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Brandon Moyo-Sports Reporter
SOUTH Africa Emerging is expected to arrive in Bulawayo tomorrow ahead of their three-week tour against Zimbabwe Emerging which gets underway at Queens Sports Club on Thursday.
The visitors are scheduled to face Zimbabwe Emerging in two four-day matches and three 50-over games at the city’s ceremonial home of cricket. They will start with the red ball games before action shifts to 50-over matches.
They will also get a couple of days to acclamatise before they get down to action.
However, South Africa Emerging’s squad for the tour is yet to be known. The tour will run until August 21.
Excitement has already been building up for the matches with cricket enthusiasts eagerly awaiting the commencement of what promises to be an exhilarating series.
Zimbabwe Emerging will be under the stewardship of Steve Mangongo and are expected to arrive in the City of Kings and Queens today. Mangongo and his team had a week long training camp in Harare which concluded yesterday.
With just three full days left to go, excitement has already been building up among cricket enthusiasts in the city who will get the opportunity to witness the future stars and some already established names in the local game.
The tour is set to be the start of what will be a busy next few months in the city with Pakistan also lined up for November/December. Pakistan will play three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and as many T20Is against the Chevrons at Queens Sports Club.
Some of the exciting names who made the Zimbabwe Emerging team include former Zimbabwe Under-19 skipper, who captained the Junior Chevrons at the 2022 ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup, Emmanuel Bawa alongside other talents such as Alistair Frost, Ryan Kamwemba, Ronak Patel and Tinashe Muchawaya.
Brandon Mavuta, Innocent Kaia, Takudzwanaishe Kaitano, Nick Welch, and Carl Mumba are the capped players who will also feature for the Emerging side. Belgium born all-rounder, Antum Naqvi who has declared his intentions to play international cricket for Zimbabwe also made the Emerging side.
The two four-day matches are both scheduled for Queens Sports Club. This will not be the first time Zimbabwe Emerging and South Africa Emerging face off.
In August last year, Zimbabwe toured South Africa for a five-match 50-over series, which the latter won 3-2.
As the excitement grows, fans have been called in to come in numbers and cheer on the teams in what will be an entertaining three weeks of cricket. All matches are free of charge and fans and every cricket loving person and those willing to learn the game have been called in to throng Queens Sports Club.
The first four-day match starts on August 1 while the second and final four-dayer is penciled in to begin on August 7. Soon after, the 50-over games will start.
Matches start at 9:15am. – @brandon_malvin
Online Reporter