adminRicky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
THIRTEEN players from Bulawayo’s Baines Junior School-based Dumisani Mankunzini Cricket Initiative (DMCI) left the country yesterday morning to participate at an invitational tournament that starts today and ends on Thursday in Gaborone, Botswana. Coached by DMCI founder and former Zimbabwe Under-19 and Matabeleland Tuskers Cricket Franchise cricketer Dumisani Mankunzini whose career in the sport was brought to an abrupt end due to a back injury, the team is confident of winning in Botswana.
“The boys are all excited and I’m confident that they will do well. We’re going to play four Twenty20 matches and we will be back on Friday.
“This is the third time for DMCI to participate at the Gaborone tournament and we hope our boys will immensely benefit from this trip. This tour is all about exposing our boys to better facilities and good competition so that even as they grow older, they’re not intimidated,” said Mankunzini.
Last year DMCI took three teams, the Under-9s, Under-11s and the Under-13s. Trymore Taruvinga, a former Churchill High School cricketer who was part of Zimbabwe cricket’s national Under-19 squad in 2007, now with Cubs Academy, is the brains behind the invitational tournament.
Most of the players that will represent DMCI at the tournament took part at last month’s fifth edition of the Baines Junior Dumisani Mankunzini Winter Cricket Festival won by Mtshingwe Primary School of Emakhandeni.
Gampu’s Ashley Chipare who was voted as the 2016 Baines Junior Dumisani Mankunzini Winter Cricket Festival Player of the Tournament as well as the Batsman of the Tournament after scoring 156 runs is part of the team that left for Botswana.
Lungile Nyathi of Mtshingwe, who took 15 wickets at the Baines Junior tournament and winner of the Best Bowler accolade is also in the team which is being captained by Charles Takavengwa of Milton Junior.
DMCI Squads to Botswana
Under-13: Brian Moyo (Victoria Falls Primary), Takudzwa Sibanda (Baines), Thubelihle Ndlovu (McKeurtan), Abraham Chaitezvi (Takashinga), Lungile Nyathi, Mthokozisi Ndlovu (both Mtshingwe), Charles Takavengwa (Milton), Dion Nkulumo, Stephen Gorimbo, Kudai Nyandoro (Braden), Brian Massa (Josiah Chinamano), Matthew Donga, Ashley Chipare (both Gampu)
Technical: Dumisani Mankunzini and Matthew Muzenda
Officials: Lionel Moyo, Balbinah Muchazoreka, Caroline Mangena, Sindiso Mpofu, Kundai Chimbaru — @ZililoR
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