Charles Coventry (Zimbabwean cricketer)
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| Charles Coventry | ||||
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 Zimbabwe |
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| Personal information | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batting style | Right-hand bat | |||
| Bowling style | Legbreak | |||
| Career statistics | ||||
| Tests | ODIs | |||
| Matches | 2 | 9 | ||
| Runs scored | 88 | 187 | ||
| Batting average | 22.00 | 23.37 | ||
| 100s/50s | 0/0 | 0/1 | ||
| Top score | 37 | 74 | ||
| Balls bowled | - | - | ||
| Wickets | - | - | ||
| Bowling average | - | - | ||
| 5 wickets in innings | - | - | ||
| 10 wickets in match | - | n/a | ||
| Best bowling | - | - | ||
| Catches/stumpings | 3/- | 3/- | ||
Charles Kevin Coventry (born 8 March 1983 in Kwekwe, Midlands) is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional wicket-keeper. Within Zimbabwe he is known as "Chappie" Coventry.
Coventry was born into a strong cricket family. He is the son of Charles "Chuck" Coventry, one of the leading umpires in Zimbabwe, with international experience. Chuck introduced Charles to cricket from a young age, in their back garden and also the nets at the Bulawayo Athletic Club. Chuck has coaching experience and he gave Charles a strong grounding in technique and attitude.
Coventry began playing proper cricket in the third grade at Whitestone School, for whom he played two years in the colts team and two in the senior. His best performance was taking a hatrick with his legbreaks. In his final two years he represented Matabeleland Primary Schools team, in the national Primary Schools Cricket Weeks, scoring a couple of fifties but not making it into the national age group side. He went to High School at Christian Brothers College, Bulawayo, and was selected for the national U14s side, progressing through the U16s and U19s as well. His best performance was 94 against the South African side Northerns. He played for CBC Senior team for two years, having scored a hundred against the strong St. Johns U16 side.
In Form One at CBC Coventry started playing club cricket for the Bulawayo Athletic Club, starting off in the Third XI but progressing quickly into the Firsts. BAC encouraged him to take up wicketkeeping, a role he currently fulfils for Matabeleland.
Coventry made his Logan Cup debut aged only 15. He had taken his gear along to a match his father was going to umpire "just in case" but due to a mix-up a Matabele player failed to arrive on time and Coventry was told he would be playing. He went in to bat at five, with Matabeleland on 66-3 chasing Mashonaland's total of 243. Coventry immediately got hit by Andy Blignaut, which must have been painful, and indeed he was facing three other international bowlers in the shape of Eddo Brandes, Paul Strang and Everton Matambanadzo. He admitted to John Ward that the pacemen were far quicker than any he had faced before, but he stuck in, scoring 33, the third highest score of the innings, off 121 before being run out. Coventry paid credit to Guy Whittall for helping through his innings, Guy told him to concentrate and also revealed the strengths of the bowlers. Since his debut Coventry has been a Matabele regular, opening the innings.
In 2002 Coventry applied to and was accepted by the CFX Academy, doing well there before returning to Matabeleland. Good domestic form saw him called up for the full national squad to tour England in 2003. Coventry was thrown in as opener against England at Bristol, but struggled, scoring three off 10 balls. He was dropped for the Australia tour.
When the rebellion struck Coventry initially joined it but returned along with Gavin Ewing and Barney Rogers. He did not play for Zimbabwe in Bangladesh or South Africa, but continued good domestic form saw him picked as Zimbabwe A's wicketkeeper for the series against Pakistan A. Coventry did not play in either of the four-day "Tests", with first Neil Ferreira and then Brendan Taylor being preferred but he did play in the two "ODIs". In the first match he scored 6, as Zimbabwe lost, but in the second he produced a fine innings that catapulted him into national contention.
Zimbabwe, under the captaincy of Stuart Carlisle, had been put in to bat and fine spells from Najaf Shah and Mohammed Khalil had left Zimbabwe A reeling on 54-4. Coventry proceeded to launch an inspired counter-attack, first with Stuart Matsikenyeri, who scored a gritty 55 at the top of the order, in a partnership of 68, then Blessing Mahwire dug in with Coventry too, Mahwire scoring 41 in a hundred-run stand for the seventh wicket. Coventry finished on 102* off 143 balls. The innings proved to be the match-winning contribution as Pakistan A subsided to 181a/o, well short of Zimbabwe A's 232.
As was predicted after that innings Coventry made his next ODI bow as a Supersub against New Zealand in 2005, scoring an entertaining 25 as Zimbabwe lost heavily. Coventry played in the next three ODIs against New Zealand and India scoring 0, 35 and a fine 74 in the final match.
Later in the summer Coventry made his Test debut against India, batting in the lower order with his customary aggression, and did better than many other Zimbabweans, scoring 2, 24, 27 and 35 in the two heavy Test defeats.
Coventry should be a contender for the Zimbabwean middle order for a while, and should he learn to build an innings and restrain his attacking instincts, may have a bright future for his country.
Coventry has been quite disappointing in the Logan Cup, averaging only 23 despite five fifties, a top score of 90* and 1063 career runs. In the One Day Competition he has a better record, with a hundred and 7 fifties, 916 career runs and an average of 30.
Coventry's cricket heroes are Sachin Tendulkar and Steve Waugh. His toughest Zimbabwean opponent was Eddo Brandes because of the swing and bounce he extracted.
