Henry Olonga (ZIM)
A man who entered the record books as the first ever black cricketer to play for Zimbabwe, and at the time was also the youngest ever Zimbabwean to play for his country, Henry Olonga was a genuinely quick bowler who played 30 tests and 50 ODIs for Zimbabwe. He took a wicket in his very first over in test cricket and soon became a fairly regular member of the Zimbabwe squad. His best bowling figures - 6/19 against England in 2000 - remain the best by a Zimbabwe bowler in one day cricket. However his achievements on the field were soon overshadowed by the events of 10th February 2003, where he and Andy Flower wore black armbands in their World Cup match against Namibia "to mourn the death of democracy in our beloved Zimbabwe" - an act that caused an immediate end to his international career and sent him into hiding at the end of the tournament. However, Lashings World XI Chairman David Folb managed to track him down and helped him set up a new life in England, including commentary work for the BBC and Sky, as well as helping him to pursue his musical aspirations. Henry has a wonderful singing voice in both pop and classical styles, has released an album of original material called "Aurelia" (available from his website, http://www.henryolonga.net/) and is currently working on a second album. He's wowed literally thousands of people at Lashings events in recent years with his voice, particularly with his rendition of Puccini's "Nessun Dorma", which regularly gets him a standing ovation and took him to victory in Channel 5's "All-Star Talent Show" in 2006! Henry's always easily spotted at Lashings World XI events, usually accompanied by Tara, his wife of 4 years, and often doing his impression of the Pied Piper of Hamelin as the kids immediately take a shine to him!
Click here to see Henry's profile on Cricinfo (opens in new window)
