A freakish injury in teenage years, questions about his commitment to Zimbabwe Cricket. Low remunerations as a professional cricketer, an inconsistent team often finding it’s own place under the sun. And above all, the lure of taking steps for financial security like his elder brother Sean. Life for Craig Ervine hasn’t been an ice cream bucket. In the 7 years and counting where he’s proudly represented the African nation, his struggles point to just one direction: that here lies a bloke who’s based his career on sheer rigor and determination.
Ervine was only 13 years old when he lost his balance on penlight batteries at home. What was he doing?
The earnest lad was trying to reach for something toward the pelmet. The consequences, though, weren’t that pretty. Ervine sustained a horrific injury as his hand went through a glass window nearby, cutting through his arteries, ligaments and nerves. The injury was so severe that his family feared he might die, while the doctors thought that his hand needed amputation.
However, a lengthy three-hour surgery would save the man and his promise for resurrecting Zimbabwean cricket in the near future. Today, one’s glad that Ervine is playing alongside some of the finest contemporary talents in the Zimbabwean set-up.
Early Cricketing lessons were learnt alongside brothers Sean and Ryan at daddy’s farm. After polishing his game with Zimbabwe Cricket academy, Zimbabwe under-19 and, in England, where with Blexil and Lorhood club, he served on a short stint, Ervine started his domestic career with Southern Rocks in 2009,
Thereafter, a year later, he would cherish the dream of playing International Cricket.
In his debut game against India- a composed 67 was made. The progress was emphatic and considering he was only 24, signs were ominous, not that he was onto something big. And, in 2013, when he topped the run charts on a West Indies tour, it looked he was ready to take cricket forward on his shoulders.
However he surprised everyone when he refused a contract from Zimbabwe Cricket post his Caribbean sojourn.
Understandably, a lot of questions were raised on his commitment to Zimbabwe Cricket at the time.
However, two years later, in 2015, Ervine made an unexpected return.
During his second stint with the national team, Ervine has shown he is now a much better batsman focusing solely on Cricket, which has also helped him perform better.
But loyal Zimabwean fans who believed in their new go-to man were treated to a fine unbeaten 130 against New Zealand helped.
Ervine would help his team gunned down a target of 303.
During the innings he demonstrated a wide range of strokes with 11 fours and 5 sixes. A year later, he made his first hundred against the same opposition.
But this time he would be against likes of Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner; but little the firm batsman budge under any kind of pressure.
That 146 showed that the easygoing bloke could play strokes, but if required, would play long rearguard inning as well.
During this innings, Ervine batted for nearly 7 hours and 272 minutes in the first innings score of 582-5.
But here’s a perspective.
He was scoring runs and scoring hundreds at home, (he had 3 hundreds in all format at home, 2 against New Zealand and 1 against Ireland) he was not as successful abroad. In 6 tests at home he was averaging 43 while in 5 tests on foreign soil he could gather a meagre 190 runs at an average of 21.
Not a single fifty. There were murmurs that Craig Ervine was a home track bully. But little did everyone give a thought that Zimbabwe plays very few Tests abroad. Did you notice?
Amidst all this madness, Sri Lanka invited Zimbabwe for a full tour after a 15 year hiatus. Most, it could be said, didn’t expect the outcome, which to Ervine was a golden opportunity to show he had the ability to score anywhere.
After scoring a match winning 69* in the 4th ODI, which helped his side level series 2-2 (which later they won by 3-2)- Ervine probably played the innings of his career when he made a massive 160 in the only Test against of the tour.
Taking his side into a strong position, critics must have been dumbed by the outcome of that familiar zesty blade. The inning was commendable not only because it came against a quality spin attack but also that it came when Zimbabwe were 4 down for 70.
Ervine played 256 balls and by the time he was out- Zimbabwe were safe and had been well preserved. The innings also encased a potential to score runs outside home- hitherto, something that bugged his naysayers.
The big question, now, however, is whether Ervine can bring consistency to his game at a time when team’s expectation from him has doubled?
Can he become Zimbabwe’s next big thing? Can he become their batting mainstay?
But here’s some potent truth. Batsmen, it is said, peak between 29-34. So hopefully we may be able to see Craig Ervine do what Zimbabwe hopes from it’s dedicated solider: further consolidate its position as a team that now finally seems ready for a massive fight back.
Very interesting read!