Chawaguta praises Jongwe and Bell

HARARE - There is always a certain excitement whenever a young batsman with a lot of promise emerges onto the scene.

Such is the case with Luke Jongwe – who following admirable performances at the recent Under-19 Cricket World Cup in the UAE – went on to score his maiden first-class century for his local franchise side Southern Rocks against Manicaland Mountaineers last week.

The 19-year-old right-hander from Harare hit a brilliant 132 not out for Rocks at Masvingo Sports Club against the Mutare side in an innings displaying maturity belying his age in the drawn match.

Jongwe smashed 11 boundaries and two sixes in his 167-ball innings in only his second first-class appearance.

In an otherwise disappointing World Cup campaign for Zimbabwe, Jongwe stood head and shoulders above the rest with three half-centuries in the competition.

His coach at the Under-19s, Walter Chawaguta, was full of praise for the teenager, who can also bowl useful medium pace.

"He (Jongwe) has done wonderfully well for us and for me it's the ability he has to read the situation and bat accordingly," Chawaguta said.

"He has played himself in most of the time and that has enabled him to accelerate at the right time. His experience has come in handy for us especially in moments when we were under pressure."

Despite the poor campaign, quite a few individual players also impressed Chawaguta.

One was leg-spinner Deven Bell, who picked just three wickets in the tournament but dried up runs effectively throughout.

"Deven Bell has also been the most consistent performer with the ball," he added.

"He worked very hard with the bowling coach and watching him bowl consistently, landing the ball in the right area was such a lesson for the rest of the bowlers that indeed hard work pays."