By Martin Gough

There were many eyebrows raised when Tatenda Taibu was named Zimbabwe's vice-captain for the tour of England, including those of Taibu himself.

Only turning 20 this week, Taibu is full of self-confidence

In the team's second game on English soil, the wicket-keeper took a step up, forced to lead the team in the field after skipper Heath Streak pulled up with a back problem.

And, should Streak suffer similarly in the forthcoming two Tests and six one-day, a man who only celebrates his 20th birthday this Wednesday will again find himself in at the deep end.

"I was surprised because I thought they would have given [the job] to Grant Flower," he told the BBC Sport website.

"But I've been given the job so I'll take it.

"It's nothing to do with age. I think the selectors saw something in me so I'm prepared to back them up."

Taibu is used to learning on the run - he was plucked from the ranks at Churchill Boys High School as a 16-year-old to tour West Indies, prior to the 2000 tour of England.

After turning up at the wrong ground when he was supposed to play his first match for Mashonaland, his first-class debut came against a West Indies XI in Grenada.

Three years on, he has 32 one-day international caps - six more than new England skipper Michael Vaughan.

It would be bad for people to think that we won't give England a good run Tatenda Taibu

He now appeared in six Tests, although he narrowly avoided taking his bow at Trent Bridge in 2000, following an injury to Flower.

"There was no other keeper to back Andy Flower up and I had to learn quickly," he recalls.

"My coach said: 'You have every game must be important to you. You must take whatever you can from each game.'

"I've just tried to do that up to now and it has worked."

Taibu's progress in the side has undoubtedly been helped by the quotas imposed on the side requiring at least three black players in each XI.

But his batting has recently begun to catch up with his keeping, with a World Cup half-century against New Zealand and unbeaten 74 against Pakistan in the recent Sharjah final.

"I've always been a batsman/wicket-keeper but being so young the batting didn't come on as I would have liked," he admits.

TAIBU FACTFILE Born: 14 May 1983 Tests: Debut: v WI at Bulawayo, 2001 6 caps 184 runs at 16.72, high: 51* 9 catches, 0 stumpings ODIs: Debut: v WI at Harare, 2001 32 caps 352 runs at 25.14, high: 74* 25 catches, 2 stumpings

"But I didn't throw my batting away, I kept working on it because I knew I was a good batsman."

"With age I'm beginning to improve. It had to come with a bit of time."

Taibu has a traditional wicket-keeper's mien: up front and full of himself.

It is a manner that more imitates former England stumper Stephen Rhodes - his coach during the U19 World Cup a year ago - than his former club-mate Flower.

He claims he will have no problem giving advice to players almost twice his age.

"The way I like looking at it is that on the field everyone is the same. That way you work better together," he explains.

"If I've got something I think will help them then I will tell them. Even the younger guys in the side will tell older guys in practice if they see something wrong."

And he has faith in the current touring team, although he is one of just four players who made the same trip three years ago.

"It would be bad for people to think that we won't give England a good run because the young guys who are coming up are really prepared to give everything.

"Any team would feel the effect of losing a player like Andy Flower, and then Henry Olonga, Guy Whittall and Alistair Campbell.

"But we have to move on and get on with our rebuilding process."

Taibu's elevation to early responsibility is just one building block.