We are delighted to introduce the latest supporter of the
network, Henry Olonga, who was Zimbabwe's first ever black cricketer and the
youngest ever player to represent his country at international level. A fast bowler,
Henry made his Test debut for Zimbabwe, aged 18 years old against Pakistan in
1995 and recorded career best Test figures of 5 for 70 against India in 1998.
He still holds two out of three of the best bowling figures for a Zimbabwean
bowler in One Day Internationals. Henry achieved international recognition
(along with team mate Andy Flower) in 2003 by wearing a black armband in a
Cricket World Cup match to protest against the policies of Zimbabwe's
government.Henry had to flee Zimbabwe from impending threats. He is now living
in England and has embarked on careers
in music, art, public speaking and cinematography.
Henry's autobiography `Blood, Sweat and Treason` was longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award and nominated for the˜Best Autobiography" award at the British Sports Book Awards 2011.
We met Henry at the recent Sports Heritage Network Conference hosted by the MCC at Lord's Cricket Ground where he was panel member for a fascinating session on the role of politics in sport, which was chaired by SMN supporter John Inverdale. Henry becomes the first cricketer to sign up as a supporter, a significant moment in the evolution of the network as we move toward a number of memories websites for a range of sports. Replay Cricket will host the stories of fans, players, celebrities and journalists, the stories being available to be used in the sports reminiscence sessions with older people.
