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THE historic Zim Afro T10 tournament that was launched in Harare by President Mnangagwa on Thursday evening is more than just a mere game of cricket.
Having this game played in this country, for the first time in history, was a huge victory for Zimbabwean cricket and its growing base of passionate fans of the game.
Ever since the first edition was played in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates in 2017, the format is growing in leaps and bounds.
The T10 is the shortest and newest baby in the world of cricket, with a unique format that sees teams playing 10 overs per innings.
Unlike the other formats that take long as long as five days to complete, this game is roughly 90 minutes of fast-paced cricket action. It is a short, high-energy format loved by global audiences and international cricket stars alike. Zimbabwe are the first country on the continent to bring this format to the African soil and obviously the global spotlight will be on us during the next few days.
Of course, the fans will be guaranteed maximum entertainment in the coming week, leading to the tournament final next Saturday.
The Zim Afro T10 League is expected to leave lasting legacy in the growth and development of the domestic game.
As a nation, there is need to reap the full benefits of the investments made in the tournament. After all, this is an even that has been planned over a long period of time, with a series of engagements between the organisers T Ten Global Sports and Zimbabwe Cricket.
Of course, Global T Ten have experienced success with this format. In its first year, the league returned over one million global viewership and now six years later, the league is estimated to register over 500 million global viewership.
This shows the level of interest the game has garnered across the globe. So, Zimbabwe should not let this opportunity pass by without realising benefits as well.
As the tournament grows, we also want to see Zimbabwean cricket experiencing corresponding growth and development.
So far, they have started on the right footing following the investment in grassroots talent identification. There has been a schools scouting programme that took place recently and young players were given an opportunity and the platform to express themselves.
The most encouraging thing is that 10 of the youngsters were awarded scholarships to continue with their studies while also pursuing cricket as a possible career.
Some of the candidates could also get an opportunity to train at the Lahore Qalandars’ High Performance Centre in Pakistan, where they will get to train using state-of-the-art facilities.
Lahore Qalandars, who are the Pakistan Super League champions, are also the owners of the Durban Qalandars franchise in the Zim Afro T10 League.
They facilitated the nationwide talent hunt, working hand in hand with Zimbabwe Cricket and T Ten Global Sport, which resulted in five emerging talents getting lifetime opportunities to feature in the Zim Afro T10 tournament.
Apart from a few such as Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams, Ryan Burl and Blessing Muzarabani, the majority of Zimbabwean players usually do not get opportunities to play in the either the T10 and T20 Leagues around the globe.
So the coming of the Zim Afro T10 would open doors to many. Among these 16 players registered by each team, a minimum of six must be Zimbabweans, and within those six Zimbabwean players, one must be classified as an ’emerging player’.
The beauty about T10 cricket is that it helps players hone their skills because of its nature which requires quick decision making and execution. So in terms of technique, this tournament should leave Zimbabwean cricket richer.
Then for the first time, Harare Sports Club will be hosting night games under floodlights. A few years back, this scheme had remained a pipedream. But the Zim Afro T10 will leave a lasting legacy after the floodlights project was finally completed this week, in time for the cricket festival.
Hopefully in future more venues will get similar benefits.
Other sectors of the economy are also set to benefit from the hosting of the tournament.
As President Mnangagwa aptly said during the launch ceremony, the hosting of the hosting of the tournament fits into Government’s thrust to remodel the sport and recreation industry into a multi-million-dollar industry.
This is in line with the National Sport and Recreation Policy and the quest to promote sport tourism. Business should seize the opportunity to market Zimbabwe to the world. The Zim Afro T10 could be the missing link that Zimbabwean cricket needed to make the game more exciting and beneficial. Government, through the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation should be applauded for managing to create a conducive environment for the game to grow.
Online Reporter