Inaugural Zim Cyber City, Zim Afro T10 gets underway

Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter

A NEW chapter is set to unfold in the history of Zimbabwean cricket tomorrow when the inaugural Zim Afro T10 gets underway in Harare.

The tournament, which pits five privately-owned franchise teams and an array of international cricket players, was launched at the Harare Sports Club yesterday.

The organisers Zimbabwe Cricket and T Ten Global Sports promised top class entertainment and, for the first time in the history of Zimbabwean cricket, the tournament will be played under the lights, mostly as night games.

They have also roped in Zim Cyber City as the title sponsors. The five teams that will be battling it out for top honours are the Durban Qalandars, Cape Town Samp Army, Harare Hurricanes, Bulawayo Braves and Johannesburg Buffaloes.

Addressing a joint press conference that was also attended by T Ten Global Sports founder and chairman Nawab Shaji Ul Mulk, Zimbabwe Cricket chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani yesterday said the stage was set for the event, which comes barely two weeks after the successful hosting of the 2023 ICC World Cup Qualifier.

“What an opportunity for us, soon after a very successfully hosted Global World Cup Qualifier, to have another edition of cricket coming to Zimbabwe,” said Mukuhlani.

“I think our fans, our players, our technical staff and the media will have a lot of work cut out from cricket. As ZC, we are excited to have the tournament here with us.

“We look forward to having a smooth tournament, we look forward to the fans filling up the stadium and of course an opportunity for upcoming talent and for some of our stars like (Sikandar) Raza, (Sean) Williams and (Craig) Ervine, to showcase.

“Of course they will be joined by some top cricketers from different countries. So we are excited and looking forward to a great tournament.”

The fast-paced T10 league is the newest version of entertaining cricket that has taken the globe by storm. An array of international cricket stars are expected to illuminate the stage at Harare Sports Club in the next 10 days.

Players from renowned cricket playing nations such as India, Pakistan, New Zealand, England, Australia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and South Africa will be part of the historic tournament.

Former World Cup winners Sreesanth, Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, and Robin Uthappa are among six Indian cricketers who will play in the League.

Eoin Morgan, Ravi Bopara (England), Evin Lewis (West Indies), Shahnawaz Dahani (Pakistan), Mohammed Nabi (Afghanistan), Thisara Perera (Sri Lanka) and New Zealand wicketkeeper/batsman Tim Seifert have all lined for the tournament.

A number of current and former Zimbabwe national team players also got picked in the draft ahead of the historic tournament.

Zimbabwe national team captain Ervine has been named captain of Lahore Qalandars while Raza will lead the Bulawayo Brave.

Williams will also play a leadership role as vice-captain of the Cape Town Samp Army.

A host of talented young players also took part in the grassroots player development programme that will see five outstanding players under-25 years getting a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to feature in the T10 League.

Mukuhlani said the concept bodes well with Zimbabwe Cricket’s development thrust.

“As a sport, and as an organisation, we are in the process of repositioning ourselves in terms of cricket development.

“You may have noticed that in the last five years we have been intentionally and strategically hosting every qualifier and to improve our cricket.

“Part of that process involves building content and context in the form of tournaments and we think T10 is part and parcel of that process.

“It’s coming just ahead of our season and just after the World Cup Qualifier. So it’s part of the process that ZC has engaged in since 2015 to try and rebrand and reposition itself.”

ZC have also pledged the games will be played in an environment with the highest integrity. They will be working closely with the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit and the local security systems to guard against any form of corruption.

“Integrity is our top priority in any tournament. Be it Logan Cup, club cricket or bilateral cricket and it’s no less for this particular tournament.

“We have gone through a hole process of due diligence prior to licensing T10 and that process involves working together with the integrity unit at ICC.

“T10 is not being played for the first time in Zimbabwe. It’s been running in Abu Dhabi. This is its sixth year running and obviously the integrity issues have been put in place.

“We are working with the ICC integrity Unit to make sure the integrity of the game is not jeopardised. So I can assure you that we are on top of our game in terms of making sure that these games are played with the highest of integrity that we expect, the fans expect and the players expect,” said Mukuhlani. Since its inception in Sharjah in 2017, the T10 League has grown in leaps and bounds.

In its first year, the league returned over one million global viewer-ship and now six years later, the league is estimated to register over 500 million global viewer-ship.

The T10 is a new and unique format that sees 10 overs per innings which is roughly 90 minutes of fast paced “cricketainment.” It is a short, high-energy format loved by global audiences and international cricket stars alike.

The man behind the League, Mulk said the Zim Afro T10 aims to make a positive impact on the youth of Zimbabwe.

“T10 cricket league as a brand has established itself as the fastest growing and the most exciting cricket format. This is because of many factors. First of all, it is a short duration, the game being 90 minutes,” said Mulk. “We’re extremely honoured and happy that the ZC board, being a Full Member board (of ICC) has selected and licensed the T10 format in Zimbabwe.

“This opens up many opportunities for us as a company because in our quest to go global, this is the first stop after the Abu Dhabi T10, to be part of the global journey.

“From here we go to the US and then we go back to Abu Dhabi and then we do the Lanka T10 and then after that we go to India. We are also talking to a few other full member boards and Europe in that direction basically.

“For us here, the concept and our direction is not just about coming to the country and play the tournament and come back next year.

“It’s about us investing in the domestic structure. Before the T10 we had already supported ZC in the domestic T10 and also the national team in the World Cup Qualifier.

“For the last few weeks we have done a grassroots schools tournament where we have selected about 30 school kids and 10 of them will be given scholarships.

“On top of that we have also done a nationwide player development programme . . . Our scouts have been going around the country in different venues and actually harnessing the talent and from this talent five of the cricketers will walk straight into the T10 franchise teams,” Mulk added.

The opening ceremony will be held tomorrow at Harare Sports Club at 3pm, followed by the first match of the tournament, featuring Bulawayo Braves and Harare Hurricanes, at 7pm.

This will be the first time that Harare Sports Club hosts night games under the floodlights. The floodlights project, which has taken over a decade to complete, is likely to be done and dusted by the time the first ball is bowled as workmen have been busy this week with the installation of lights.