Tapiwa ‘Bonzo’ Mufudza is a stalwart of Zimbabwean domestic cricket, from his first-class debut back in October 2011 to making his Zimbabwe ODI debut against Sri Lanka in January 2024, he has shown consistent levels of high quality spin bowling and now wishes to return to the UK for what will be his fifth season in club cricket.

Tapiwa’s cricketing journey began at Mbizi Primary School in Harare, from there he joined Takashinga Cricket Club to develop his love for the sport. Mountaineers was where his professional journey began and where he stayed until the 2017/18 season where he joined the Eagles and has remained ever since.

In total, Tapiwa is now closing in on 200 first-class wickets (187) and has over 140 List A and T20 wickets! It’s fair to say, he knows his craft.

He plugged away season after season, winning trophies with every domestic team he played for and collecting individual accolades like they were going out of fashion, yet international recognition continued to elude him. He simply kept his head down and worked harder on his fitness and his variations, consistently put in match winning performances across all formats until they could ignore him no longer.

As ‘Bonzo’ has gained in experience his form has continued to improve, he was the Logan Cup’s best bowler in 2022/23 when he picked up 29 wickets at 26.55 to lead the Eagles to the title. He also led the way in the bowling charts in 2019/20 with 30 wickets at 19.66, no winner was declared in the competition due to Covid but the Eagles were once again well placed.

His form in the one-day game in 23/24 was what finally forced the hand of the Zimbabwe selectors for white ball international inclusion. Leading wicket-taker in the Pro50 Championship (18 at 22.05) and a cup final win with the Eagles, then a decisive 3-39 for Northerns v Southerns in the Regional Pro50 tournament meant he forced his way in.

In the two ODI’s against Sri Lanka in Colombo he was economical, if wicketless.

So to his UK trips, four seasons so far including two seasons at Cookham Dean CC (2014 and 2017), a year at North Maidenhead CC and finally a season up in Scotland with Dumfries in 2019. He enjoyed particular success with Cookham Dean taking 97 league wickets across the two seasons at 17.08.

Still enthusiastic, still loves spin bowling and while much of this profile has rightly been dedicated to his skill with the ball, he has proved himself more than adept with the bat in UK conditions. An ECB level 2 coach, Tapiwa will tick many boxes for a club wanting a more experienced and high quality overseas spin bowling all-rounder.