Nick Welch (cricketer)

Nicholas Roy Welch (born 5 February 1998) is a Zimbabwean cricketer who has played for Mashonaland Eagles and Mountaineers in Zimbabwe.^[1] After playing domestic cricket in Zimbabwe and representing Zimbabwe at Under-13 and Under-17 levels,^[2] he moved to England, signing to play for Leicestershire County Cricket Club in September 2020.^[3][4] In the same month, he also gained UK citizenship.^[5] He had been in England for five years by then. According to Leicestershire head coach Paul Nixon, he had improved his game by watching the likes of Adam Lyth and Alex Hales.^[6]

Nick Welch

Personal information
Full name	Nicholas Roy Welch
Born	(1998-02-05) 5 February 1998 (age 27) Harare, Zimbabwe
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm leg break
Role	Batsman
International information
National side	Zimbabwe
Only Test (cap 135)	6 February 2025 v Ireland
T20I debut (cap 73)	24 October 2023 v Namibia
Last T20I	29 November 2023 v Nigeria
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2013/14–2023/24	Mashonaland Eagles
2019	Loughborough MCCU
2020–2023	Leicestershire (squad no. 67)
2024/25–	Mountaineers
Career statistics
Competition Test T20I FC LA Matches 1 7 28 33 Runs scored 95 97 1,326 1,067 Batting average 47.50 13.85 30.83 33.34 100s/50s 0/1 0/0 4/3 2/8 Top score 90 25 159 127* Catches/stumpings 1/– 0/– 17/– 14/–
Source: Cricinfo, 10 February 2025

In March 2019, he played for Loughborough MCCU in a first-class match against Leicestershire, as part of the Marylebone Cricket Club University fixtures.^[7] He made his Twenty20 debut on 13 September 2020, for Leicestershire in the 2020 t20 Blast.^[8] He had signed a contract extension with Leicestershire in 2022, before leaving the county in 2023.^[9][10] He represented Harare Kings and Uprising in Zimbabwe's National Premier League in 2020 and played for Durban Qalandars who won the inaugural Zim Afro T10 in 2023.^[11]

On 24 October 2023, he made his debut in international cricket for Zimbabwe against Namibia in a T20 match at Windhoek, where he was dismissed by the first ball of the match.^[12] Playing for Mountaineers in the Logan Cup in 2024–25, he scored a century in each match in the first three rounds: 125 and 16, 151 and 22, 18 and 159.^[13] He then had a 100% conversion rate from fifties to hundreds.^[14]

References

1. "Nick Welch". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
2. projects, Webdev-Fintech web (30 September 2023). "Welch's return signals new era for Chevrons". The Chronicle. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
3. "Welch signs with Running Foxes". Leicestershire County Cricket Club. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
4. "Leicestershire sign batsman Nick Welch until end of 2022 season". The Cricketer. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
5. "Zimbabwe cricket prodigy gets UK citizenship". Chronicle. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
6. "Zim cricket prodigy gets UK citizenship". The Herald. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
7. "4th Match, Marylebone Cricket Club University Matches at Leicester, Mar 26-28 2019". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
8. "North Group, Chester-le-Street, Sep 13 2020, Vitality Blast". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
9. "Chevrons around the world wrap: Nick Welch bids adieu to Leicestershire; Burl and Ngarava set for BPL". The Zimbabwe Sphere. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
10. "Nick Welch: Leicestershire batter signs new contract". BBC Sport. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
11. Mayo, Brandon (30 September 2023). "Welch's return signals new era for Chevrons". The Chronicle. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
12. "Namibia vs Zimbabwe, 1st T20I at Windhoek, NAM v ZIM, Oct 24 2023". Cricinfo. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
13. "Logan Cup 2024-25". Cricinfo. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
14. Mayo, Brandon (20 December 2024). "Nick Welch ignored by selectors". The Chronicle. Retrieved 7 February 2025.

External links

• Nick Welch at ESPNcricinfo