Regis Chakabva

A fearless wicket-keeper batsman, Regis Chakabva has struggled a lot in his initial days and has represented Zimbabwe in all three formats of the game.

Chakabva played for Zimbabwe squad at the Afro-Asia U-19 Cup in 2005. But despite performing well, he had to wait in line behind Tatenda Taibu and Brendan Taylor in the national wicket-keeping stakes.

At just 20 years of age, Chakabva was included in the Zimbabwe squad for the 2008 Quadrangular Twenty20 Series in Canada. Playing as a specialist batsman, he made his T20I debut against Pakistan and scored just one run before being run-out.

The Harare-born stumper got another chance to cement his place in the national squad and was subsequently included in the Tri-Nation Tournament in Kenya in 2008. Chakabva played his maiden ODI game against Kenya and scored a gritty 41 off just 44 deliveries. Despite his best efforts with the bat, Kenya went on to win the match by 95 runs.

Chakabva was in and out of the national team due to poor form with the bat. The turning point in his career came in the 2013 Logan Cup Tournament. In a match against West Rhinos, he slammed a majestic 240, his first double century and the third-highest score in Logan Cup history.

The 33-year old was the lone bright spot for the Zimbabweans in the Test series against Bangladesh in 2014. Chakabva slammed his maiden Test ton and finished the series with 226 runs in three Test matches.

Over the years, injuries and poor form have constantly been the roadblock for Chakabva. He has played well in bits and pieces and was also a part of the Zimbabwe squad for the 2015 World Cup.

The talented wicket-keeper batsman has served Zimbabwe cricket for the past 13 years. Had it not been for the brilliance of Tatenda Taibu and Brendan Taylor behind the stumps, Chakabva would have surely played more matches for his nation.

(As of March 2021)