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ZCN recently had a chance to put a few questions to Alester Maregwede, who made his Test debut for Zimbabwe in 2004 and who has recently been playing in Australia. Despite having been out of the national picture for a while, Alester is still hoping to return to the top of the Zimbabwean game - but we started with asking him about where his cricketing career began. Read on for the full interview...

What encouraged you to first take up cricket? Was it a sport you always had an interest in, or did you have to choose between cricket and other sports that you enjoyed but perhaps weren't as good at?
I got involved in cricket through the Zimbabwe Cricket Development programme - Steve Mangongo and Bruce Makovah used to come to Chipembere Primary School during our PE classes to teach us cricket. That was when I was 9 years old, when I was also involved in the tennis development programme and had been selected into the Highfield junior team. During winter I was the school's junior team goalkeeper, being groomed to be the first team first choice goalkeeper.

It's been said that you first took up wicketkeeping after playing in a match where there was "no-one else to do it" (a match between Highfield and High Glen Select XI) - is that true? Did you find that 'keeping came naturally to you, or was it something you had to work at?
Most of my mates played cricket and I couldn't get picked because Bruce and Steve were frustrated at me not being able to bowl fast because of my height - I was bigger than most of the kids then. I used to follow them whenever they played, and on this particular day I was at Shiriyedenga Primary School, having walked an hour from Highfields, and for some reason the wicket keeper didn't turn up. Steve Mangongo and Bruce Makovah knew of my ability as a goalkeeper, in fact they chased me away for a year from cricket because I couldn't bowl fast, so they plucked me out of the crowd and said, "whatever you do, don't let any byes through, you have to catch everything". We lost the toss and were sent in to bat and I was batting 8. I top scored with 38, and that was when they started getting serious about my batting and paid lots of attention after that - to everyone's surprise I got the captaincy a couple of months later.

You're one of the few current players in Zimbabwe who have had a taste of Test cricket, in the 2004 series against Sri Lanka. This was the first series after the original player dispute, and I think it's fair to say it wasn't Zimbabwe's finest cricketing moment. Can you tell us a bit about your experiences in that series?
Yes, it wasn't our finest moment and things should have been done better. I was in Bangladesh with the Zimbabwe 'A' side, we only started knowing about the issues when a guy ran to us and showed it to us on TV in his coffee shop. I was disappointed in that some of the players on tour in Bangladesh knew what was happening. At that time I feel Zimbabwe Cricket was robbed of the moment to move forward because people put their self interest first, when it should have been a Zimbabwe Cricket interest dealt by all Zimbabwe cricketers.

To then play Test cricket with an inexperienced side was always going to be hard, and to face up to Vaas and Murali is not easy, especially when they had wreaked havoc against our more experienced side in Colombo before (38 all out).

Did you feel that you had been thrown in at the deep end, or feel any anger or annoyance towards the players who had walked away from the side?
I don't feel angry at all at the players that walked away, but I feel they should have done things in a much better way and Zimbabwe Cricket would have been up there with the best.

Did playing against Sri Lanka at that point in your career teach you anything that you've been able to use since then?
When I played the Test matches against Sri Lanka, I realised the need of Zimbabwe Cricket to change its attitude and use technology more. I was having problems picking Murali's doosra [in the first Test] - when I requested footage of him bowling I was able to pick clues about his deliveries, and that was a massive help in my preparations and the way I played him in the second Test. Zimbabwe Cricket needs to start having Logan Cup Matches televised, and having footage of local players playing first class cricket - this will improve our cricket heaps, with coaches and players studying techniques. Selectors could then watch 2 games from one location - it would help with who they are picking for the National team.

Your last appearance for the national side - so far! - was against South Africa in February 2005, another series that Zim didn't do too well in. Do you feel that being selected for the national side at that stage in your career did you more harm than good (by exposing you to that level of cricket before you were ready), or was it a positive experience for you despite the side's results?
Well, its not a hard question. I think my career would have gone in a different path had the selectors or the coaches in the past showed a bit of faith in my ability. In 2005 I was more than ready but whatever it was - I don't understand why - it had to be the last of my international career so far. If you look at the first One Dayer at Wanderers against South Africa, I was really batting well in a pressure situation and was unfortunate to have been given out LBW to Albie Morkel, and when you look at the replays it tells you a different story. In the tour matches I was putting runs on the board, against hostile pace, but didn't get a game in the Test. My attitude was right, my last ODI in Durban I got out trying to do the right thing which was up the rate - we were chasing 310, I think, and whenever I play cricket I play to win, and my attitude to play for the team cost me a place in the side. I have always been criticized for not playing for myself, which I feel is unfair - cricket is a team sport and all I wanted to do was what the team required. But you reflect and learn from those situations. I had prepared well for the series but sadly it was to be my last for a couple of years.

