A new playing kit has given Matabeleland North’s Under-19 cricket team a timely boost, but officials say the bigger prize is opening a pathway for rural youngsters who have traditionally had limited access to the sport.
The provincial side received the kit at Bulawayo Athletic Club on Tuesday ahead of the national schools tournament, which gets underway in Gweru tomorrow.
Veteran cricket administrator and Zimbabwe Cricket National Schools general manager Nicholas “Nick” Singo said the initiative could help bring players from marginalised communities into the mainstream of Zimbabwean cricket.
“This is also a career pathway for marginalised communities because Matabeleland North is basically a rural set-up,” Singo said.
“Most of those people don’t play cricket and some of them don’t even know much about cricket.”
He said the players had not been selected simply because of the province’s participation in the tournament, but had worked their way through local competitions despite limited facilities.
“It’s a good start for Matabeleland North,” Singo said.
“We are hoping that these boys, when they go back to Matabeleland North, will also excite their friends to be part and parcel of the cricket community.”
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The absence of established cricket infrastructure, he said, should not prevent talented youngsters from taking up the sport.
“Having those facilities does not hamper you from playing cricket. You can still play cricket on a dusty field,” he said.
“They were able to host their own cricket tournaments in the provinces using the basic facilities. It’s not like we just hand-picked them from nowhere.
“They have been playing some form of cricket in their own set-up.”
Singo said there were also signs that the infrastructure gap in the province could begin to narrow.
A cricket facility in Hwange is set to be rehabilitated, while Cricket Ekhaya-Kasi is putting the finishing touches to a new ground in Victoria Falls.
“We had a cricket facility in Hwange and unfortunately that cricket facility had gone down, but I’m happy to say that the Colliery is in the process of resuscitating that ground,” Singo said.
The push to take cricket beyond established centres is being supported by Cricket Ekhaya-Kasi, which focuses on introducing and developing the game in rural communities.
The organisation’s director of affairs and operations, Dumisani Mankunzini, said its ambitions went beyond producing cricketers.
“We are about developing not only cricket players but administrators, officials, and also making sure that we get the players, the children, out of bad habits like taking drugs,” Mankunzini said.
He said the organisation wanted geography and background to cease being barriers to participation.
“It is our wish and hope that every child in Zimbabwe gets a fair opportunity to hold a cricket ball and a cricket bat,”Mankunzini said.
“We want cricket to be the number one sport in the country.
“That is what we are pushing for.”
For the youngsters selected to represent Matabeleland North, the national tournament offers an opportunity to test themselves against players from other provinces and put their talent on a bigger stage.
Inyathi High School Form Four pupil Leonel Nkosi (17) said representing the province was a source of pride.
“I’m grateful for this opportunity. I’m proud to represent Matabeleland North and showcase my talent,” Nkosi said.
Regina Mundi pupil Ayanda Tshuma (15) said the new kit had given the team additional motivation.
“I’m happy to be part of the team,” Tshuma said.
“This kit has motivated me to work harder and represent my province well.”
