MULK Holdings and T10 Global Sports founder and chairperson, billionaire Nawab Shaji Ul Mulk believes the Zim Afro T10 competition which kicks-off in Harare tomorrow will uplift the country’s sport.
The competition will be making a grand entry in Zimbabwe, as the country becomes the second ICC full member to embrace the T10 franchise.
Five privately-owned franchise teams namely Harare Hurricanes, Joburg Buffaloes, Durban Qalandars, Bulawayo Braves and Cape Town Samp Army are taking part in the event which runs from July 20-29 at Harare Sports Club.
Speaking at a Press conference yesterday, Ul Mulk said: “We are extremely honoured and happy that the Zimbabwe cricket board, which is an ICC full-member, has selected and licensed the T10 format in Zimbabwe. The T10 concept is not about just coming to a country and do a 10 or 12 day tournament and then come back the next year, it’s us investing in the domestic structure.
“Before this T10 competition, we had already supported the Zim Cricket board in the domestic T10. We also supported the national team in the World Cup and here specifically for the last few weeks we have a done a grassroots school tournament.
“And we have selected about 30 school kids, 10 of them will be given scholarships and those 10 will be announced in the stadium. And on top of that we have also done a nationwide talent hunt in a player development drive.
“Our scouts and coaches have been going around different venues in search of talent and from this talent we have now made it a mandatory selection of five of these cricketers to walk straight into international squad. It means a Zimbabwean cricketer who until two weeks ago, was trying to make a mark come July 20 in the next two days will become an international cricketer. That is the direction which T10 is going.”
For the first time in Zimbabwe cricket matches will be played under lights.
Harare Hurricanes and Bulawayo Braves will kick off the ceremony at 7pm tomorrow, while there are three matches scheduled for Friday beginning at 3pm.
Zimbabwe Cricket board chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani reckons the competition is a massive opportunity to rebuild the Zimbabwe cricket brand.
“We thought it was a good opportunity for us as Zimbabwe cricket in our quest to rebuild and reposition our brand in Zimbabwe and in the arena of global cricket so we partnered with T10 Shaj to come and stage the tournament here in Zimbabwe,” Mukuhlani said.
“And what an opportunity for us soon after a very successful World Cup qualifier to have another edition of cricket coming to Zimbabwe. We are excited to have the tournament here with us looking forward to a smooth tournament. We look forward to the fans filling up the stadiums.”