Zim U-19 fly with Eagles

cricketers have also taken part in the Harare Metropolitan Club cricket circuit as part of their voyage to the Under-19 World Cup. Zimbabwe will leave for Australia in August this year.
The youngsters were drafted into Group C of the tournament and will face Namibia and England in the warm-up matches of the tournament before facing Papau New Guinea, India and the West Indies in the group stages.
It’s one of the toughest groups at the tourney and it will be a stern test for the Zimbabweans, who are mostly schoolboys.
Mashonaland Eagles have activated their “B” side to play weekly matches against the Chris Harris-coached side. A source at the Harare franchise believes the Eagles are the only ones with an active “B” side in the country.
The rest of the franchises are dormant during the country’s domestic off-season.
Players such as Innocent Chinyoka and Razza Butt are part of the Eagles’ training squad in a bid to develop both squads during the preparatory period.
Countries like South Africa and India have solid structures that allow for players to get professional cricket exposure at a very young age and get to play competitively at least two years before Zimbabwean players get the chance.
It is no surprise that 21-year-old Marchant de Lange took seven wickets on his Test debut and continues to make a big impact on the international scene. Commenting on the state of club cricket, Harris said:
“Local club cricket is a work in progress right now. There is some cricket around, but I think ideally, Zimbabwe cricket would like to increase the number of clubs playing cricket and increase the standard.
“It then creates a pathway for people leaving school to play club cricket and in the process make their way to franchises.”
Zimbabwe has faced defeats repeatedly against South Africa and Pakistan, emanating from the differences in competitive levels.
Harris believes with time if club cricket in Zimbabwe is given a face-lift, there is a guarantee that performances for the Under-19 national team will improve. “Club cricket creates opportunities to play a better standard of cricket and if you expose young players to a better standard of cricket earlier it is a proven fact that they will develop earlier.
“At the moment it is a bit difficult with school leavers trying to get into the club scene because I think that everyone would agree with me when I say the club scene could be better than it is right now.
“That helps Zimbabwe Cricket not just at Under-19 level but the lower age groups.
“It exposes those young players and hopefully brings on players to the franchise system then eventually national cricket,” he said.
The advent of the franchise system in 2009 may have taken precedence over first league cricket as Zimbabwe launched its return to Test cricket campaign. To contain the system and accommodate rising new players, just like soccer and rugby, clubs have to revive the once competitive club cricket which was very prominent a decade ago.
Not all national team players will be leaving the country for foreign club stints as they have joined the very clubs that gave them the platform for provincial selection.
Currently Highfield’s Takashinga 2 is topping Harare Metropolitan’s Vigne Cup, thanks largely due to the contributions of Shingirai Masakadza, Prosper Utseya and Tinotenda Mutombodzi.