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{{short description|Zimbabwean cricketer|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{About|the Zimbabwean cricketer|the Zimbabwean cricket umpire|Charles Coventry (umpire)|other uses|Charles Coventry (disambiguation){{!}}Charles Coventry}}
{{BLP sources|date=August 2009}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox cricketer
| name = Charles Coventry
| image =
| caption =
| country = Zimbabwe
| full_name = Charles Kevin Coventry
| nickname = Choppa<ref name="ESPNcricinfo">{{cite web |url=http://www.cricinfo.com/zimbabwe/content/player/55329.html |title=Profile: Charles Coventry |work=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=13 August 2009 }}</ref>
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1983|3|8|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Kwekwe]], [[Zimbabwe]]
| heightft =
| heightinch =
| heightcm =
| weightkg =
| batting = Right-handed
| bowling = Right-arm [[leg spin|leg break]]
| role = [[Batsman]], occasional [[wicket-keeper]]
| family = [[Charles Coventry (umpire)|Charles Coventry]] (father)
| international = true
| internationalspan = 2005–2015
| testdebutdate = 13 September
| testdebutyear = 2005
| testdebutagainst = India
| testcap = 72
| lasttestdate = 20 September
| lasttestyear = 2005
| lasttestagainst = India
| odidebutdate = 6 July
| odidebutyear = 2003
| odidebutagainst = England
| odicap = 74
| lastodidate = 31 May
| lastodiyear = 2015
| lastodiagainst = Pakistan
| odishirt = 74
| T20Idebutdate = 3 May
| T20Idebutyear = 2010
| T20Idebutagainst = Sri Lanka
| T20Icap = 23
| T20Ishirt =
| lastT20Idate = 19 July
| lastT20Iyear = 2015
| lastT20Iagainst = India
| club1 = [[Matabeleland cricket team|Matabeleland]]
| year1 = {{nowrap|1998/99–2005/06}}
| club2 = [[Westerns cricket team|Westerns]]
| year2 = 2006/07–2008/09
| club3 = [[Matabeleland Tuskers]]
| year3 = 2009/10–2012/13
| club4 = [[Duronto Rajshahi]]
| year4 = 2013
| columns = 4
| column1 = [[Test cricket|Test]]
| matches1 = 2
| runs1 = 88
| bat avg1 = 22.00
| 100s/50s1 = 0/0
| top score1 = 37
| deliveries1 = –
| wickets1 = –
| bowl avg1 = –
| fivefor1 = –
| tenfor1 = –
| best bowling1 = –
| catches/stumpings1 = 3/–
| column2 = [[One Day International|ODI]]
| matches2 = 39
| runs2 = 831
| bat avg2 = 24.44
| 100s/50s2 = 1/3
| top score2 = 194[[not out|*]]
| deliveries2 = –
| wickets2 = –
| bowl avg2 = –
| fivefor2 = –
| tenfor2 = –
| best bowling2 = –
| catches/stumpings2 = 19/1
| column3 = [[Twenty20 International|T20I]]
| matches3 = 13
| runs3 =127
| bat avg3 = 12.70
| 100s/50s3 = 0/0
| top score3 = 30
| deliveries3 = 0
| wickets3 = 0
| bowl avg3 = –
| fivefor3 = 0
| tenfor3 = 0
| best bowling3 = –
| catches/stumpings3 = 2/0
| column4 = [[First-class cricket|FC]]
| matches4 = 64
| runs4 = 3,018
| bat avg4 = 27.43
| 100s/50s4 = 5/14
| top score4 = 116
| deliveries4 = 210
| wickets4 = 2
| bowl avg4 = 77.50
| fivefor4 = 0
| tenfor4 = 0
| best bowling4 = 1/26
| catches/stumpings4 = 99/3
| date = 23 April
| year = 2023
| source = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/10/10497/10497.html CricketArchive
}}
'''Charles Kevin Coventry''' (born 8 March 1983) is a Zimbabwean [[cricket]]er. He is a right-handed [[batsman]] and occasional [[wicket-keeper]].<ref name="ESPNcricinfo"/>

==Early life==
Coventry was born on 8 March 1983 at [[Kwekwe]] in Zimbabwe.<ref name="ESPNcricinfo"/> The son of [[Charles Coventry (umpire)|Charles "Chuck" Coventry]], one of Zimbabwe's leading [[umpire]]s, he was born into a cricketing family. His father introduced Charles to cricket from a young age, playing in their back garden and also at the [[Bulawayo]] Athletic Club. His father's coaching experience provided a grounding in technique and attitude.

Coventry began playing proper cricket in the third grade at Whitestone School, playing two seasons in the colts team and two in the senior side. His best performance was taking a hat-trick with his [[leg break]]s. In his final two years he represented [[Matabeleland]] Primary School's team in the national Primary Schools Cricket Weeks, scoring two half-centuries but not making it into the national age group side. He went to High School at [[Christian Brothers College, Bulawayo]] where he also played cricket,<ref name=ESPNcricinfo/> and was selected for the national under-14 side, progressing through the under-16 and under-19 teams. His best performance was a score of 94 runs against the South African side [[Northerns cricket team|Northerns]].

