26 Facts About Pommie Mbangwa

Mpumelelo "Pommie" Mbangwa was born on 26 June 1976 and is a Zimbabwean cricket commentator and former cricketer.

Pommie Mbangwa holds the unique distinction of being the only batsman to have scored exactly the same amount of career runs in two formats with 34 runs each apiece in ODIs and Tests.

Pommie Mbangwa's nickname "Pommie" is a shortened version and anglicisation of his full name, dubbed to him by former Zimbabwe player Gavin Rennie during their junior levels as everyone had trouble saying his first name.

Pommie Mbangwa is currently regarded as one of the best international cricket commentators and he is the leading cricket commentator from Zimbabwe.

Pommie Mbangwa completed his primary education at the Matabeleland primary school and at the Rhodes Estate Preparatory School.

Pommie Mbangwa was introduced to cricket at the Rhodes Estate Preparatory School at the age of 10 and was chosen for the Matabeleland Primary School cricket team at 11.

Pommie Mbangwa then pursued his secondary education at the Milton High School where he continued to play cricket and rugby.

Pommie Mbangwa was mentored by his high school house master Ian Kemp who took a special interest in him and assisted him with his bowling action.

Pommie Mbangwa made his mark as a batsman when he scored 113 opening the batting in an inter-school match at the age of 14.

Pommie Mbangwa was selected for Zimbabwe U15 team for the tour of Namibia.

Pommie Mbangwa was chosen to play for Matabeleland school cricket team in a match in 1994 against touring Dean Close School from England where he impressed with the ball taking four wickets being the chief destroyer of the Dean Close team which was bowled out for 72.

Pommie Mbangwa received the nickname "Pommie" while studying at the Dean Close School in England with fellow students unable to pronounce his first name Mpumelelo.

Pommie Mbangwa's rise to prominence was all the more remarkable as he had no family background in cricket.

Pommie Mbangwa spent a year at school in England, and in 1996 he went to Madras for coaching by Dennis Lillee at the MRF Pace Foundation; on his return he was offered a place in the Plascon Academy in South Africa, which he attended from April to September 1996.

Pommie Mbangwa drifted in and out of the side, before disappearing from the international scene.

Pommie Mbangwa was well known for his brief yet important unbeaten innings of four runs in a Test match against Sri Lanka in 1998 batting at number 10 where his resilient patient innings at the crease helped Andy Flower to score Test century, meanwhile on the other hand Muttiah Muralitharan and Sanath Jayasuriya were still threatening with the ball.

Pommie Mbangwa was selected to the Zimbabwean squad for the 50 over cricket tournament at the 1998 Commonwealth Games where Zimbabwe finished fifth in the competition.

Pommie Mbangwa was one of international cricket's genuine No 11s although he was named in one of the worst tailenders XI in Rest cricket for being involved with nine ducks in 25 innings batting at 11.

Pommie Mbangwa featured in the 1999 Cricket World Cup where Zimbabwe progressed to super six stage.

Pommie Mbangwa then played for Zimbabwe at the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy.

Pommie Mbangwa ended up his 6 year international career playing for Zimbabwe following the 2002 Champions Trophy and then moved to England to pursue his higher studies for a brief period of time.

Pommie Mbangwa played for Matabeleland cricket team in the Logan Cup from 1996 to 2004.

Pommie Mbangwa worked as a commentator with SuperSport and Star Sports and has notably served as one of the commentators during the 2015 Cricket World Cup, 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier and 2019 Cricket World Cup.

Pommie Mbangwa is a regular commentator in franchise T20 leagues such as Indian Premier League and Pakistan Super League.

Pommie Mbangwa was appointed as the ambassador for North Star Alliance in 2009.

Pommie Mbangwa was critical of de Kock when providing commentary alongside former West Indies all-rounder and head coach of the West Indies Daren Sammy during the encounter between South Africa and the West Indies in the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.