John Rennie (cricketer)

John Alexander Rennie (born 29 July 1970) is a former Zimbabwean cricketer who played in four Test matches and 44 One Day Internationals (ODIs) from 1993 to 2000. He played as a swing bowler for the Zimbabwe national side between 1993 and 2000.[1]

John Rennie

Personal information
Full name	John Alexander Rennie
Born	29 July 1970 Masvingo, Zimbabwe
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm medium-fast
Role	Bowler
Relations	Gavin Rennie (brother)
International information
National side	Zimbabwe (1993–2000)
Test debut	1 December 1993 v Pakistan
Last Test	18 September 1997 v New Zealand
ODI debut	10 November 1993 v South Africa
Last ODI	16 July 2000 v West Indies
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1993/94–2000/01	Matabeleland
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA Matches 4 44 40 66 Runs scored 62 201 1,045 389 Batting average 12.40 13.40 21.77 13.89 100s/50s 0/0 0/0 0/6 0/0 Top score 22 27 67* 33 Balls bowled 724 1,965 6,463 2,908 Wickets 3 34 96 52 Bowling average 97.66 46.00 33.12 44.15 5 wickets in innings 0 0 6 0 10 wickets in match 0 0 0 0 Best bowling 2/22 3/27 9/76 3/27 Catches/stumpings 1/– 12/– 10/– 21/–
Source: CricInfo, 9 August 2019

Early life

Rennie was born at Fort Victoria in what was then Rhodesia in 1970 and was educated in Salisbury. He attended Hartmann House Preparatory School and then St George's College where he was coached by Robin Stokes and Bill Flower.[2] After playing in the school XI, he joined Old Georgians Cricket Club and played for Zimbabwean representative sides, including the national under-24 side.[2][3]

Cricket career

A swing bowler who was able to move the ball in the air and bowl in a controlled way, Rennie made his international debut in 1993, playing in all four of Zimbabwe's matches in the 1993 Hero Cup series of ODIs in India, including in the tied match against India when he was the not out batsman as Zimbabwe almost won the match.[2][3][4] He made his Test debut later the same year during Zimbabwe's tour of Pakistan, taking the wicket of Shoaib Mohammad on debut.[5] He went on to play for Zimbabwe mainly in one-day cricket, making 44 ODI appearances and playing in only four Test matches before his international career ended in 2000. Ward considers that he was able to succeed largely through hard work and application rather than natural talent.[2]

In domestic cricket, Rennie played for Matabeleland in the Logan Cup between 1993/94 and 2000/01, bowling his side to success in the 1995/96 cup final.[2] He captained the side in several matches during 1996/97 but his career in the storage industry and family commitments cut his cricket career short and Rennie played his final senior matches in 2000/01.[2] He served on the national selection panel for a period, but was removed following Zimbabwe's disappointing performances in the 2011 Cricket World Cup.[6]

Family

Rennie's younger brother, Gavin, also played for Zimbabwe, the pair playing in the same Test team in 1997, John Rennie's final Test match. This was the first time that three sets of brothers had played for the same side in the same Test match, the Rennie brothers playing alongside Grant and Andy Flower and Paul and Bryan Strang.[7]

References

1. John Rennie, CricInfo. Retrieved 2019-08-07.
2. Ward J (2003) Biography: John Rennie, CricInfo, 2003-01-07. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
3. John Rennie, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
4. India v Zimbabwe 1993-94, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1995. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
5. First Test, Pakistan v Zimbabwe 1993-94, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1995. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
6. Rennie, Mutendera axed from selection panel, CricInfo, 2011-07-01. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
7. First Test match, Zimbabwe v New Zealand, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1999. Retrieved 2019-08-09.

External links

• John Rennie at ESPNcricinfo