Zimbabwean cricketer Anesu Mushangwe is living her dream in her new “home” country. They say home is where the heart is, and for Mushangwe, cricket is where her heart lies. Being in Australia, where cricket is like the heartbeat of the nation, makes it a perfect match for her. She is the first Zimbabwean women’s cricketer to play in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL), a prestigious T20 league in Australia. Former Zimbabwe all-rounder Solomon Mire is the first from his country to play in the Big Bash League. However, Mushangwe has gone a step further by winning the competition with her team Adelaide Strikers in the 2023/24 season. This time, I took my storytelling journey Down Under in Australia and had a brief catch-up with Mushangwe, who graciously found time in her busy schedule to chat with me.
Read on for my short and quick chat with the reigning WBBL champion.
Living the Dream
Where does winning the WBBL league rank amongst your cricket achievements so far?
Playing in a Big Bash team remains as number one, ranking-wise. Not underestimating the championship win, I think it’s up there with my cricket achievements too.
Can I safely say “You are living the dream?”
Absolutely, it’s something I have prayed for, just to be involved in the squads. Playing and coaching at a higher level here in Australia has been a dream come true for sure.
When you look back at your life and career, what would you say has helped you to be where you are today?
Working hard means training a lot. But also seeing myself as the person I wanted to be in the future – playing high-level cricket and playing overseas. It’s something I’ve visualized a lot when I was back home, hence the energy and drive to make it happen.
Do you miss Zimbabwe, or like they say, “home is where the heart is,” so maybe Australia is home now?
Yes, home is always home, but Australia is home for me too now. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with having two homes anyway.
I know this chat should have been a little longer, but as I said earlier, Anesu’s schedule is extremely busy, so it was an honour to get some of her time. And like they say, “there is always a next time.”
