Mitchell Marsh is so good he scares people.
From the opposition: "He demolished us," said South Africa's Faf du Plessis.
To his batting partners: "I was petrified. I had my head down running so all I could hear was the crack of the ball," said Australian teammate, Brad Haddin.
But long before he blasted a career-defining knock of 86 not out off 51 balls on Tuesday at the Harare Sports Club, Marsh's talent has frightened those in Australian cricket.
As an 18-year-old he was almost lost to the game, with the AFL chasing hard for the powerful West Australian representative.
But on more than one occasion since, the powers that be have panicked they might lose Marsh to off-field distractions, with a party lifestyle that threatened to get out of hand.
He's hardly the first 22-year-old to veer off the rails, but the fact Marsh is happy to admit the penny needed to drop, suggests he may have even scared himself at the prospect of throwing it all away.
"I've probably had a few ups and downs but my big focus over last 12 months has been progressing as ... a person," he said.
Expectations have followed Marsh since he was a teenager, but they heightened ahead of this one-day tri-series in Zimbabwe.
And he hasn't disappointed.
His booming innings against the Proteas to go with an 89 against Zimbabwe have been as mature as they've been brutal.
Marsh has at the very least proven he's an integral part of Australia's World Cup bid next year, but he may even have done enough to convince selectors he's ready for a Test debut.
Versatile in the batting order and capable of bowling first-change, there's a lot to like about Marsh, and plenty for incumbent Test allrounder Shane Watson to be worried about.
Michael Clarke, Darren Lehmann, George Bailey, Mitchell Johnson and Haddin have all given their votes of confidence in Harare.
"That innings was as clean a hitting and powerful as I've seen for a long, long time," gushed Haddin.
And Marsh is taking back another important character reference from Zimbabwe.
The driver of the Australian team bus in Harare, a man called Kelvin, has thanked Marsh for "making his life."
Kelvin has two children and a third on the way. He earns $US500 ($A540) a month, with 60 per cent of that going to rent.
Sometimes he gets paid on time; sometimes it's a day late, or two, or seven.
Electricity cuts are a regular occurrence at their home, making cooking for his 12-year-old son and five-year-old daughter almost impossible at times.
Marsh heard Kelvin's story and marched straight into town, to buy the children backpacks and shoes for school. He also purchased a new mobile phone for Kelvin and a solar light and gas cooker for his wife.
Marsh and teammates are now planning to pitch in money to pay for Kelvin's dream to complete a mechanic's course.
"My heart pumped so much," says Kelvin.
"I think my life will be easier."
Marsh had seen Harare before. He was 11 years old when he spent a five-month stint in the Zimbabwean capital, while his father Geoff was coach of the nation's battling cricket team between 1999 and 2004.
With his mother concerned about the use of corporal punishment in the Zimbabwe school system, Marsh and his older sister Melissa were home schooled - brother Shaun was in Perth starting out his cricket career.
Marsh's friends were children of fellow coaching staff members down at the Harare Sports Club. When he wasn't there chasing balls around, Marsh was on the road with his dad and Zimbabwe's cricketers at the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.
Eleven years on and Marsh is once again in Harare for cricket business, but he's gained an appreciation for real Harare life.
Despite the issues he's had on the booze, teammates describe Marsh as a diligent and respectful learner.
Bailey made it clear at last year's Champions Trophy that Marsh needed to stop taking his rare natural abilities for granted.
Marsh was one of the players slammed by Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland for being out late at the Walkabout Hotel in Birmingham when David Warner infamously punched Joe Root.
"There's a lot of players around the world like that who have amazing talent," warned Australia's stand-in one-day skipper at the time.
Marsh seems to have heeded the advice.
A scary thought for opponents and batting partners alike.
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