Henry Olonga
Encyclopedia
Henry Khaaba Olonga is a former Zambia
n-born cricket
er for Zimbabwe
.
against Pakistan
at Harare
in 1995, at age 18 years, 212 days, becoming the youngest player to represent Zimbabwe. He helped Zimbabwe to its first ever Test victory in that game. That year, he was no-balled for throwing in a Test match, and rebuilt his action before returning to cricket. A right arm fast bowler
, Olonga was the first black cricketer to play for Zimbabwe and is the third Zambian-born Test cricketer after Phil Edmonds
and Neal Radford
of England.
Olonga achieved international recognition (along with team mate Andy Flower
) in 2003 by wearing a black armband in a Cricket World Cup
match to protest against the policies of Zimbabwe's government, led by Robert Mugabe
. He and Flower released a statement on 10 February, stating in part:
This act led to a warrant issued in Zimbabwe for Olonga's arrest on charges of treason
(which carries the death penalty in Zimbabwe) and forced him to retire from international cricket and temporarily go into hiding.
Olonga played 30 Test matches for Zimbabwe, taking 68 wicket
s with a bowling average
of 38.52, and 50 One Day Internationals, taking 58 wickets at an average of 34.08. He holds the record for the best bowling in a One Day International by a Zimbabwean, with figures of 6/19 against England at Cape Town
in 2000.
's cricket program in Adelaide
. The couple married in 2004.
On Friday 13 October 2006, Olonga won Five's The All Star Talent Show
with 50% of the overall votes.
Olonga is now pursuing a career as a cricket commentator and singer and released an album, 'Aurelia' in 2006.
His autobiography, Blood, Sweat and Treason, was released in July 2010 by Vision Sports Publishing and was longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2010.
He has Kenyan roots and former Kenyan minister Francis Masakhalia is his uncle
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
n-born 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 for Zimbabwe
Zimbabwean cricket team
The Zimbabwean cricket team is a national cricket team representing Zimbabwe. It is administrated by Zimbabwe Cricket...
.
Cricket career
He made his international debut in a Test matchTest cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
against Pakistan
Pakistani cricket team
The Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
at Harare
Harare
Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
in 1995, at age 18 years, 212 days, becoming the youngest player to represent Zimbabwe. He helped Zimbabwe to its first ever Test victory in that game. That year, he was no-balled for throwing in a Test match, and rebuilt his action before returning to cricket. A right arm fast bowler
Fast bowling
Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
, Olonga was the first black cricketer to play for Zimbabwe and is the third Zambian-born Test cricketer after Phil Edmonds
Phil Edmonds
Phil Edmonds is a former English cricketer and a successful, albeit controversial, corporate executive....
and Neal Radford
Neal Radford
Neal Victor Radford Neal Victor Radford Neal Victor Radford (born 7 June 1957, Luanshya, Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) is an English former cricketer, who appeared in three Tests and six ODIs for England.He also played for Transvaal B, Lancashire, Worcestershire, and Herefordshire....
of England.
Olonga achieved international recognition (along with team mate Andy Flower
Andy Flower
Andrew "Andy" Flower OBE is a former international cricketer for Zimbabwe and is currently the England coach.-Playing career:...
) in 2003 by wearing a black armband in a Cricket World Cup
Cricket World Cup
The ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years...
match to protest against the policies of Zimbabwe's government, led by Robert Mugabe
Robert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe. As one of the leaders of the liberation movement against white-minority rule, he was elected into power in 1980...
. He and Flower released a statement on 10 February, stating in part:
This act led to a warrant issued in Zimbabwe for Olonga's arrest on charges of treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
(which carries the death penalty in Zimbabwe) and forced him to retire from international cricket and temporarily go into hiding.
Olonga played 30 Test matches for Zimbabwe, taking 68 wicket
Wicket
In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch...
s with a bowling average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
of 38.52, and 50 One Day Internationals, taking 58 wickets at an average of 34.08. He holds the record for the best bowling in a One Day International by a Zimbabwean, with figures of 6/19 against England at Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
in 2000.
Personal life
He met physical education teacher Tara Read, while both were attending the Australian Institute of SportAustralian Institute of Sport
The Australian Institute of Sport is a sports training institution in Australia with world class facilities and support services. The Institute's headquarters is situated in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. The 66.0 hectare site campus is in the northern suburb of Bruce, but some of the...
's cricket program 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...
. The couple married in 2004.
On Friday 13 October 2006, Olonga won Five's The All Star Talent Show
The All Star Talent Show
The All Star Talent Show is a 2006, television programme which aires on Five. It is presented by Andi Peters and Myleene Klass, with Julian Clary making up the judging panel alongside 2 guest judges. Each 6 celebrities perform with the winner at the end of each episode going into the final at the...
with 50% of the overall votes.
Olonga is now pursuing a career as a cricket commentator and singer and released an album, 'Aurelia' in 2006.
His autobiography, Blood, Sweat and Treason, was released in July 2010 by Vision Sports Publishing and was longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2010.
He has Kenyan roots and former Kenyan minister Francis Masakhalia is his uncle
External links
- Full text of Olonga and Flower's World Cup protest statement
- Henry's autobiography, Blood, Sweat and Treason
- Henry Olonga tells Nigel Bovey of The War Cry that it was his Christian faith that inspired him to make World Cup protest
- Henry Olonga talks cricket, music and Christianity with Nigel Bovey of the Salvation Army newspaper The War Cry