BY MAGRETH RUZVIDZO
GROWING up in the small town of Kwekwe, Josephine Nkomo had never in her wildest imagination dreamt of herself not only making such a big wave in the colours of the national women’s cricket team, but also captaining the Lady Chevrons side.
By her own admission, the multi-talented sportswoman — who also played football for Midlands State University (MSU), Jaguars in the Zimbabwe Women’s Soccer League, handball and basketball at provincial level — only got involved in cricket as a “trial-and-error thing”.
Although she could have pursued a career in any of the other sports, she decided to concentrate on cricket and by the age of 15 she was already in the national team.
“My journey as a cricketer started way back in primary school as a trial-and-error thing,” Nkomo told The Sports Hub in an interview on Friday.
“I later joined the national team back in 2012 at the age of 15. It was a dream coming true. People will be shocked that I’m a jack-of-all-trades. I have played soccer for MSU in the national league, handball and basketball at provincial level,” she said.
The 24-year-old has become one of the most consistent players in the Zimbabwe women cricket team and is fresh from a solid 50-over series against a strong South Africa Emerging team played at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.
After being made stand-in captain of the injury-hit Zimbabwe side, which was missing several key players due to knocks and other commitments, Nkomo was one of the bright sparks of the side as she led the team from the front despite their 5-0 series whitewash defeat.
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The gifted all-rounder scored a massive 224 runs, which included three half centuries in five matches at a healthy average of 44.8 to finish as the second highest run scorer in the tournament behind South Africa’s Andrie Steyn, who top-scored with a total of 310 runs.
Nkomo said she was pleased with her individual performances and believes the series was a good learning experience for her and the rest of the team.
“It was a tough outing for the entire team. However, the consolation comes from the amazing individual performances that were noted. I played a decent role as the captain, but can only get better as I am learning,” she said.
When in action, Nkomo describes herself as “calm and aggressive at the same time”, depending on the situation at hand.
With her coach Adam Chifo commending her for the job well done in their recent matches, the phrase can best describe the captain’s mood when she is in the field.
Of her best achievements since she started playing cricket, she said she was overwhelmed when she was nominated as the Female Cricketer of the Year in 2012, being made the vice-captain and finally being the captain this year.
Although her journey has been characterised by highs and lows, Nkomo says she has learnt a lot and is working to better herself through these experiences.
“My journey has been okay with highs and lows, but it can even get better once we get to play at a World Cup. Well, I have learnt that for you to thrive as a professional cricketer it takes a lot of hard work, commitment and sacrifice,” she noted.
Apart from her success on the sporting field, Nkomo is also academically gifted as she proudly holds a degree in Psychology with the MSU.
Her dream is to help Zimbabwe qualify for their maiden ICC Women’s World Cup and getting the opportunity to play in big tournaments like the Women’s Big Bash League and the Women’s T20 Challenge, also known as the Women’s Indian Premier League.