You mentioned the Zimbabwe 'A' tour to Bangladesh in 2004 earlier - you were captain of the side on that tour, where you got a few wins under your belt with some other close results. What was that tour like?
That tour to Bangladesh still stands out as my best trip overseas, and I have always said I would love to go and play cricket again in Bangladesh. We had an exciting, well balanced squad on the trip - we had 7 experienced players who had played either a Test or a one day international for Zimbabwe by that time (Gripper, myself, Coventry, Mwayenga, Ewing, Coventry, Simms, Matsikenyeri and Sibanda), we also had young players who were coming into the picture and getting valuable experience for international cricket, and had done well at Under 19 World Cup (Taylor, Panyangarara, Chigumbura). The selectors had also picked Rinke and Bennett on their brilliant performances in league cricket. In my view the selectors had got it right - a good blend of experience and youth - and players on the trip deserved to be there. Credit to the selectors, they had got the balance right and had the future of Zimbabwe cricket in mind.

You've recently been plying your trade in Australia, where you were part of the side the helped Mildura Settlers lift their first title in 20 years, before going on to Roseville where you gained a clutch of awards for the 08/09 season. What has playing in Australia been like for you? Has the standard of competition there helped you develop your game?
In my view, the Australian system will always keep Australia on top of the cricket standings. They can pluck a guy playing 3rd grade cricket to play international cricket and he will plunder any bowling attack. The club cricket here is actually like a mini Test match - as a batting side you get 82 overs in the day to bat and whatever you score, you have to defend that next Saturday. I learnt in my first Year in Mildura that you don't want to score a good 20 and then sit in the shed the rest of the Saturday watching someone else getting all the pies, after you have done all the hard work, and in my second year I got more greedy. I always wake up on a Saturday wanting to bat the whole 82 overs. It has made such a huge difference to my cricket, playing in these conditions.

Have you had any indication from the selectors back home that your form in Australia has caught their attention?
I have indicated to the national selectors that I am available to play international cricket for Zimbabwe, but the response I got was I need to play club cricket at home to get selected, which I feel is not right, especially when in the 2 years I have been in Australia I have played lots of cricket compared to a lot of cricketers at home, and when you look at our conditions to return to playing Test cricket, the guys that have sort of prepared better are Taylor, Sibanda and myself, because club cricket in Australia is structured along First Class and Test match conditions. Having scored 1200 runs in the 2 years at just under 50, I feel I should be getting a look in. When I last played for Zimbabwe A in 2007, I was averaging 40 against the South African Academy and in the South African Airways Challenge, and in club cricket I was averaging 145 for Takashinga, having scored 206 in a 50 over first league match - my third score over 100 in 3 innings. In the 2 years since then I have maintained my consistency in putting scores on the board and I have never felt better that the time is right for my call up, especially now when I feel I am getting to the top of my game.

After a few years of regrouping and rebuilding, it's hoped by many that the introduction of the franchise system for the domestic tournaments in Zim will help bring the game to the next level, and help increase its popularity. Do you have any thoughts on what the new system will mean for you?
I agree with the new system in place, but it will only work if it has a programme that they will stick to all the time. This system should have been in place a long time ago - there were people that always were pushing for strength vs strength and only keeping cricket to a handful of players, and that situation never allowed cricket in Zimbabwe to grow and spread. Cricket is not just about your elite 15 players, England became one of the top sides in cricket because of how Duncan Fletcher got the county system to work for English cricket. South Africa now has the luxury of picking 6 Test batters from 8 world class batters for their Test fixtures - this is the reward a proper franchise system can bring to our cricket. Zimbabwe Cricket now has that opportunity to get it right. I'm all for the system, as long as players are playing and getting the opportunity to play at least 8 First Class matches per season for their franchise, with matches to be played on a home and away basis. Most importantly First Class players or contracted players for their franchise should have good pay structures that will see them spend most of their time improving their cricket skills and focussing on cricket.

