A short, nippy fast bowler, Njabula Ncube first played cricket on the streets of Bulawayo's Gwabalanda township, going on to represent Milton High School before finding his way into the Westerns Under-19s and B teams. A right-arm seamer who considers Makhaya Ntini as his role model for his aggression and commitment to the game, Ncube represented Zimbabwe Under-19 at the 2008 Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia. He spent a couple of seasons with the Matabeleland-based Westerns before heading to Mountaineers under the new franchise system. The move was short-lived, however, and in 2010 he returned to the Matabeleland Tuskers. In October 2011, he got his first opportunity to play for Zimbabwe's national team, when he was selected for the third ODI against New Zealand. A three-wicket haul in that game earned Ncube a Test cap in Bulawayo