AUCKLAND — Zimbabwe-born New Zealand all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme is hoping his international debut at Twenty20 (T20) level is just the start of a Black Caps cricket career that takes in all forms of the game.
The 25-year-old is part of a 14-man New Zealand squad selected to face Zimbabwe, the country of his birth, in a two-match T20 series beginning in Auckland today.
A noted power hitter who sees himself as a batsman who bowls medium-pacers, the quietly-spoken de Grandhomme says Test cricket remains a big target for him.
“I fancy myself in all forms, but Twenty20 is just quick and enjoyable,” he said yesterday.
Harare-born de Grandhomme represented Zimbabwe at age group level and among the members of the present tour party are team-mates from the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh eight years ago, including skipper Brendan Taylor.
In 2006, he decided to try his luck in New Zealand and quickly found a place in the Auckland side. He said he always felt he had the ability to take the step up to the international arena.
“You just have to sort the two top (inches) out and see what happens.”
De Grandhomme wasn’t named in the New Zealand one-day international squad that completed a 3-0 series sweep over Zimbabwe.
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However, he did take the field in the final ODI in Napier on Thursday night as a substitute fieldsman, snaring two catches in the deep in his first taste of action as a Black Cap.
“It felt good, because this is my new home and playing for the fern is good,” he said.
He sees little irony in the fact that his international career is beginning against Zimbabwe, where his parents and brother still live.
“I’m playing for New Zealand now,” he said. “It will feel good just to get my debut underway and kick on from there.”
