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The Flower brothers-Andy and Grant-were an establishment in Zimbabwe cricket for greater than a decade. Andy was real class whereas Grant was a useful cricketer- a batsman who might bowl and a very good fielder in any place. This southpaw was really a right-handed batsman- certainly one of a number of cricketers who believed that larger management of the bat may very well be achieved like that. Nonetheless, Grant bowled sluggish left arm orthodox deliveries- a part-time bowler who usually picked up essential wickets for Zimbabwe.
Born in Salisbury (Harare) on December twentieth, 1970, Grant Flower established himself as a Zimbabwean expertise taking part in for Mashonaland domestically. His Check debut coincided with Zimbabwe’s Check debut in 1992 in opposition to India at Harare. Grant turned an everyday member of Zimbabwe’s line-up from then onward.
Flower’s 67 Check caps spawned 3,457 runs at a mean of 29.54- not exceptional however respectable contemplating Zimbabwe’s cricket and that he usually opened the batting. What was exceptional was the six centuries that Flower scored at Check degree in opposition to good opposition. His greatest score- an unbeaten 201 in opposition to Pakistan at Harare in 1995- helped Zimbabwe to file their first win at Check degree. Flower’s defence was usually stable. He confronted over 10,000 deliveries in Assessments- that implies that he stayed on the crease in stasis for lengthy durations.
Grant’s ODI file was even higher. From his 219 caps, he collected 6,536 runs at a mean of 33.69. His ODI top-score was an unbeaten 142 runs in opposition to Bangladesh in 2001. Flower additionally scored six centuries and 40 half-centuries within the shorter type of the sport. His strike charge of 67.54 was comparatively low for ODIs as nicely.
Grant Flower’s bowling was not spectacular however regular as a substitute. He scalped 25 wickets from his 67 Assessments, suggesting that he was a real part-time bowler. Within the shorter type of the sport, his bowling was far more practical and helpful. Flower maintained an economic system charge of 4.63 and took 104 wickets from 219 ODIs. He even took four-wicket hauls twice-against Kenya and India.
Flower’s worldwide profession got here to a halt in 2004- one other casualty of the political turmoil that seeped into Zimbabwe’s cricket administration. He left Zimbabwe after that and moved to England, the place he joined his brother Andy at English County facet, Essex. Throughout his Top notch profession, he additionally appeared for Leicestershire and MCC.
Grant Flower was actually a superb competitor for Zimbabwe, serving to them to be a good facet within the late 90s. His departure- together with that of a number of main Zimbabwe cricketers- led to a pointy decline in the usual of cricket is Zimbabwe. And not using a useful cricketer like Grant, Zimbabwe cricket continues to flounder.
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Source by Darrell Victor
