The 22-year-old Zimbabwe batter said his break from cricket to study in the UK helped him introspect and grow

Dion Myers hit an unbeaten 65 to lead Zimbabwe’s fight, Zimbabwe vs India, 3rd T20I, Harare, July 10, 2024 Dion Myers made an unbeaten 65 in the third T20I • AFP/Getty Images

Dion Myers believes that his time away from cricket has provided him with a new perspective on his game and a renewed energy for his second stint. The 22-year-old Zimbabwean batter took a break from cricket to pursue university studies in the UK before returning to international play in the ongoing five-match T20I series at home against India.

“Over the last few years, I’ve done a lot of self-reflection, looking at how my first stint went, what I did well, and areas for improvement,” Myers said at his post-match press conference on Wednesday. “Watching a lot of cricket and doing my own training has been helpful. Sometimes, being out of the system allows you to look at things from a broader perspective and see what you can achieve or improve upon to contribute to the team. The time away from the game was a blessing in disguise. It helped me understand more about myself and realize that I needed to mature.”

Myers captained Zimbabwe in the 2020 Under-19 World Cup and made the step up to the senior team in a one-off Test against Bangladesh in Harare shortly afterward. He then played in ODIs and T20Is for Zimbabwe before pausing his cricket career for academics. In his third international innings upon returning, Myers scored an unbeaten 65 off 49 balls, his first international half-century, against an Indian side featuring three T20 World Cup champions.

“It’s surreal, honestly,” Myers said. “It’s something you dream about as a young boy. I really thank my teammates, my family, and above all, God, for their support. There were tough times in the past few years, but I managed to find a way, so I’m very proud.”

“Being back in the team is such a nice vibe. We have wonderful coaching staff who support us, so I expect a lot more from this team moving forward and am very excited for the future.”

With Zimbabwe moving on from veterans like Sean Williams and Craig Ervine, the young pair of Myers and Clive Madande showcased the future with a counterattacking 77-run sixth-wicket partnership off 57 balls after being reduced to 39 for 5 in seven overs. Myers was particularly effective against spin, scoring 44 off 31 balls against Ravi Bishnoi, Player-of-the-Match Washington Sundar, and Abhishek Sharma. Madande, at the other end, hit seam-bowling allrounder Shivam Dube for a pair of sixes.

Dion Myers returned to international cricket in this series • Associated Press

“It was the kind of wicket where you couldn’t come in and start going at a 150-200 strike rate right away,” Myers said. “I just tried to play my way, hitting it on the ground early on, getting into the game, and picking more areas as the innings progressed. The intent from the others was great, and if a couple of guys perform well, this team can achieve amazing things. It’s just a matter of time, I can assure you that.”

Myers had a rusty restart to his career, scoring 23 off 22 balls in the first T20I before getting out for a duck in the second. In that second game, Abhishek Sharma hit him for 4, 6, 4, 6, 4 in a 28-run over. However, that didn’t shake Myers’ confidence going into the third T20I.

“It’s brilliant to learn and be in challenging situations. I’m a big believer that when faced with tough circumstances, you either stand up or let it go,” he said. “So, it was a great experience for me personally. I didn’t take it as a confidence-down situation. I thought there were things I needed to work on, much like the opposition tries to improve. That’s how I’m approaching it, and the rest of the team is doing the same.”

After being particularly sharp in the field in the series opener, Zimbabwe had several lapses in the second and third games. Myers summarized it this way: “It was just different phases throughout the game. Maybe we bowled a bit too straight and too short at times, and the mis-fields didn’t help us. It was just small differences between the two teams, but I thought India played very well.”