OTD in 1970 – Birth of the first leg spinner to play cricket for Zimbabwe

On July 28, 1970, Paul Andrew Strang was born in Bulawayo. He is a right-handed batsman and leg break bowler who made his Zimbabwe B First-Class debut in 1992–1993 and his Test debut in October 1994 in Harare, when he claimed four wickets against Sri Lanka. 

Strang established himself as a consistent Zimbabwean international, claiming 12 wickets in six matches at the 1996 World Cup to leave his imprint. When he joined Notts in 1998, he had already participated in 20 Tests and 59 One-Day Internationals. The previous year, he had been a part of Kent’s overseas team and had finished the season with 63 wickets and 590 runs in First-Class matches. 

Strang’s younger brother, Bryan, also represented Zimbabwe at the international level with him. His father, Ronald Strang, was a First-Class cricket umpire as well as a TV umpire for Zimbabwe’s two Test matches in 1994-95. Strang was initially trained by Duncan Fletcher, a former Zimbabwean cricketer and famous coach, at the University of Cape Town.

With 12 wickets in six matches at 16, Strang was one of the tournament’s top wicket-takers in the 1996 World Cup. He took the third most wickets overall in the competition, after only Anil Kumble (15 wickets) and Waqar Younis (13 wickets).

When Strang played his maiden Test match in Harare against Sri Lanka, he gave up 65 runs while taking three wickets in the opening innings. In the second innings, he was not given the opportunity to bowl. Strang scored his first Test century at Sheikhpura Stadium in October 1996, batting at number eight. Wasim Akram’s undefeated 257 surpassed his century. He also claimed a fifer in the Test, which finished in a tie.

Strang joined Auckland as a high-performance coach in August 2009, and was promoted as the side’s coach six months later, in February 2009. He continues to coach the Auckland Aces team and presently resides in New Zealand.