Born on September 5, 1972, Guy Whittal was an efficient hard hitting batsman who could open or play lower down the order. He also had the ability to nip out wickets with gentle swingers besides being a good boundary rider with a powerful throwing arm.

Whittal made his debut on the tour to Pakistan in 1993. After an unimpressive start to his test career, Whittal scored his first fifty against Sri Lanka and followed it up with a century against Pakistan at Harare to help Zimbabwe register their first ever Test win. Whittal scored his first Test double ton against New Zealand, a fine effort of 203 at Bulawayo and continued to harass them on their next tour as well scoring an unbeaten 188.

Whittal played a vital role in helping Zimbabwe reach the second round of the cricket world cup for the first time in 1999. In March 2003, Whittall announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in order to concentrate on his family's game-ranch business. He is also a professional hunter in Zimbabwe.

In September 2013, he was at the epicentre of a bizarre news, when he slept an entire night in his Humani lodge unaware of a 8-feet crocodile
hiding under his bed.

By Pradeep Krishnamurthy