Whilst at school, Coventry started playing club cricket for Bulawayo Athletic Club, starting off in the Third XI but progressing quickly into the First XI. He was encouraged to take up wicketkeeping.

==Domestic cricket career==
Coventry made his [[Logan Cup]] debut aged only 15.<ref name=ESPNcricinfo/> He had taken his gear along to a match his father was going to umpire "just in case", but due to a mix-up a Matabeleland player failed to arrive on time and Coventry was told he would be playing. He went in to bat fifth in the batting order, with Matabeleland on 66/3, chasing [[Mashonaland cricket team|Mashonaland]]'s total of 243. He was immediately hit on the body from the bowling of [[Andy Blignaut]], and faced three other international-quality bowlers, [[Eddo Brandes]], [[Paul Strang]] and [[Everton Matambanadzo]]. He scored 33 runs from 121 balls before being run out. Coventry paid credit to [[Guy Whittall]] for helping him through that innings. Since his debut, Coventry has been a Matabele regular, opening the innings.

In 2002 Coventry applied to and was accepted by the [[CFX Academy]], doing well there before returning to Matabeleland. At this time, he also represented Zimbabwe at Under-19 level<ref name=ESPNcricinfo/> and played in eight Youth One Day Internationals during the 2001–02 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/10/10497/Youth_One-Day_International_Matches.html|title=Youth One Day International Matches Played by Charles Coventry|publisher=CricketArchive|access-date=13 August 2009|archive-date=20 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090820223202/http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/10/10497/Youth_One-Day_International_Matches.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

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 (cricketer)|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 [[Batting order (cricket)|opened the batting]] in a [[One Day International]] against England at [[County Ground, Bristol|Bristol]], but struggled, scoring three off 10 balls.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cricinfo.com/zimbabwe/engine/match/66299.html|title=Scorecard—7th ODI: England v Zimbabwe at Bristol, 6 July 2003|work=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=13 August 2009}}</ref> 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 [[Glossary of cricket terms#supersub|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.<ref name="statsguru">{{cite web |title=StatsGuru Search: CK Coventry One Day International All-round Records |url=http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/55329.html?class=2;template=results;type=allround;view=innings |work=ESPNcricinfo|publisher=ESPN Sports Media |access-date=13 August 2009 }}</ref>

Later in the summer, Coventry made his [[Test cricket|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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cricinfo.com/zimbabwe/engine/match/219062.html|title=Scorecard—1st Test: Zimbabwe v India at Bulawayo, 13–16 September 2005|work=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=13 August 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cricinfo.com/zimbabwe/engine/match/219613.html|title=Scorecard—2nd Test: Zimbabwe v India at Harare, 20–22 September 2005|work=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=13 August 2009}}</ref> 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.<ref name=ESPNcricinfo/> As a result, he found himself out of the side again and subsequently did not play at the international level again until August 2009<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/10/10497/One-Day_International_Matches.html|title=One-Day International Matches Played by Charles Coventry|publisher=CricketArchive|access-date=13 August 2009|archive-date=20 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090820223152/http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/10/10497/One-Day_International_Matches.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> when he returned to the Zimbabwean side to play a five-match one-day series against Bangladesh.

On 16 August 2009 in the [[Bangladeshi cricket team in Zimbabwe in 2009#4th ODI|fourth One Day International]] against Bangladesh at the [[Queens Sports Club]] in Bulawayo, Coventry scored 194 [[not out]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cricinfo.com/zimvbdesh2009/engine/current/match/410340.html|title=Scorecard—4th ODI: Zimbabwe v Bangladesh at Bulawayo, 16 August 2009|work=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=16 August 2009}}</ref> his first century at international level.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://stats.cricinfo.com/zimbabwe/engine/records/batting/most_runs_innings.html?class=2;id=9;type=team|title=Cricket Record: Zimbabwe—Highest Scores, One Day Internationals|work=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=16 August 2009}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/records/284149.html|title=Records. One-Day Internationals. Batting records. Highest maiden hundred |publisher=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=2017-02-16}}</ref> {{as of|2025|02}} it remains the highest score batting at number three in an ODI.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/records/284242.html|title=Records. One-Day Internationals. Batting records. Most runs in an innings (by batting position) |publisher=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=2017-02-17}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{cricinfo|id=55329}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Coventry, Charles}}
[[Category:1983 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Alumni of Christian Brothers College, Bulawayo]]
[[Category:Cricketers from Kwekwe]]
[[Category:Zimbabwean cricketers]]
[[Category:CFX Academy cricketers]]
[[Category:Matabeleland cricketers]]
[[Category:White Zimbabwean sportspeople]]
[[Category:Zimbabwean people of British descent]]
[[Category:Zimbabwe One Day International cricketers]]
[[Category:Zimbabwe Twenty20 International cricketers]]
[[Category:21st-century Zimbabwean sportsmen]]
[[Category:Zimbabwe Test cricketers]]
[[Category:Cricketers at the 2011 Cricket World Cup]]
[[Category:Rajshahi Royals cricketers]]
[[Category:Zimbabwean expatriate cricketers in Bangladesh]]

Charles Coventry (Zimbabwean cricketer) - Revision history

LatonyaBiaggini: wrote new details