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Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
TWO influential Indian businesspeople, Helen Alvares as well as Luke Pinto have been in Zimbabwe since last Monday with their visit set to pave way for the Old Mutual Heath Streak Cricket Academy to embark on a tour of the Asian country next year.
Joseph Rego, the Old Mutual Heath Streak Cricket Academy Trust chief executive and executive director said the duo was in the country to institute partnerships with Indian cricket schools. Alvares is into shipping, mining and resort business in India under the Riveroost Group of Companies while Pinto is the owner of Boat Club Group of Entertainment Resorts.
“They went on tour in South Africa, visited Zimbabwe to establish an association with the Old Mutual Heath Streak Academy Trust, to introduce us to the top academies in India. In 2018, we are going to India. They arrived in Zimbabwe on Monday and they are leaving on Sunday,’’ said Rego.
Alvares visited the Heath Streak Cricket Academy, were taken for dinner at Entokozweni Safaris which is run by the Streak family in Inyathi, went to Victoria Falls and Hwange National Park.
Alvares and Pinto met the former Zimbabwe captain in 2012 when he established the Heath Streak Foundation in Mangalore, India. Rego said the two businesspeople support a lot of cricket in their home country and have a lot of passion for the sport.
“Their objective of coming is to promote cricket and tourism and visit the Old Mutual Heath Streak Cricket Academy to establish relationships with some of the leading cricket academies in India. This opens the prospect of our academy and children to visit the India. When they go back they will get me the lead to leading academies especially in the garden city called Bangalore, home to the IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore,’’ Rego said.
Alvares, in an interview last Wednesday just after arriving in Victoria Falls expressed her delight with the prospect of working with Streak’s academy.
She disclosed that it was her first time to visit Zimbabwe which she described as a charming country.
“We were really impressed with the Heath Streak Academy, I have a couple of friends who have academies in India. We want to link up the Heath Streak Academy with Indian academies, Heath and Joseph have done a wonderful setup here in Zimbabwe. It was also my first time in Zimbabwe, it’s a lovely country,’’ she said.
This year, youngsters from Streak’s school of cricket are going on tour to Lusaka, Zambia from 10 to 15 December with the colts, Under-13 and Under-14 to embark on the trip. Last year, three teams from the academy went to South Africa, these being the Under-13 A, Under-B and Under-14.
— @Mdawini_29
Online Reporter