dismissed in the second innings with Flower stranded on 199*.
Dropped for the second Test, Hondo did play two ODIs against England
but he was very inaccurate. Not wanted for the tours, Hondo was sent to play club cricket in Adelaide
with Stuart Matsikenyeri
. Here, he worked on his accuracy and was rewarded by being called up to the squad in India
for the three-match ODI series. He did not play in the first two games but in the third he took three wickets,(Dinesh Mongia
, Saurav Ganguly and VVS Laxman) and, along with Pommie Mbangwa, reduced India to 50-4. Hondo took the last wicket and Zimbabwe went on to win, with Hondo named as man of the match. Hondo then made it to the ICC Champions Trophy
squad, taking more wickets against England and India.
Hondo toured England in 2003 but did not do well.
A series of back and hamstring injuries mean he has not played international cricket since January 2005.
Following a difference of opinion with Zimbabwe Cricket, (who insisted that four players sporting dreadlocks either had their hair cut or were dropped) Hondo made his way to England.
He became Head Coach for Shepherd Neame league side Upminster CC and played in the Devon Cricket League, for Premier Side Sandford - in his first game he took 2 wickets for 10runs off 6 overs.
and basketball
at Churchill, but no longer plays any sports except cricket. He has a big interest in music.
Bulawayo
Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe after the capital Harare, with an estimated population in 2010 of 2,000,000. It is located in Matabeleland, 439 km southwest of Harare, and is now treated as a separate provincial area from Matabeleland...
) is a Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
an cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er. He played nine Test matches as a right-arm
Right-arm
In cricket terminology, a batsman who bats right handed is described as a 'right hand' bat. However, a bowler who bowls the ball with his or her right hand is, by convention, called a 'right-arm' or 'right arm' bowler....
fast-medium swing bowler
Swing bowling
Swing bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as swing bowlers. Swing bowling is generally classed as a subtype of fast bowling.-Physics of swing bowling:...
, distinctive for his dreadlocks
Dreadlocks
Dreadlocks, also called locks, a ras, dreads, "rasta" or Jata , are matted coils of hair. Dreadlocks are usually intentionally formed; because of the variety of different hair textures, various methods are used to encourage the formation of locks such as backcombing...
.
Early progress
Hondo was first introduced to cricket at primary school, his elder brother being the first in the family to take up the game. Hondo and his brother were under the guidance of Peter Sharples, a pioneer of taking cricket into the townships, or "high-density suburbs" as they are known in Zimbabwe. He coached the Queensdale Primary School team which consisted mainly of players who had no family background in the game due to the Rhodesian racist policies. Hondo was captain of the team in grades 6 and 7, opening the batting and the bowling. Like Tatenda TaibuTatenda Taibu
Tatenda Taibu is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a wicketkeeper and batsman, and can also bowl right arm off spin. On 6 May 2004, he became the youngest Test captain in history, when he captained his team against Sri Lanka....
and his mates, he attended Churchill High School. He excelled, first as U15 captain and then in the full team, including taking 7-10 versus Gateway High School and scoring 121 versus Hillcrest. Hondo made the Mashonaland
Mashonaland
Mashonaland is a region in northern Zimbabwe. It is the home of the Shona people.Currently, Mashonaland is divided into three provinces, with a total population of about 3 million:* Mashonaland West* Mashonaland Central* Mashonaland East...
U 13 team and then the national U15 team. A back injury put Hondo out of U19 contention for a year but he made the CFX academy in 2000.
International recognition
When he had finished at the academy he was placed with the MidlandsMidlands (Zimbabwe)
Midlands is a province of Zimbabwe. It has an area of 49,166 km² and a population of approximately 1.5 million . Gweru is the capital of the province. It is home to various peoples...
team in Kwekwe
Kwekwe
Kwekwe or Kwe Kwe , formerly spelt Que Que, is a city in central Zimbabwe. It is located in the centre of the country —roughly equidistant from Harare to the northeast and Bulawayo to the southwest. Its population stood at 47,607 in 1982, 75,425 in 1992 and the preliminary result of the 2002...
. Hondo was plagued by bad form, taking only 11 wickets at more than 50. Despite this he was, surprisingly, called up for the first Test versus South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. Hondo assumed he was to be a net bowler but he was bowling well in the nets and then the first choice, Brighton Watambwa
Brighton Watambwa
Brighton Tonderai Watambwa is a former Zimbabwean cricketer who played in 6 Tests from 2001 to 2002. Now living in Belgium....
, was injured and Hondo made his debut. He did not bowl well, in a poor team performance, and South Africa scored 600-3 dec, Hondo taking the wicket of Gary Kirsten
Gary Kirsten
Gary Kirsten is a former South African cricketer, and the World Cup winning coach of the Indian cricket team. He played 101 Test matches and 185 One-day internationals for South Africa between 1993 and 2004, mainly as an opening batsman...
for 212. Hondo acquitted himself well with the bat, playing supportive innings to Andy Flower
Andy Flower
Andrew "Andy" Flower OBE is a former international cricketer for Zimbabwe and is currently the England coach.-Playing career:...
's pair of centuries, but was dismissed in the second innings with Flower stranded on 199*.
Dropped for the second Test, Hondo did play two ODIs against England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
but he was very inaccurate. Not wanted for the tours, Hondo was sent to play club cricket in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
with Stuart Matsikenyeri
Stuart Matsikenyeri
Stuart Matsikenyeri is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and usually opens the batting for Zimbabwe. Matsikenyeri also bowls part time right-arm off-break and is a sharp fielder in the gully....
. Here, he worked on his accuracy and was rewarded by being called up to the squad in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
for the three-match ODI series. He did not play in the first two games but in the third he took three wickets,(Dinesh Mongia
Dinesh Mongia
Dinesh Mongia is an Indian cricketer who has appeared in ODIs for India. Mongia is a heavy run-scorer in domestic cricket with just under 6850 runs at an average of just under 50 and his highest score being an unbeaten 308...
, Saurav Ganguly and VVS Laxman) and, along with Pommie Mbangwa, reduced India to 50-4. Hondo took the last wicket and Zimbabwe went on to win, with Hondo named as man of the match. Hondo then made it to the ICC Champions Trophy
ICC Champions Trophy
The ICC Champions Trophy is a One Day International cricket tournament, second in importance only to the Cricket World Cup. It was inaugurated as the ICC Knock Out tournament in 1998 and has been played every two years since, changing its name to the Champions Trophy in 2002...
squad, taking more wickets against England and India.
Hondo toured England in 2003 but did not do well.
A series of back and hamstring injuries mean he has not played international cricket since January 2005.
Following a difference of opinion with Zimbabwe Cricket, (who insisted that four players sporting dreadlocks either had their hair cut or were dropped) Hondo made his way to England.
He became Head Coach for Shepherd Neame league side Upminster CC and played in the Devon Cricket League, for Premier Side Sandford - in his first game he took 2 wickets for 10runs off 6 overs.
Personal life
As a youth, he played rugbyRugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
at Churchill, but no longer plays any sports except cricket. He has a big interest in music.