Madhevere impresses Hafeez

Tinashe Kusema

Deputy Sports Editor

LINES have been drawn in the sand, teams have made their picks and all that is left now is for the Zim Cyber City Zim Afro T10 tournament to officially begin.

The five competing sides — Johannesburg Buffaloes, Harare Hurricanes, Bulawayo Braves, Cape Town Samp Army and Durban Qalanders — spent the better part of last week talking up their team compositions, aspirations and strategies for this historic tournament slated for July 20-29 at Harare Sports Club.  However, it appears the Johannesburg Buffaloes are the ones who have had the most to say, as their skipper Mohammad Hafeez and coach Lance Klusener are no strangers to Zimbabwe.

Hafeez made his One-Day International debut for Pakistan in Zimbabwe in 2003.

He went on to play against the Chevrons 30 times across all three main formats — ODIs, T20 and Test matches.

Of the 30 matches, 22 were in Zimbabwe between 2011 and 2021.

However, it took the 42-year-old quite a while before he could fully establish himself a first-team jersey in the team.

Of the two, it is Klusener who is more likely to have first-hand knowledge of the country and players, as he coached them during his two stints with the Chevrons between 2016 and 2018, and, most recently, in 2022.

But Hafeez appears eager to get the ball rolling and add a Johannesburg Buffaloes debut to his already impressive curriculum vitae, which includes stints with Asian Lions, Dhaka Dynamites, Galle Gladiators, Lahore Lions, Quetta Gladiators and Pakistan Greens.

“When I heard that it (T10 tournament) was happening in Zimbabwe, it really gave me great pleasure,” said Hafeez.

“When these cricket events (whatever the format) happen all around the world, the greatest beneficiaries are usually the place where they are held.

“Over the years, we have seen the emerging talent usually get more opportunities, with the guidance of international cricketers, and these kinds of small pushes are not always there in the systems.

“I think Zimbabwe has been missing that element, and I would like to appreciate the vision behind whoever thought and made the decision for this tournament to be held here.

“They did not start it at T20 cricket but rather chose T10.

“This (T10 cricket) is an emerging format; one that will certainly get bigger. Back in 2007, when I was still playing cricket, no one thought T20 cricket would get as big as it is now.  The same will happen with T10 cricket.”

Hafeez has been entrusted with the leadership of the Buffaloes, who also include Yusuf Pathan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Ravi Bopara and Rahul Chopra, among the seasoned campaigners.

There is no doubting, though, that the local contingent will also be a focus of attention, and those set to come under the spotlight include Blessing Muzarabani, Wellington Masakadza, Wes Madhevere, Victor Nyauchi and Milton Shumba.

Hafeez spoke candidly about lending a helping hand to some of the emerging talent in his team. He singled out Chevrons’ top-order batter Madhevere as a personal project of his during the nine-day tournament.

“This tournament belongs to the youngsters and I am excited about the challenge that will come with helping nurture some of these younger players and cricket minds.

“Especially from the Zimbabwean point of view, I am excited to have Wes (Madhevere) in my team, as I have seen the promising technique in him,” he said.

“If he can bring flair into his game, if we can extend the basics of his game a little bit extra and then translate all that into the power hitting, which is a requirement of white-ball cricket, that will be so exciting for me. As a batter, I am looking forward to seeing some really exciting cricket from all the young cricketers in my team, like Tom Banton, Will Smeed, and, of course, Wes.

“I am most looking forward to spending time and helping the Zimbabwean cricketers . . . All they need is a little push and the right guidance.”

The T10 tourney promises to be an exciting event, one which is expected to continue the momentum gained from the just-ended ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup qualifiers. While Zimbabwe failed to qualify for the World Cup, their performance drew a lot of attention to the sport and country.

The arrival of some big names such as Eion Morgan, Robin Uthappa, Yusuf Pathan and Hafeez for this historic event is expected to feed the current cricket craze.

Twitter: @Nashaar