Zimpapers Logo

Malcolm Waller

MALCOLM Waller is one of Zimbabwe cricket team’s unsung heroes from their latest success in Sri Lanka, but his contributions have not gone unnoticed.

The 32-year-old was picked by the Rajshahi Kings franchise team for this year’s Bangladesh Premier League that kicks off in November.

“That’s really fantastic, all the hard work I have been doing, it’s good to be back in the BPL,” said Waller, who had his first BPL stint for the Dhaka Dynamites in 2015.

“Hopefully I can continue with this form and play more games, go across there and have a good T20 tournament.”

Waller finished the Sri Lanka ODI series with 116 runs from five innings at a strike rate of 118.36 and in the Test match he scored 104 runs with a high score of 68 in a seventh-wicket stand of 144 with Sikandar Raza in the second innings.

Oftentimes Waller has come in with the team under pressure, situations he likes.

“I had a good tour, I thought it went well, I was feeling good and hitting pretty well. When I see things are getting a bit tighter, I just like to go out there and bat the same way I always bat. And if I can reverse the pressure and it’s my day and score runs, it’s going to help the team,” he said.

During the national cricket team’s reception ceremony from Sri Lanka at Harare International Airport last week, “heroes” in Sri Lanka were mentioned in speeches, but Waller was “forgotten”.

He laughs when asked if he has become Mr Invisible after hogging the limelight with an unbeaten 99 when Zimbabwe chased New Zealand’s 328 for a one-wicket victory in Bulawayo in 2011.

“I seemed good with the bat. I went from having a good domestic season here where I was scoring runs and feeling confident, and took it into the tour starting in Scotland first then Netherlands.”

Waller, who is expecting his first child, is a man who knows how it feels to be on the extremes in sports.

He once struggled for game time, runs and it got worse when he was banned from bowling his off-spin for an illegal action in 2014.

But he seems to have regained his confidence through hard work behind the scenes.

“I like to keep things very simple. I believe that the more positive you’re and a more free mind when you go out and enjoy the game, play the game that you know; you will score runs and if you fail, stay positive, keep hitting a lot of balls and eventually you will score runs.”

He is pleased to be bowling again after being cleared by ICC in 2015.

“It’s always good when you’re batting well and things going your way and then you get asked to bowl, it definitely helps.

“I have been doing a lot of work in the nets with the ball . . . I felt I was definitely ready to bowl in a game,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe A side will take on South Africa development in two four-day games and three one-day games.

The first four day game starts tomorrow in Bulawayo. — Sportszone.co.zw