Former Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer has set his sights on helping Rhinos win some silverware this season after he marked his return from an injury layoff with two wickets in his franchise’s victory over Mountaineers in a Pro50 Championship match played at Kwekwe Sports Club on Saturday.
The 32-year-old leg-spinner had been sidelined from action since he underwent knee surgery in Harare on 23 August.
Although Cremer returned impressive figures of two for 41 in his 10 overs in Saturday’s match, he says he still has to work hard to regain full fitness.
“It was good to come back, but I still feel I have got some way to go before I am back to full fitness. But I am happy to be back playing,” he said.
“I was a bit nervous about the knee, so I was a bit tentative the whole game, but it will hopefully just get stronger and stronger as I go.”
Cremer is likely to play his second game since his return from injury when Rhinos face Eagles in a Pro50 Championship match scheduled for Harare Sports Club this Wednesday.
After the one-day game, the two sides will meet again at the same venue in a Logan Cup match scheduled for 14-17 December.
Rhinos, who also defeated Mountaineers in the Logan Cup first round last week, will be hoping to continue with their good form as they look to win their first ever silverware in domestic cricket.
Apart from Cremer, the Kwekwe-based franchise boast national team stars Brendan Taylor, Kyle Jarvis, Tarisai Musakanda, Tendai Chisoro, Neville Madziva, Peter Moor and Carl Mumba, making them, at least on paper, the strongest domestic side in the country.
“Rhinos have always had a good team,” Cremer said.
“We are desperate to win a trophy this year, and with this great start we can hopefully achieve something good this season.”
Cremer is also looking forward to making his return to international cricket, having missed Zimbabwe’s limited-overs and Test tours to South Africa and Bangladesh between September and November due to his injury layoff.
“It’s always tough missing games because of injury, especially when it comes to national duty. Very tough mentally,” he said.
“It’s been a long time coming, but will hopefully be back in national colours in March and I am looking forward to it.”
Meanwhile, this week’s Pro50 Championship and Logan Cup matches between Tuskers and Mountaineers, scheduled for Bulawayo’s Queens Sports Club, have been postponed to dates that will be announced in due course.
