Online Reporter
THE ICC Men’s T20 World Cup regional qualifier gets underway today in Harare with eight teams fighting for two slots to feature at next year’s showcase in India and Sri Lanka.
The Chevrons and Namibia will start as favourites to win the two slots but the unpredictability of T20 cricket means there is always a window of opportunity for the other participating nations.
That was the case in the last qualifiers in Namibia where Uganda managed to grab one of the tickets with the Chevrons being the ones who lost after finishing third on the table.
With entrance for the matches at the tournament being free, we expect thousands of Zimbabweans to converge at Harare Sports Club to cheer the Chevrons in their quest for a return to the World Cup.
We also expect fans to converge at Takashinga Sports Club to watch the teams which will be playing there so that we can show the ICC that we are, indeed, a cricket loving nation which deserves to host such tournaments.
We will host part of the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup and we have to show the world that we are a nation which deserves to host such tournaments.
It’s not only cricket which is expected to attract a big crowd this weekend.
The Harare Derby is set for Rufaro on Sunday and the expectation is that there will be a huge crowd given the significance of the game.
Neither side can afford to lose this game because the two giants find themselves trapped in relegation trouble.
Given that there will be only five games left after the latest Harare Derby, which means a total of 15 points at stake, a defeat for either side on Sunday will complicate the battle against the chop.
It’s a scenario which, about five years ago, would have appeared impossible as these are two giants who were used to fighting for the league championship instead of being involved in a scrap to try and avoid relegation.
It confirms that the landscape has changed on the domestic Premiership
scene and the arrival of ambitious challengers has complicated the situation for the traditional giants.
Even Highlanders, the third member of the traditional Big Three clubs, find themselves also trapped in the relegation scrap.
Our plea to the fans who will converge at Rufaro on Sunday is for them to respect the decisions of the match officials.
We know that there will be a lot of emotions following every touch and every incident and our appeal to the fans is that they should respect the match officials.
Hopefully, ZIFA will also task the best referees to handle this big match.
We were happy that the association appointed their best referee, Brighton Chimene, to handle the big Chibuku Super Cup quarter-final between Highlanders and Scottland at Barbourfields on Sunday.
Chimene was spot on, in the key moments, of that blockbuster showdown and, in the end, the game was the winner.
We want football to win again on Sunday.
