Malcolm Jarvis

Malcolm Jarvis had the distinction of never ending on the losing side in his brief Test career and that it came for Zimbabwe in the early 90s is what makes it a special achievement. A left arm pacer who relied on movement in the air and off the pitch, Malcolm wasn't really threatening in terms of pace but his nagging lines helped his succeed, as did an iota of swing/seam whenever available. He could have been the first Zimbabwean to take a Test wicket but the chance he created got spilled. The lack of pace did hurt Malcolm on docile pitches although he did have a reasonable amount of variations in his repertoire including a fine yorker. The outswinger to the right hander was his major weapon and he was relentless in conditions that favored him, particularly with the new ball. Despite ageing, he continued to find a spot in the Zimbabwe team but Malcolm chose his time to retire on his own. After retirement, he did become the team's fitness trainer for a brief period. His son Kyle is part of the current Zimbabwe team.

Written by Hariprasad Sadanandan