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Eddie Chikamhi
Senior Sports Reporter
AS the clock counts down to the inaugural Zim Afro T10 tournament, there was so much hype at Takashinga Cricket Club as aspiring cricketers jostled for attention in the talent hunt programme conducted by Zimbabwe Cricket and Lahore Qalandars.
Over 200 hopefuls took part in the trials that took part in Bulawayo, Kwekwe and rounded off in Harare. But only five will be short-listed for a life-time opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the game’s global icons during the five team tournament that begins in Harare this Thursday.
The selected players are also set for a dream attachment at Pakistan Super League champions Lahore Qalandars’ High Performance centre in Pakistan and a possible contract in the next edition of the PSL.
Lahore Qalandars director of cricket operations Aaqib Javed, who was the coach when Pakistan won the 2004 Under-19 Cricket World Cup, said Zimbabwe has exciting prospects.
“We are really excited to see the local talent in Zimbabwe — we went to Kwekwe and then the talent we have seen from Bulawayo and Harare,” he said. “There are very talented youngsters who are always looking forward to the opportunity. Yes, there is a cricket board (ZC) development system but this (Player Development Programme) actually excites the youngsters because there were trials on three locations and a tournament for them to showcase their talents.
“And now five of them will have lifetime opportunities regarding the T10 league where they will showcase their talent to the world. And after that, the High Performance Centre in Lahore will definitely offer them to come and train and one or two guys will get an opportunity, after training there and performing in the games, to get into the PSL 2023 with the Lahore Qalandars team,” said Javed, who played 22 Tests and 163 ODIs for Pakistan between 1988 and 1998. He was a part of the Pakistan team which won the 1992 Cricket World Cup.
He is currently serving as the director of cricket operations and head coach of Pakistan Super League side Lahore Qalandars, who are also the owners of the Durban Qalandars that will compete in the Zim Cyber City Zim Afro T10.
Qalandars have a similar programme back home and the ground-breaking Player Development Program in Zimbabwe is meant to discover and nurture emerging local cricketing talent as well as identifying promising players who have the potential to become future stars of the game.
Aspiring young cricketers came out in large numbers and each one gave his best shot at the inaugural Zimbabwe Cricket player development program which ended at the weekend.
Former Zimbabwe national team captain Elton Chigumbura was coordinating the programme which ZC have put in place in collaboration with tournament organisers T10 Global Sports and one of the participating franchises Durban Qalandars.
“The turnout was overwhelming at all the three venues but Harare obviously had the biggest numbers,” said Chigumbura yesterday.
“This Player Development Programme gives young and upcoming players opportunities they previously could only dream of.
“It also gives hope to school leavers as they work their way up from schoolboys to club and franchise cricket.
“This is a very good programme. The players were excited because it was a great opportunity to express their talents. There was so much energy all over because the players were determined to show what they can offer.
“There was so much talent around and I would say as much 10 players deserved to be picked. Unfortunately, the rules say only five youngsters from this programme qualify for the T10 draft.” The country’s first white ball cricket tournament with the franchise model promises to be an electrifying showcase of fast-paced cricket, offering an incredible platform for these talented individuals to gain invaluable exposure and enhance their skills.
The tournament will see five privately owned teams in the mix, namely, Harare Hurricanes, Durban Qalandars, Cape Town Samp Army, Bulawayo Braves and the Joburg Lions.
Durban Qalandars head coach Mansoor Rana believes they have a balanced squad.
“We have experience. We have got some exciting young players and a couple of players from the player development of Lahore Qalandars have also been selected.
“So, we have got some excellent experienced fast bowlers and excellent batters. I believe it’s a very good squad it’s going to be a good tournament,” said Rana. Qalandars have named Zimbabwe’s Craig Ervine their captain.
“The captain is a very good choice, I believe. We were really looking for him and we got him fortunately. He is very experienced, he is a local player, he knows the conditions, he know his Zimbabwe players also and I am sure with his experience he will lead this team very well,” said Rana.
Online Reporter