Tinotenda Mawoyo and captaincy

Do you fancy yourself as a future captain of the Test team? - @ThatDarkChild
Yes I do.

Is Captaincy something you relish, and that comes naturally to you, or is it a role which was rather pushed onto as a senior player at the Mountaineers and recently with Zim A? - ForeignField
Captaincy is certainly not a new area for me in the game of cricket, and therefore it is an area I find fairly comfortable in executing. Over and above captaining numerous Provincial sides, I have been fortunate enough to have captained our National age-group sides at Under 16 and Under 19 level,  both for a period of 2 years.  (I captained our Under 19 World Cup team that played in Bangladesh in 2004). At all instances, we had successful tours and enjoyed some great victories even over the greater test-playing sides. I have also captained the Zim ‘A’ side on numerous occasions prior to this last triangular series with Sri Lanka and South Africa as well. As much as some forms of leadership may come more naturally to certain people as opposed to others, I believe that generally leadership, like most other things in life, is something that must be worked at in order for one to do well at it. Whenever I have been given the opportunity to lead, I have certainly treasured the privilege and enjoyed the experience as well.

What advice could he pass on to the captain for the upcoming T20 WC - Andrew
Go out and give it your best! We competed extremely well in our last two T20’s in New Zealand at the beginning of the year, and we are also coming off a great all round tri-series against South Africa and Bangladesh which we won on home soil. So let’s remember what we did well during the last tri-series  and repeat that.
    
How do your rate your leadership skills? - CrimsonAvenger
It would be difficult for me to rate myself, but what I can say is I’ve appreciated and enjoyed the opportunities I’ve been given to captain the ‘A’ team in particular. I have been on a steep learning curve and I’m grateful to Zimbabwe Cricket for their continued faith in me. Indeed I’m still learning a lot about leadership and captaincy and I don’t think I ever will stop learning, be it from coaches, former greats and even players I play with or against. What’s key is to take those lessons and apply them not only for myself as a leader but for the team as a whole. As a leader it’s not enough to simply know a lot about cricket, for I believe leadership is about applied wisdom, and that’s what I try and ensure we do as a team every time I am privileged to take the field as a leader.

Tino Mawoyo after the game

What are your plans after you finish your playing career (life after cricket)? - Clikcspeed
Well we will have to see how things pan out, but there are few things that currently interest me. Junior coaching for one is exciting and encouraging as the young players really listen to what they are taught and many times apply the instructions they’re given much better than us senior players do. I may venture into commentary as well. I have recently completed my entry level Grade ‘D’ umpiring course and that’s another avenue I may well consider. But I guess we will have to wait and see how it all goes.-

Tell us something that your fans don't know about TMK? - POVO
I started off my cricket in colts as an opening bowler and batted number 10!!! And yes I was fast! (As you know anyone who doesn’t bowl spin at colts level is a Pace bowler)!

Do you or any of the other guys read the Zimbabwe cricket forums? - zimdoggy
Whenever I have the opportunity I do take time to read and follow up on the key issues that are raised in the forums, so yes I do when the opportunity arises.

What do you do in your spare time? - POVO
Obviously spend a lot of time in front of the tv watching cricket, and I’m starting to read around the game a lot more than I used to. Will go out with some friends every now and then and watch the English Premier League whenever I can…. and before you ask, it’s Manchester United!

Did you play any other sport in high school and what position did you play? - POVO
I played many other sports in school. I played tennis and golf but only until it started clashing with my cricket fixtures on a Friday afternoon. In hockey and soccer I was a centre forward, and on the rugby field I was a fly half. I swam at the inter-house galas but only when my house was extremely short of personnel, and I tried basketball but stopped pretty quickly when I ruptured ligaments in my right ankle and was off sport for 8 weeks! I was also part of the school athletics team.
 
Are you on twitter and what is your view of social media in general? - POVO
I’m not on twitter, and I think social media is a great way of keeping in touch with friends and family all over the world. However as much as these social media formats are such a useful networking and communication tool, I have also seen a lot of professional sportsmen getting themselves into some very uncomfortable situations due to what they’ve written or said over these platforms.

Are you married and to who? - Andrew
No I’m not.

Tino Mawoyo's starting World XI

You have been asked to name a World XI of which you will captain, among the current players who would you pick, and who would your vice be and why?

1. Hashim Amla
2. Tinotenda Mawoyo
3. Ricky Ponting
4. Jacques Kallis
5. Michael Clarke
6. Shivnarine Chanderpaul
7. Kumar Sangakarra
8. Vernon Philander
9. Dale Steyn
10. James Anderson
11. Saeed Ajmal
12. Alistair Cook

My deputy would be Michael Clarke. He’s down to earth, calm, leads by example and has a wealth of experience, all qualities of a great leader. He has led and continues to lead Australia through a rebuilding phase and there would be no one better to feed off and  learn from than him, in my opinion.

Read More interviews in this series;
Tinotenda Mawoyo, Zimbabwe crickets opening batsmen
Tinotenda Mawoyo talks about cricket politics and development In Zimbabwe