Charles Coventry

Charles Kevin Coventry (born 8 March 1983) is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional wicket-keeper.

When Zimbabwean cricketers rebelled against the ruling body in 2005, Coventry initially joined the action, but returned along with Gavin Ewing and Barney Rogers. He did not play for Zimbabwe in Bangladesh or South Africa, but his continued domestic form saw him picked as Zimbabwe A's wicket-keeper for the series against Pakistan A. Coventry did not play in either of the four-day matches, with first Neil Ferreira and then Brendan Taylor being preferred, but he did play in the two one-day contests. In the first match he scored just six, but in the second he produced a fine innings that catapulted him into national contention.

Zimbabwe, under the captaincy of Stuart Carlisle, had been put in to bat and fine spells from Najaf Shah and Mohammad Khalil had left Zimbabwe A reeling on 54/4. Coventry proceeded to launch an inspired counter-attack, first with Stuart Matsikenyeri, who scored a gritty 55 at the top of the order, in a partnership of 68, then Blessing Mahwire dug in with Coventry too, Mahwire scoring 41 in a hundred-run stand for the seventh wicket. Coventry finished on 102* off 143 balls. The innings proved to be the match-winning contribution as Pakistan A were all out for 181, well short of Zimbabwe A's 232.

International career Good domestic form saw Coventry called up for the full national squad to tour England in 2003. He opened the batting in a One Day International against England at Bristol, but struggled, scoring three off 10 balls. He was subsequently dropped for the Australia tour. He did not play again until 2005, when, after scoring a century against Pakistan A, Coventry returned to the side as a supersub against New Zealand. In a match that Zimbabwe lost heavily, Coventry scored an entertaining 25. He subsequently played in the next three ODIs against New Zealand and India scoring 0, 35 and 74.

Later in the summer, Coventry made his Test debut against India at Bulawayo, batting in the lower order with his customary aggression, and did better than many other Zimbabweans, scoring 2, 24, 27 and 35 in two heavy defeats. In 2006 he played in a number of one day matches against Kenya and went on the tour of the West Indies, although after a disciplinary issue he was sent home early. when he returned to the Zimbabwean side to play a five-match one-day series against Bangladesh.

On 16 August 2009 in the fourth One Day International against Bangladesh at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, Coventry scored 194 not out, his first century at international level. It also equalled the then-record score set by Saeed Anwar for the highest individual innings in a One Day International and set a record for the highest maiden century in ODIs. it remains the highest score batting at number three in an ODI.