Do you have hopes / plans on playing for Centrals (or one of the other sides) again, or do you still plan to focus on playing overseas?
Currently I am looking at a few offers to play my third season in Australia, including some player / coach posts. I am in talks with a franchise in Zimbabwe, and I'm keen to return to play 4 day cricket and make myself available to play for Zimbabwe. I last played for Centrals when it was Midlands in 2004, when I was then captain, and I last played for Masvingo (now Southerns) in 2007 when I was Player/Coach, so until I have got something concrete I'm not in a position to comment and commit, I am still waiting for the franchise that has approached me, with their offer.

You clearly haven't given up hope of appearing for the national side again. With competition for the 'keepers gloves already quite strong (between Tatenda Taibu, Brendan Taylor and now Forster Mutizwa), what do you feel you could bring to the team?
I'm only turning 28 in a couple of weeks and I feel I will only be starting my international career now. I take comfort in what Andy Flower did during his career - when he was young he was just an average cricketer but as he got older and more experienced he became number 1 batsman in the world. As a kid I played with Andy Flower for the same club, when I was actually the captain, and he passed on a lot of things to me that even now I still use. He also gave me a copy of a book, Mental Toughness in Sports, and what he followed in it is what got him to be the Number 1 batsman in the world. At 24 they said I was too old to be playing and they pushed me into coaching, I had to do 2 years of it and playing and proved that I was good enough to play,and still one of the fittest. I haven't given up playing for my country and I will be making a return - I have always wanted to return to international cricket when we start playing Test cricket again, Test Cricket is the Cricketers ultimate Test.

With the wicket keeping question, Zimbabwe has always had a history of producing quality wicketkeepers, and I'm proud of being one of them. I will do what I can to get myself into the team, and will work extremely hard to keep my spot in the team, whether I'm playing as a wicketkeeper/batsman, or just as a batsman alone. As long as my name is on the 11 on the team sheet. If the attitude changes towards selection and balance of the team, there should not be a problem with me getting a role in the side. The theories in the past have created some of the crisis in Zimbabwe cricket, there has been talk in the past of picking 3 dimensional players and packing sides with all-rounders, and that creates a lot of selection headaches and upsets the whole balance of the team. If the selections are kept very simple, they will always have a role for me. In Test/First Class cricket you need 6 specialist batters and your wicket keeper has to bat as well to be able to put a score of 400. In a team that wants to create a competitive and winning environment, there is room for 4 wicketkeeper/batsmen to be competing for spots and lately I have been keen to bat in the top 4 and I understand what my role in the team is.

Finally, the question that always has to be asked: who are your sporting heroes, cricket or otherwise, and why?
Well cricket wise, no other than Brian Lara - amazing talent and how he dominated world cricket. It amazes me how he has both the Test and First Class records and to do the Test record twice, its an amazing feat, he was truly an entertainer, a great talent. Obviously close behind and not far away is Andy Flower, for an average Zimbabwean kid, an average cricketer, with no flair to transform himself to be the world's best is quite a unique achievement, it gives me a lot of belief that Zimbabwe can reach the top one day if we have players who can transform themselves into world class acts like Andy.

This one is not so much because of my driving but I'm a fan of Formula 1, and to me Michael Schumacher has to be the best, his ability as a driver and to use the rules to his favour, you have to have a strong mentality and awareness to do all that. Formula 1 has never been the same without him. I'm also starting to follow Sebastien Vettel, to me he is a champion in the making, must drive for Ferrari next year.

Having grown up in a soccer culture, I don't have a clear cut favourite soccer player, but one person to me that stands out in modern football is Jose` Mourinho, not only did he transform Chelsea to Champions League favourites, but he also brought in trophies to the Chelsea cabinet that they never dreamt would ever land at Stamford Bridge, and now Chelsea is amongst the best in Europe. But it's not just Chelsea, it's also how his arrival ignited English Football, and it's now very exciting and closely fought. It also marked a golden era in English football were they have dominated European Football. I'm not a Man United fan but I have great respect for Sir Alex Ferguson for his remarkable record, achievements and tenure at the club, and for what he has made Man Utd to be what it is today.

Thanks to Alester for taking the time to answer our questions.