Tafadzwa Douglas 'Dougie' Hondo, born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, is Essex Men's Fast Bowling Coach, having joined the Club in December 2025 and works closely with Director of Cricket Chris Silverwood.
Hondo is a former Zimbabwean fast-medium bowler who played domestic cricket in Zimbabwe for CFX Academy, Midlands, and Mashonaland before progressing to the national side. As a young pace bowler, he further developed his skills at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai, where he trained under former Australian fast bowler Dennis Lillee.
His strong domestic performances earned him a Test debut in September 2001 against South Africa at Harare, followed by his ODI debut a month later against England, also at Harare.
Across nine Test appearances, Hondo claimed 21 wickets, highlighted by his best figures of 6/59 from 22 overs against Bangladesh at Dhaka in 2005. In 56 ODIs, he took 61 wickets, with best figures of 4/37 against India in Kochi in 2002.
Beyond his bowling, Hondo was admired for his athletic fielding and upbeat character. Following retirement from professional cricket, he moved into coaching, earning a Level 3 coaching qualification through Cricket Australia and later ECB Level 4, working with teams in England and New Zealand as well as a long stint as Zimbabwe Men's Bowling Coach.
