[9] He was mentored by his high school house master Ian Kemp who took a special interest in him and also assisted him with his bowling action.
[10][11][12] He received the nickname "Pommie" while studying at the Dean Close School in England with fellow students unable to pronounce his first name Mpumelelo.
He spent a year at school in England, and in 1996 he went to Madras for coaching by Dennis Lillee at the MRF Pace Foundation; on his return he was offered a place in the Plascon Academy in South Africa, which he attended from April to September 1996.
[6] A surprise choice for the Zimbabwe tour of Pakistan in 1996–97, he made his Test debut after the first choice bowlers Heath Streak and Eddo Brandes were injured but made the most of his opportunity, taking the vital wickets of Ijaz Ahmed and Wasim Akram despite Zimbabwe losing the match by 10 wickets.
He ended up his 6 year international career playing for Zimbabwe following the 2002 Champions Trophy and then moved to England to pursue his higher studies for a brief period of time.
[22] In 2001 he started television commentary, where his quiet thoughtful views were well received, and in 2005 he ended a brief foray into coaching by committing full-time to his TV career.
[30] Although known for his neutral commentary style and for his friendly banter, much to everyone’s surprise he criticised South African wicketkeeper batsman Quinton de Kock for his refusal to take a knee as part of CSA’s BLM stance.
[31] Pommie said “Excuse me for being political, but I cannot shed my skin” before giving an explanation and a valid reason for his argument about de Kock’s stance.