adminH-Metro Reporter
THE chilly Harare evening did not deter cricket enthusiasts from gathering at floodlit Harare Sports Club for the official opening of the inaugural ZimAfro T10 tournament by President Mnangagwa yesterday.
The sound of drums, marimba, trumpets, whistling and cheers filled the air as energetic cheerleaders danced and waved pom-poms, adding to the buoyant mood of the large crowd.
The ZimAfro T10 tournament is a landmark event in Zimbabwe’s cricket history.
It is the country’s first-ever T10 tournament aimed at promoting and developing cricket at the grassroots level.
The tournament was a joint venture between Zimbabwe Cricket and TTen Global Sports.
Yesterday’s opening ceremony was a grand affair, and the highlight of the ceremony was the speech by Guest of Honour President Mnangagwa.
He praised the organisers for their efforts in promoting cricket and urged the players to play with passion and dedication.
The tournament is scheduled to feature five teams, comprising local and foreign players.
The teams will have about 16 players, including at least six Zimbabweans. The six will include one from the “emerging player” category, as picked by the nationwide talent hunt mission.
Six Indian cricketers — Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Stuart Binny, Parthiv Patel, Robin Uthappa, and S Sreesanth — have joined the fray to bring excitement to the tournament.
Other marquee players include Eoin Morgan (England), Evin Lewis (West Indies), Asif Ali (Pakistan) and Sisanda Magala (South Africa).
The five teams that will battle it out for honours over the next nine days are Harare Hurricanes, Bulawayo Braves, Durban Qalandars, Cape Town Samp Army and Johannesburg Buffaloes.
Each team will play six matches, facing all the other teams at least once. To add further excitement, two teams will compete against each other twice during the first round, taking their total matches to seven. The top four teams will then advance to the playoffs.
The opening fixture today will feature Harare Hurricanes and Bulawayo Braves.
The ZimAfro T10 cricket tournament is not just a celebration of cricket, but also a step towards nurturing it at the grassroots level.
It provides a platform for local players to showcase their talent and learn from their more experienced foreign counterparts.
It will also help promote and stamp Zimbabwe as a cricketing destination, as it comes just after the country hosted the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023.
Bongani Ndlovu
Mathew Masinge