adminZIMBABWE Cricket’s Under-17 High Performance Coaching (HPC) programme is now up and running, with 44 selected players training under national Under-19 head coach Stephen Mangongo.
The programme got underway on May 3 and will run up to September 31, 2016, and is part of Zimbabwe’s intensive preparations for the ICC 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup to be held in New Zealand.
“The HPC programme’s objective is to assist and accelerate the growth of cricketing skills amongst our talented youths,” Mangongo said, adding that the selected young cricketers will not pay any fee for the training.
“The HPC programme shall run and co-exist with other winter sports as we acknowledge that school commitment will come first.”
Under the initiative, ZC intends to run the Under-17 Week from 8 to 15 August 2016 in Harare where four Under-17 select sides, a Zimbabwe Under-19 select team and an international side will compete.
“During that tournament, the national Under-19 selectors shall select the training squad for the next ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup to be held in New Zealand,” Mangongo said.
After that, ZC will be planning for Under-17 tours scheduled for the period between November 2016 and January 2017.
derick.khumalo