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Ellina Mhlanga-Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMPAPERS Television Network has scored another first after signing a deal that will make them the exclusive broadcaster of the inaugural Zim Cyber City Zim Afro T10 tournament.
The partnership was signed at the Zimpapers headquarters in Harare yesterday.
The tournament will commence on July 20 and the grand finale is scheduled for July 29, with all games taking place in Harare.
All matches will be live and exclusive on the ZTN Prime.
Zim Cyber City chief executive officer Tendayi Hlupo-Mamvura was delighted with the new marriage as the tournament organisers seek to take the sport across the country.
“We are delighted to be partnering Zimpapers because we know that this is the biggest media house in the country. As Zim Cyber City Afro T10 we are innovative, you will see innovation both in what we are developing at Zim Cyber City as well as the way sport will be played.
“I promise you cricket will never be the same after we have taken it across the country, which we are doing right now. Our teams are going right round the country activating the T10 format and what better way to do it than with a media house that is able to reach right across the whole country.
“So it is also our absolute pleasure to be partnering Zimpapers and ZTN.
“I promise you the quality of the content that you will be getting is high quality, world class and you will witness as you stream the product that it is second to none,” said Hlupo-Mamvura.
The Zim Cyber City chief executive officer said they were looking beyond the upcoming tournament as they are also involved in a talent hunt that will reach out to about 1 000 aspiring cricket players around the country.
“Out of those 1 000, some of them will be drafted into teams. Five of them will be drafted into international teams, other T10 teams around the world.
“So that’s a really exciting thing from a youth, sport and development point of view. It’s an opportunity to create job opportunities through sport.
“I think there is a lot that we can do as a country in the sporting field to create opportunities for the young people so that they are gainfully or beneficially engaged,” said Hlupo Mamvura.
Zimpapers group chief executive Pikirayi Deketeke hailed the partnership and said its coming against a background of similar initiatives by the group. ZTN are also the official broadcasters of the domestic topflight football league, the Castle Lager Premiership.
“It is quite significant for us as a group because it is coming against the backdrop of similar initiatives that we have between ZTN and SuperSport, where they are trying to popularise the sport of football which has suffered a bit of a setback in Zimbabwe.
“It’s also coming at a time when cricket is now big in Zimbabwe. So we are really very excited as a media group,” said Deketeke.
“I always remark that some of our publications like The Herald used to be big on sport. People would buy the newspaper then flip it and read from the back page, and we need to bring back sport into our news pages, whether its television, radio or the newspapers.
“So we are quite delighted that you guys and ZTN have come together.”
ZTN general manager Nomsa Nkala said as ZTN they always thrive to provide the best products for their customers.
“ZTN, we always thrive to provide the best products to our customers and sport is really one of the biggest areas that we are focusing on.
“We are excited to have exclusive rights to one of the biggest games in Africa. We are as innovative as you are, so it’s going to be exciting times,” said Nkala.
AN ARRAY of international cricket stars is expected to descend on Zimbabwe in the next two weeks for the inaugural Zim Cyber City Afro T10 following the success of the player draft conducted on Monday.
A number of current and former Zimbabwe national team players also got picked ahead of the historic tournament.
International players from cricket playing nations such as India, Pakistan, New Zealand, England, Australia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and South Africa will be part of the historic tournament.
Former World Cup winners Sreesanth, Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, and Robin Uthappa are among six Indian cricketers who will play in the upcoming Zim Afro T10 League tournament.
Eoin Morgan, Ravi Bopara (England), Evin Lewis (West Indies), Shahnawaz Dahani (Pakistan), Mohammed Nabi (Afghanistan), Thisara Perera (Sri Lanka) and New Zealand wicketkeeper/batsman Tim Seifert will all be heading to Harare for the tournament.
The five teams that will be battling it out for top honours are the Durban Qalandars, Cape Town Samp Army, Harare Hurricanes, Bulawayo Braves and Johannesburg Buffaloes.
The Zim Afro T10 represents franchise cricket’s first foray in Zimbabwe and the tournament will have five privately owned teams battling it out for the top prize.
Online Reporter