When he made his One Day International debut as a fresh-faced 18-year-old in 2001, iconic former Zimbabwe captain Tatenda Taibu looked destined for greatness.
BY DANIEL NHAKANISO
And when he became the youngest ever captain in the history of Test cricket a few days before his 21st birthday, all and sundry expected Taibu to go on to become the greatest ever player to don the Zimbabwe colours.
But five years ago Taibu stunned the local and international cricketing community when he announced he would be quitting the gentleman’s game at the age of 29, purportedly after having his “Damascus moment”, which made him commit to serving God instead.
Taibu’s retirement came as a surprise to many not only because of his young age, but also because he had just been included in the Zimbabwe squad which was scheduled to take part in the ICC World Twenty20 tournament held in Bangladesh.
A lot was said about his decision, most of which Taibu — who last year made a comeback to the game, albeit in an administrative role with Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) — feels “was not entirely correct”.
For instance, the popular narrative was that Taibu quit the game because he had seen the light of the Lord.
Taibu, who played 28 Tests, 150 ODIs and 17 T20 internationals, said although he served as a trustee at the Eagle Eye Tabernacle Church in Bulawayo, his decision to quit the game was motivated by his need to find a new meaning in his life after the game of cricket.
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“I think a lot of the information that came out through the media about my retirement was not entirely correct because people thought I was actually preaching or I had started a church, which is totally not correct,” Taibu told The Sports Hub in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of Zimbabwe’s second Test against West Indies at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo last week.
“Yes, I was a trustee at the church, looking after the assets and distributing cash from the offerings etc; it’s something which is not fulltime and takes a lot of time and I could have continued to do that while I was still playing.
“My decision when I left was based on the fact that I had gotten a calling and when I got the calling, there were also questions that I didn’t have an answer to. The main question which I didn’t have answers to was: What then? You play a game, after that the next game comes and another series.
“I started entertaining that thought up until I thought, well there’s going to come a time when I will have to retire and a lot of people like to blind themselves to that truth, but it is a reality that we all face.
“There will come a stage where one will have to retire, grow old if the Lord permits, a stage when you will then have to leave this world.
“I was thinking there’s gonna come a time when I will have to get that sorted in my mind because that was the final answer to: What then? So I went on my wilderness journey to find that answer which I did and in that process I started to pray for the sick,” he said.
Taibu, who resolutely refused to have nothing do with the game that had given him fame and fortune, said it was during his spiritual journey that he discovered that God had blessed him with the ability to pray for the sick to be healed.
“….I prayed for some people who were sick, there were four people who had been given up on by the doctors and they all were healed. After that I thought if I can carry on to do that as and when I’m asked, or when I feel I’m inspired to pray for the sick, so that’s my calling.
The Highfield-born former star said even after his comeback to local cricket as convener of selectors and head of the Zimbabwe Rising Stars Academy, he would continue to pursue his calling.
“I still do help out with prayer when I’m asked to so by someone who’s sick. That will continue up until I leave this world. So now with cricket back in the picture, I can balance it because inasmuch as I work hard, I also work smart and I will always leave time for what’s more important. And what’s important is when you give hope to someone that has lost hope. Even if I change Zimbabwe Cricket to become world number one, when you pray for someone and God heals them you can never compare the satisfaction of the two,” he said.
Now based in the United Kingdom with his family, the 34-year-old Taibu revealed how his popularity had made it difficult for him to attend church services without being mobbed by cricket enthusiasts.
“I used to go to End Time Message here in Bulawayo before I moved to the UK. At the moment in the UK where I’m based now, I’ve gone to a few churches but the problem with me is that I’m a little bit popular. When I go to a church the first thing that happens is people want to talk about cricket and I’m thinking, I’ve come here to worship the Lord and pray and really to be away from the events of the world.”
Taibu said he has since resorted to having private church services with his wife Loveness and two sons TJ and Geshem.
“There’s also a bit more recognition when I go to church, which I do not like to be honest, so we ended up deciding that on a Sunday as a family we sit down, we sing our hymns and we play a sermon and after that we pray and then we go on. The Bible says when two or more are gathered in my name, there will I be. So for us, we found out that it works better for us,” he says.
Just like how his decision to retire from the game before he turned 30 was met with shock, so was Taibu’s decision to return to the game as Zimbabwe Cricket’s convener of selectors and development officer.
Taibu also launched the Rising Stars Academy in partnership with ZC, which saw 16 promising local young cricketers touring the UK for six months before being incorporated into the domestic first class competition.
The former Zimbabwe captain, whose return and the appointment of fellow former players to key positions has been credited for the stability prevailing in domestic cricket, believes he has settled well in his new roles.
“With the reputation that I have within the cricket community, it was quite easy for me to blend in into administration. I have also tried to bridge the gap between the admin and the players because as convener of selectors, you’re the bridge between the two. I’ve also found that quite easy because I get along with a lot of the players, most of who I captained, so they know how I do things and that has made life easier for me.
Taibu reckons his roles as convener of selectors and head of the Rising Stars Academy provide him with the opportunity to use his experiences and knowledge of the game to inspire the upcoming generation of Zimbabwean players.
“I’ve also tried to use my experiences to help the next generation; if you can make an impact in someone’s life and change the direction of a youngster, that goes a long way. One of my roles with Zimbabwe Cricket as head of the Rising Stars Academy is to take boys to the UK for six months where I partly coach them and teach them values that have been lost from generation to generation.
Taibu said he was saddened that due to lack of mentoring and guidance, some former Zimbabwe international cricketers had fallen on hard times after retiring from the sport after failing to prepare for life after the sport.
“Without mentioning any names, how many Zimbabwean cricketers that have played cricket and done well at international level don’t have anything to show for it after they’ve retired? It’s not only a problem in cricket, but the whole sporting fraternity. So that’s one thing I’m imparting to the younger generation, on having values in life and having goals, both short-term and long-term, and at the end of it all, to be a sound, solid and level-headed human being that will be a credit to any society after playing the game,” Taibu said.
