WARRIORS ON THE MARCH…Bonne handed first Warriors call up Macauley Bonne
Macauley Bonne

Macauley Bonne

Petros Kausiyo Harare Bureau
ENGLAND-based teenage striker Macauley Bonne has been handed his first Warriors call-up with the Colchester forward being named in a strong Zimbabwe squad ahead of the senior team’s African Cup of Nations qualifying showdown against Guinea at Rufaro on September 6.

The 19-year-old forward is one of a host of foreign-based professionals in a squad in which coach Callisto Pasuwa has had to make several changes and forced to omit all the Under-23 players who were in the side that beat Malawi 2-1 in Zimbabwe’s Group L opener in Blantyre.

Bonne’s only appearance in Zimbabwean colours came in November last year in a friendly match between the Young Warriors and Morocco with the striker, who turns 20 on October 26, scoring on his debut, albeit on a 2-1 losing cause in Agadir.

His inclusion comes just as Bonne also opened his account for Colchester in the new England League One season scoring in the 2-1 away defeat by Peterborough.

But it is the manner in which he acquitted himself in the friendly match against the Atlas Lions that had already charmed Pasuwa and the former Dynamos coach kept the player in his radar.

Pasuwa also called up Burnley midfielder Tendayi Darikwa while once again included left-back, Costa Nhamoinesu, who has virtually been playing hide and seek with the Warriors, often giving excuses for snubbing national duty.

The Warriors coach, who has insisted that he would not read much into Guinea’s opening day 2-1 defeat by Swaziland in neutral Morocco, also called on the bulk of his experienced players and recalled veteran goalkeeper Washington Arubi and Danish-based winger Quincy Antipas.

Pasuwa named just seven locally-based players in the squad, two of them being Harare City goalkeeper Tatenda Munditi and Chicken Inn goalminder Elvin Chipezeze as well as skipper of the CHAN side Danny Phiri, the Caps United defensive pair of Hardlife Zvirekwi and Justice Jangano and Teenage Hadebe of Highlanders.

Chicken striker Edmore Chirambadare is the only Premiership forward in the squad but he would have to be content with having to understudy the more seasoned professionals after Pasuwa named easily the Warriors’ best attacking line-up in recent years.

Pasuwa said he had been forced to overlook the Under-23 players as they would have already left the country for the African Games in Congo Brazzaville by the time the Warriors host the Elephants at Rufaro.

Goalkeepers:

Washington Arubi (University of Pretoria), Elvin Chipezeze (Chicken Inn), Tatenda Munditi (Harare City)

Defenders:

Hardlife Zvirekwi (CAPS United), Tendayi Darikwa (Burnley) Milton Ncube (Ajax Cape town) Costa Nhamoinesu (Sparta Prague), Partson Jaure ( University of Pretoria), Teenage Hadebe (Highlanders), Justice Jangano ( CAPS United)

Midfielders:

Willard Katsande (Kaizer Chiefs), Danny Phiri (Chicken Inn), Bonnie Macauley (Colchester United), Cuthbert Malajila (Sundowns), Khama Billiat (Sundowns), Kuda Mahachi (Mamelodi Sundowns), Quincy Antipas (Hobro IK)

Strikers:

Edmore Chirambadare (Chicken Inn), Knowledge Musona (K.V. Oostende), Mathew Rusike (Halmstads BK), Nyasha Mushekwi (Djurgårdens IF)

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