‘I had lost my mojo’: Tshuma reflects on career setbacks as she cherishes maiden century
- vimbayi makwavarara
- May 15
- 3 min read
BY SPORTSCAST WRITER
HARARE – Memories of a career-threatening injury, a three-year hiatus from cricket, as well as a worrisome batting slump, all came back flooding in both joy and relief for Lorraine Tshuma after she smashed her maiden Women ODI century in Zimbabwe’s series-equaling win over the USA last week.
Tshuma’s 137 from 149 balls guided Zimbabwe to a commanding 128-run win in Texas as the touring African side levelled the ODI contest 2-2 following a 2-1 series victory in the T20 series.
It was a space that the 28-year-old Zimbabwe star wouldn’t have imagined to be in seven years ago when she was forced out of the game by injury, fearing she might never come back.
Come back she did, somehow, but she wasn’t the same anymore.
“I was a batting all-rounder before and I can say I lost my mojo along the way,” Tshuma tells SportsCast about her frustrations.
“I had a series of injuries, including knee and shoulder, which made my batting difficult. I took a break from cricket in 2018 and came back in 2021, that’s almost a three-year break. So when I came back, my bowling was better than my batting. I didn’t perform well with the bat, hence I made the team as a bowling all-rounder.”
Time spent in the high-performance centre of Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC), under the programme's head Steve Mangongo, contributed a great deal to Tshuma’s reinvention.
“She was a write-off,” Mangongo comments.
“She was told she was a bowler. She joined me at the high-performance, from batting at number eight. I insisted she was a batter. Five weeks of work in high-performance, she went to the US and smoked her maiden century. She works hard. Soon after arriving from America, she was in the gym, back in training. She has tasted success, and she wants more. That’s the kind professionalism required to perform at international level.”
Tshuma looks back at the high-performance stint with gratitude.
“It was a change of mindset, from thinking and working like a bowling all-rounder,” she says.
“The focus was more on batting, working hard. The encouragement from the coaches played a big role in me getting my confidence back. I’m just grateful for the opportunity to express my God-given talent while serving my country.”
Following a false start to her career, the USA tour could prove the turning point for Tshuma, and the significance of that trip isn’t lost on her.
“It was a self-discovery journey for me,” remarks Tshuma.
“With the hard-work I had put in, the encouragement from everyone, I trusted that God would guide me through to achieve great results. Scoring a 100 was on my goal-list.”
Born in Gweru, Tshuma spent her early years in rural Chibuwe, Manicaland province, under the care of an uncle. She moved to Bulawayo for senior school, where cricket was introduced to her at Emakhandeni High School.
“I started playing cricket when I was in Form 2 at Emakhandeni cricket ground,” she says.
“My first coach, Vincent Dururu, was moving around schools and inviting interested pupils to join. I went with a couple of friends from my class.”
Faith is at the heart of everything Tshuma does, and she is very clear about her inspiration outside cricket.
“God, family, my spiritual parents – man of God Admire Michaels – and Pastor Eunice.”
Quite a solid base for one to have. With that kind of support, Tshuma isn’t limiting herself when asked about what she wants to achieve for the rest of her career.
“Greatness!” she replies.
“I want to become one of the greatest female cricket players in the world and qualify for the World Cup in England and participate in all future World Cup tournaments.”
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