| Andrew Stone | |
| Birth Date: | 6 January 1983 |
| Birth Place: | Harare, Zimbabwe |
| Date: | 8 December 2016 |
| Source: | ESPNcricinfo |
Andrew Stone (born 6 January 1983) is a Zimbabwean former cricketer.[1] He played one first-class match for CFX Academy cricket team in 1999/00.[2]
Stone, whose cricket interest didn't stem directly from his family, attended Hellenic Junior School in Harare where sports coach Donald Mlambo nurtured his skills.[3] His performance was impressive enough to make him captain of the national Under-13 side in his final year, and he also captained a junior school development team that played in Johannesburg.[3] An all-rounder, Stone admits to struggling in one department while excelling in another, but lately has seen improvements in both areas.[3]
As a pace bowler and often a top-three batter in school, Stone moved to middle-order batting, preferring positions five or six.[3] His junior school career highlights include a top score of 98 against Barwick and nine for 13 against Sharon.[3]
Stone briefly attended St. George's College before moving to St. John's College, where Peter Whalley coached him.[3] As captain of both the national Under-14 and Under-16 teams, Stone averaged over 40 runs and took 38 wickets in a season.[3] His performances included a 149-run inning against Peterhouse and six wickets for 20 runs against Lomagundi College.[3]
Despite setbacks like an ankle injury from rugby and appendicitis, Stone applied for the Academy and was accepted after leaving St John's in his fourth-form year.[3] He spent the 2000 Zimbabwean winter playing for Epsom in the Surrey Championship, which helped develop his game.[3] Highlights include a batting score of 104 against Romany and taking five for 10 against Old Ruthlithians.[3]
Stone took a brief vacation in Perth, Australia, where he met former Zimbabwe captain John Traicos and got some coaching sessions.[3] He also gleaned tips from Barry Richards.[3]
Stone made his first-class debut in the Logan Cup in 2000, but as one of the junior Academy members, he only played one match in the four-match program, scoring a few runs and failing to take a wicket.[3]
Stone is related to Shaun Pollock, the South African captain, as a second cousin by marriage.[3]