It’s been a chilly welcome to Canberra for Zimbabwean international leg-spinner Anesu Mushangwe.
Anesu is one of our newly contracted ACT Meteors and arrives in Canberra after playing in Adelaide for the last few seasons, including playing 19 games for South Australia in the WNCL and WBBL experience as part of the Adelaide Strikers’ back-to-back title campaigns, alongside Meteors skipper Katie Mack.
The first few weeks in Canberra were all about adjusting to the weather.
“South Australia has been better, it has been warmer, but here I've been freezing most of the time…but I'm getting used to it now,” she said.
It was curiosity that brought Anesu to Canberra and the Meteors.
“I wanted to see how I would go in different environments and different team setups, and see how that goes, without any expectations,” she said.
While she’s yet to find her go-to takeaway and coffee shop, she’s enjoyed the move and the comradery that she can see in the Meteors camp.
While she admits there’s a lot to learn, settling in has come with ease.
“Obviously there are things that you have to adjust – trying to fit into a new setup, new team, new staff, everything like that – but I'm grateful that everyone has been helpful in helping me fit in.”
Anesu is an attacking cricketer and helping the ACT Meteors to win games this coming summer is her number one goal.
“My role is to bowl, so I guess I'm an attacking bowler more,” she said.
“I'm also comfortable in bowling in different situations whereby if you need to defend, I can do that.
"If you need to attack or contain, I can do that.
“My bowling brings all of those three into play – attacking, defending and containing.”
When asked who she is most looking forward to playing with this season, it’s Strikers’ teammate and Meteors captain Katie Mack who gets the nod.
“I've always wanted to play with her in the same team,” she said.
“I like her attitude about the game, her work ethic, her style of play, her mentality, everything.”
Having a former Australian spin bowler as a Coach is also a bonus and Anesu is hoping to learn from Erin Osborne.
“The tactical aspect of the game, technique wise, I'm sure I'll be learning a lot from her,” she said.
In addition to that, Anesu is pleased to have another familiar face in the ACT Meteors camp, that of fellow Zimbabwean and Cricket ACT high performance coach, Vusi Sibanda.
Sibanda, a former Zimbabwean top order bat with more than 160 International appearances to his name, has been based in Canberra for a number of years now, is still playing locally with the Tuggeranong club and is a Meteors assistant coach.
“It kind of helps you relax a little bit; it actually helps because he has been my coach before,” she said.
Anesu admits she doesn’t know how the season with pan out, but she is looking forward to the challenge.
“Whatever comes, we'll be ready to tackle it and go with the flow, do our best and produce results and at the end of the day.”
Our full interview with Anesu can be viewed in the video below.