July 13, 2023, Harare In less than two weeks, the eagerly anticipated Zim Afro T10 will start, and the five privately owned teams are already hard at work getting ready for what is sure to be a carnival of cricket.
Craig Ervine, a Zimbabwean cricketer, was named captain of the Durban Qalandars, one of the five teams competing in the Zim Afro T10, and Mansoor Rana thinks that this is a huge benefit for the squad. Pakistani power hitter Asif Ali is a member of the Durban Qalandars, and the coach anticipates that he will contribute significantly to the team’s success in the competition.
“Craig Ervine, a very experienced cricket player from Zimbabwe, is very familiar with the local conditions and players. His skills and experience will be quite beneficial, and I’m confident of that. The coach stated in a virtual press conference, “We wanted him to be our captain.
The Zim Afro T10 would provide the Zimbabwean cricketing community with a boost, according to the former Pakistan cricketer. T10, the game’s shortest format, is quickly gaining popularity among spectators.
“We have witnessed a lot of improvement and the emergence of new players in the nations that have established their own franchise leagues. The fact that Zimbabwean players will be living in the same locker room as foreign players will be a tremendous learning experience for them. Since I have been here, I have noticed a lot of excitement over the Zim Afro T10,” the coach stated.
The players will learn new skills at the Zim Afro T10 tournament, while the younger players will get motivation from the seasoned competitors. The Durban Qalandars, who are understandably eager to make a big impression in the inaugural Zim Afro T10, are also a part of a system that is concentrating on grassroots development in Zimbabwe through the Player Development Programme, from which emerging players will be recruited for the squads.
The same family that owns the Durban Qalandars also owns the Lahore Qalandars of the Pakistan Super League, and Rana believes the program is ideal for spotting some of the top young talent in the system.
“We firmly believe that there are always outstanding players who may not receive the same opportunities as some others. By offering them a platform through our development program, we hope to change that. We created this program in the hopes that one day, someone like Haris Rauf would go on to become a major figure. The players in Zimbabwe are quite enthusiastic about the program, and it has been warmly welcomed there, the coach stated.
“With such a program, we have had great success in Pakistan, and the idea is to invite the best players from this program to the Lahore Qalandars High-Performance Centers, where they will train for a few months and hopefully improve as cricket players in the future.”
Each squad will select one player from a pool of five young athletes who are a part of the Player Development Program before they are eventually recruited into the Zim Afro T10.
“The incentive to play for the franchises in Zim Afro T10 is a big incentive for the players who are part of the Player Development Programme, and that has been reflected in the trials,” he said before concluding.
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