Published: Sep 19, 2016, 12:55 PM (IST)
Edited: Sep 19, 2016, 12:58 PM (IST)
Born September 19, 1986 at Harare, Graeme Cremer turns 30. Cremer is one of the most experienced as well as talented players that the current Zimbabwe squad has. A promising leg-spinner, Cremer made his debut in international cricket in 2005 under the captaincy of Tatenda Taibu as Zimbabwe played Bangladesh in the series opener at MA Aziz Stadium, Chittagong. Cremer bowled only in the first innings of the Test, picked up two wickets but remained a bit expensive. However, he showed his potential in his action and kept on bettering him day by day, which cemented his spot in the national squad.
Cremer represented Zimbabwe in 13 Tests and picked up 26 wickets. In One-Day Internationals (ODIs), the player made 64 appearances for Zimbabwe, scalping 74 wickets while in Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), Cremer played in 27 matches bagging 33 wickets in his career so far.
One of Cremer’s most successful series in Tests was against South Africa in 2005. Though the two-match Test series went in favour of the hosts, Cremer bagged 6 wickets, including those of Graeme Smith, AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher. The bowler has two 5-wicket hauls in ODIs against Kenya and Afghanistan, best being a 6-wicket haul against Kenya. READ: Zimbabwe Cricket in search of new head coach
In T20Is, the bowler has five 3-wicket hauls. One of his most crucial bowling spells is the one in ICC World T20 2016 where he picked up 3 wickets against Bangladesh, including that of Shakib Al Hasan, which helped his side register a 31-run victory over he hosts side. He is also a good lower-order batsman and has helped Zimbabwe with quick knocks in many instances.
Post the ICC WT20 2016, Cremer was handed the captaincy of Zimbabwe across formats. He led the side against India in three T20Is followed by three ODIs and against New Zealand in two Tests. Here’s wishing the cricketer a very happy birthday and many more to come.
