Online Reporter
Gibson Mhaka [email protected]
MATABELELAND North’s Under-19 boys’ cricket team has received a major boost ahead of the national schools tournament in Gweru after receiving a new playing kit.
The kit was handed over to the provincial side at Bulawayo Athletic Club (BAC) on Tuesday ahead of the tournament, which gets underway in Gweru on Thursday.
Speaking at the kit presentation, veteran cricket administrator and Zimbabwe Cricket National Schools general manager Nicholas “Nick” Singo said the initiative provided young players from the province with an opportunity to develop their careers despite limited cricket infrastructure.
“This is also a career pathway for marginalised communities because Matabeleland North is basically a rural set-up.
“Most of those people don’t play cricket and some of them don’t even know much about cricket,” said Singo.
“It’s a good start for Matabeleland North. We are hoping that these boys, when they go back to Matabeleland North, will also excite their friends to be part and parcel of the cricket community.”
Singo said the players had earned their places through provincial competitions despite the lack of proper cricket facilities in some parts of the province.
“Having those facilities does not hamper you from playing cricket. You can still play cricket on a dusty field,” he said.
“They were able to host their own cricket tournaments in the provinces using the basic facilities. It’s not like we just hand-picked them from nowhere.
“They have been playing some form of cricket in their own set-up.”
He said efforts were also underway to improve cricket infrastructure in the province, with the old facility in Hwange set for rehabilitation, while Cricket Ekhaya-Kasi was putting the finishing touches to a new ground in Victoria Falls.
“We had a cricket facility in Hwange and unfortunately that cricket facility had gone down, but I’m happy to say that the Colliery is in the process of resuscitating that ground,” said Singo.
The initiative is being supported by Cricket Ekhaya-Kasi, an organisation focused on introducing and developing cricket in rural areas where the sport has little or no presence.
Director of affairs and operations at Cricket Ekhaya-Kasi Dumisani Mankunzini said the organisation’s mandate went beyond producing players, as it also sought to develop administrators and officials while using sport as a tool to keep young people away from drugs and crime.
“We are about developing not only cricket players but administrators, officials, and also making sure that we get the players, the children, out of bad habits like taking drugs,” said Mankunzini.
He said the organisation wanted every child in Zimbabwe to have an opportunity to participate in cricket, regardless of their background or location.
“It is our wish and hope that every child in Zimbabwe gets a fair opportunity to hold a cricket ball and a cricket bat.
“We want cricket to be the number one sport in the country.
“That is what we are pushing for,” he said.
For members of the Matabeleland North squad, the opportunity represents a chance to showcase their talent on a bigger stage.
Inyathi High School Form Four pupil Leonel Nkosi (17) and Regina Mundi pupil Ayanda Tshuma (15) were among the players who benefited from the initiative and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to represent their province.
“I’m grateful for this opportunity. I’m proud to represent Matabeleland North and showcase my talent,” said Leonel.
Ayanda said: “I’m happy to be part of the team.
“This kit has motivated me to work harder and represent my province well.”
The provincial side will now turn its attention to the national tournament in Gweru, where the youngsters will hope to prove that talent can emerge from even the most resource-constrained communities.
For Matabeleland North, the tournament could mark the beginning of a broader cricket revolution in the province — one that takes the game beyond established centres and into rural communities where many aspiring young cricketers have yet to get their first opportunity.
