Harare, June 16 (IANS) The inaugural edition of Zim Afro T10 will begin on July 20 with a grand final scheduled for July 29, the Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) in association with T Ten Global Sports announced on Friday.
All the matches in the inaugural edition of the franchise-based T10 tournament will be played in Harare. The league will feature six privately owned teams.
The dates for the player auction and the fixtures will be announced in the near future.
After six successful seasons of T10 cricket in Abu Dhabi, T Ten Global Sports decided to take the format to other countries around the globe.
According to the organisers, the tournament, the first of its kind in Zimbabwe, hopes to capture the imagination of fans in the country and around the world by bringing some of the best cricketers from across the world to the picturesque city of Harare
“The introduction of franchise-based cricket in the form of the Zim Afro T10 is a watershed moment in the history of the game in Zimbabwe and I am very proud to be associated with it, as it promises to entertain and captivate the fans in the country and elsewhere across the globe,” said ZC Managing Director Givemore Makoni.
“In Zimbabwe, we have always loved our cricket dearly and I am sure T Ten Global Sports’ initiative with the T10 format will be received with plenty of fun and frolic from 20 July,” he added.
T10 Sports Management Chief Operating Officer Mr Rajeev Khanna said: “The 20th of July will be a landmark day for T10 Sports and Zim Afro T10 as well, as we begin our journey in Zimbabwe. It is a country that has a special place in cricketing history and there is no doubt in my mind that the cricket family in this country will enjoy the tournament.”
T Ten Global Sports Founder and Chairman Mr Nawab Shaji Ul Mulk said: “Spreading our wings and associating with a country like Zimbabwe is an important chapter in our story, and we can’t wait to begin the 10-day festival of cricket in Harare. We are delighted to be working with Zimbabwe Cricket and this is a partnership we hope will bat for more than 10 overs.”
–IANS
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