Harare,
The much-awaited Zim Cyber City Zim Afro T10 will commence in less than two weeks, and the five-privately owned teams are busy preparing for what is expected to be a carnival of cricket.
Ahead of the Zim Cyber City Zim Afro T10, the Durban Qalandars, who are one of the five teams in the tournament, announced Zimbabwean cricketer Craig Ervine as the captain, and Mansoor Rana believes that it is a big advantage for the team. The Durban Qalandars have in their side Pakistani power hitter Asif Ali as well, and the coach expects him to play a significant role in the tournament.
“Craig Ervine is very seasoned cricketer from Zimbabwe and he knows the local conditions and players well, and I am sure his experience and knowledge will be extremely helpful. We wanted him to be our captain,” the coach said during a virtual press conference.
T10, the shortest format of the game is catching up with fans at rapid pace, and the former Pakistan cricketer noted that the Zim Cyber City Zim Afro T10 will be a shot in the arm for the Zimbabwean cricketing family.
“If you look at the countries which have started their own franchise leagues, we have seen a lot of improvement, and new players have come through as well. This will be a great opportunity for Zimbabwean players as they will be sharing the dressing room with international players and they can learn from that. I have seen a lot of enthusiasm about the Zim Cyber City Zim Afro T10 since I have arrived here,” the coach said.
“This tournament, the Zim Cyber City Zim Afro T10, will teach the players new things and the youngsters can derive inspiration from the established players and it will eventually benefit them.”
While the Durban Qalandars, are understandably keen to make big mark in the Zim Cyber City Zim Afro T10’s inaugural edition, the team is also part of a set-up that is focussing on grassroots development in Zimbabwe, with the Player Development Programme, from where Emerging Players will be drafted into the squads.
The Durban Qalandars are part of the Qalandars family, who also own the team Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League, and Rana believes that the programme is ideal to help unearth some of the best young talent in the system.
