Zim Afro T10 League to light up Harare with summer return in March 2024

TAKUDZWA HILLARY CHIWANZA 

The Zim Afro T10 League will once again thrill fans with its fast-paced and action-packed format as it is scheduled for a grand return in the summer of March 2024, marking the second edition of the cricket tournament.

Zimbabwe Cricket managing director Givemore Makoni with Nawab Shaji Ul Mulk at the Zim Cyber City Zim Afro T10 launch in earlier in the year. [Image/Zimbabwe Independent]

The inaugural Zim Afro T10 League was held in July this year, as cricket lovers were served with exhilarating and nail-biting cricket under floodlights for the first time at Harare Sports Club.

The first edition featured five privately owned franchises with star-studded lineups of players. The teams were Durban Qalandars (who emerged as the winners), Joburg Buffaloes, Bulawayo Braves, Cape Town Samp Army, and Harare Hurricanes.

Arabian billionaire and owner of the T10 leagues around the world, Nawab Shaji Ul Mulk, said that the winter conditions in July had an impact on grounds’ accessibility, particularly during night matches.

“We are talking to the [Zimbabwe Cricket] board to have it earlier because winter was tough for people. We want to bring it to March and that’s what will be done,” Mulk said.

Mulk, the founder and chairperson of the Mulk Internation Group, commended the success of the T10 cricket league in Zimbabwe, saying that this is now attracting lots of other talented players.

“I think change and progress is dynamic because the first season went on very successfully and what we see now is the bigger influx of better and a larger number of players to come in because nobody understood how successful this Zim Afro T10 cricket would be,” Mulk said.

“A lot of top names in the world had less appreciation of Zimbabwe and now they have lots of respect that what we did is truly world class. Any number of requests now will be pre-signed for next year now; you will see a much higher standard.”

Mulk said that the Zim Afro T10 League provided expansive networking and marketing opportunities for Zimbabwe as an investment destination.

Mulk added that the Zim Afro T10 League has raised the profile of Zimbabwe as a cricketing nation and as an investment destination.

“I think you need to understand the importance of T10. It went live in about 110 countries and almost about 300 million watched Zimbabwe as a destination of world class sport,” he said.

“I had personally built that tourist group of a very high network. I sounded billionaires around the world about Zimbabwe and then they were all surprised with the opportunities that they saw here.

“So, there’s now on-going investment potential happening in Zimbabwe. Everything you do with a world class product, it’s for the country and the people.”

The T10 format is arguably the fastest growing format of the game, as it offers a thrilling spectacle of cricket in just 90 minutes.

The Zim Afro T10 League is one of the many T10 leagues that Mulk has launched across the globe, with the aim of popularizing and expanding the game.

The tournament also provides a platform for Zimbabwe’s emerging cricket talent to showcase their skills and learn from some of the best players in the world.