Graeme Cremer said returning to international cricket felt like “the best decision of my life” after Zimbabwe’s uplifting display at the T20 World Cup.
The 39-year-old leg-spinner had a seven-and-a-half-year hiatus from T20 internationals between 2018 and 2025.
In that time, he set a curious record: the 126 matches he missed is the biggest ever gap between T20Is.
He was captain when Zimbabwe got agonisingly close to qualifying for the 50-over World Cup in 2019, only to miss out.
Following that, he essentially retired from the sport after moving to Dubai when his wife, Merna, was recruited by Emirates Airlines.
He juggled helping raise his young family with coaching at Legends Cricket Academy at The Sevens, Dubai.
Then, last year, discussions with senior figures in Zimbabwe cricket prompted him to attempt a comeback to the sport in his homeland.
He impressed in domestic cricket, and was welcomed back into the fold of the national team, too, culminating in his selection for the T20 World Cup in India.
Once there, he played a central role in a Zimbabwe side who stunned many – not least themselves – by finishing top of their group.
They knocked out Australia, and beat Sri Lanka on home soil in Colombo to take top spot in the pool, sending them through to the Super Eight stage.
“The whole time I was thinking, ‘Oh my goodness, maybe this was the best decision of my life,’” Cremer told The National.
“It was unbelievable being out there. It is hard to put into words the feeling of going to Dubai then, seven years later, walking back out on to the field for the World Cup journey.”
Cremer acknowledged Zimbabwe had exceeded their own expectations with their group-stage excellence in India and Sri Lanka.
“It was amazing,” he said. “In terms of the whole tournament, we could not have expected it to go any better than it did.
“Just to get to the Super Eights, beating Australia, having the game against Ireland rained out meaning we qualified, but then to go and beat Sri Lanka as well to top the group, it was a real boost for all of us.”
Cremer played a full role in his side’s campaign. He took a thrifty 3-15 as they started the tournament with a win over the Netherlands, and bookended the group phase with 2-27 in the win against the Sri Lankans.
His poise was impressive given that, for much of the past seven years the extent of his bowling had been underarm lobs to young girls. He had headed up the girls’ development programme at the Legends Cricket Academy.
He said he was pleased with how he had coped on his return to the big stage.
“You always have self-doubt,” Cremer said. “That is always there, no matter how long you have been playing.
“Fortunately, I had put a lot of work in Zimbabwe, and had another taste of international cricket. We went to Pakistan and, even though it was only two games, it helped.
“The intensity level is so much higher. It was a case of getting used to that again, as well as sustaining performance against quality sides in front of big crowds. That was the main challenge, but overall it was pretty decent.”
The experience peaked when a washed-out game against Ireland sent Zimbabwe through to the next round, and the players celebrated with travelling supporters in the stands.
“Those few supporters that made the trip, they were so loud, given it was a small amount of people,” Cremer said.
“All the songs they were singing, we have heard them all at Harare Sports Club, so it was almost like playing at home.
“It was brilliant for us to share that moment. We hadn’t planned it. We had walked out on to the balcony to wave and say thank you, then they started singing, and it turned out to be a great moment.”
Zimbabwe have faced issues returning home from the World Cup, brought about by the situation in the Middle East.
They had been due to transit in Dubai before the onwards journey to Harare, but the airspace closure has meant that has not been possible.
Cremer had himself been planning to stop in Dubai to be reunited with his wife and two sons. Merna is a captain with Emirates, and has been grounded in Dubai by the events of the past few days.
In the meantime, Cremer has been afforded the chance to ponder what next for him in the game.
His side will get the chance to play a home World Cup when the one-day international version is staged in Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia in 2027. He will be 41 by then.
He has said previously that that would be a dream to play in, but says that for now he is only focused on being part of the side when they next play internationally. Zimbabwe have a home series scheduled against Bangladesh in June.
“At this stage, I am not looking as far as the next World Cup,” Cremer said. “We have a few months now where we don’t have international cricket.
“For me, I will put in the hard work for the next couple of months then see where I am at the end of the year, then go from there.
“If I am fit and performing, I would love to be a part of that 50-over World Cup, especially with it being at home.”
