Ashish Ranjan
The much-anticipated Zim Afro T10 begins in less than three weeks, and all five teams have been confirmed. Beginning on the 20th of July, the finest white-ball cricketers in the world will descend upon Harare to compete in fiercely contested matches. The tournament final is scheduled for the 29th of July, with all events taking place in Harare.
The inaugural edition of the Zim Afro T10 is a historic tournament because franchise cricket is now a part of Zimbabwean cricket for the first time. Five teams will compete for the championship: the Durban Qalandars, the Cape Town Samp Army, the Harare Hurricanes, the Bulawayo Braves, and the Johannesburg Buffaloes. During a grand ceremony at the Player Draft, the five franchises’ scouting departments met and finalized their squads, creating impressive lineups that promise to produce thrilling cricket.
Asif Ali, Mohammed Amir, George Linde, Hazratullah Zazai, Tim Sifert, Sisanda Magala, Hilton Cartwright, Mirza Thahir Baig, Tayab Abbas, Craig Ervin, Tendai Chatara, Brad Evans, Clive Madande, Nick Welch, and Andre Fleture are among the 15 players on the Durban Qalandars’ roster.
The CapeTown Samp Army have 17 players on their roster, with stars such as Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Shaun Williams, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Maheesh Theekshana, Sheldon Cottrel, Karim Janat, Chamika Karunaratne, Peter Hazlogou, Matthew Breetzke, Richard Ngarava, Zhuwao Cephas, Hamilton Masakadza, Tadshwani Marumani, Tinashe Kamunakewe, Parthiv Patel, Mohamed Irfan, and Stuart Binny.
The Harare Hurricanes have 17 players in camp, with influential players like Eoin Morgan leading the way. Mohamed Nabi, Evin Lewis, Robin Uthappa, Donovon Ferraira, Shahzawaz Dahani, Duan Jansen, Samit Patel, Kevin Kothegoda, Christopher Mpofu, Regis Chakabva, Luke Jonwe, Brandon Mavuta, Tashinga Mushiwa, Irfan Pathan, Khalid Shah, and S Sreeseth are also members of the team.
The Bulawayo Braves have signed Sikander Raza, Taskin Ahmed, Ashton Turner, Tymal Mills, Thisara Perera, Ben McDermott, Beau Webster, Patrick Dooley, Kobe Herft, Rayen Burl, Timycen Maruma, Joylord Gumbie, Innocent Kaia, Faraz Akram, and Mujeeb Ur Rehman for the inaugural Zim Afro T10 tournament.
Mushfiqur Rahim, Odean Smith, Tom Banton, Yusuf Pathan, Will Smeed, Noor Ahmad, Ravi Bopara, Usman Shinwari, Junior Dala, Blessing Muzarabani, Wellington Masakadza, Wesley Madhevere, Victor Nyauchi, Mohamed Hafeez, Milton Shumba, and Rahul Chopra have joined the Johannesburg Buffaloes, the only team with a squad of 16 players.
Five cricketers will be selected from the nationwide Emerging Player programme, which is designed to give young players an opportunity to break into the major leagues, and will be added to the squads of each team in the coming days.
Mr. Givemore Makoni, managing director of Zimbabwe Cricket, stated, “Today is a historic day for Zimbabwean cricket, and we cannot wait to open the doors for such talented cricketers. Each of the five teams appears to be extremely formidable, and I have no doubt that the cricket on exhibit will be of the highest caliber. And I am thrilled that the Zim Cyber City Zim Afro T10 will give young cricketers a boost by allowing them to rub shoulders with some of the world’s finest players.”
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Mr. Nawab Shaji Ul Mulk, founder and chairman of T Ten Global Sports, stated, “The Zim Cyber City Zim Afro T10 Player Draft is a monumental occasion for the T Ten family and Zimbabwean cricket. We are thrilled to see that all of the squads are well-balanced and quite formidable, which indicates that the competition will be intense. We can’t wait for the tournament to commence so that we can be entertained by the best cricketers from Zimbabwe and around the world. I wish all of the teams the best of luck as they commence preparations for the cricket festival.”
