Top ten performers from the UAE will be selected for Zim Afro T10 to be held in Harare from July 20

By K.R. Nayar

As the days draw near for the player draft ahead of the Zim Afro T10, organized by Zimbabwe Cricket in association with T Ten Global Sports, there is happy news for UAE-based cricketers. Speaking to krbuzz.blogspot.com, Mr. Nawab Shaji Ul Mulk, T Ten Global Sports Founder and Chairman, said, "We will be selecting the top T10 performers from the UAE itself. I am waiting for the data from the councils and the ECB. We intend to select three or four players directly from here into the squad. Our aim is to also support UAE cricket."

Nawab Shaji Ul Mulk

Zim Afro T10 has announced pre-draft player picks before the Player Draft scheduled to be held on July 2, 2023. This tournament, expected to be one of the most captivating tournaments of the year, will be held in Harare. The five franchises competing for the title have announced their pre-draft marquee players. The teams are Harare Hurricanes, Joburg Buffaloes, Durban Qalandars, Bulawayo Braves, and Cape Town Samp Army.

 

Mr. Nawab Shaji Ul Mulk, who envisaged the T10 format, feels that bringing T10 to Zimbabwe is a special feeling. According to him, "To bring T10 to Zimbabwe has been high on the agenda for us in the recent past, and being on the home stretch ahead of the inaugural edition of the tournament is a source of great satisfaction for me. This is a red-letter day in the history of the sport, and there will be another landmark on the day of the player draft. We can't wait to get things rolling and welcoming the best of the best players to Harare."

 

Details of the squad composition are as follows: 

·       Each squad must have a minimum of 16 players, with at least 6 Zimbabwean players, including one Zimbabwean player from the emerging player category following a nationwide talent hunt.

 

·       Ahead of the draft, the franchises can have a maximum of 4 top international players as their pre-signed players. 

 

Some of the top internationals pre-signed by each team are as follows:

Harare Hurricanes: 

1. Eoin Morgan, 2. Evin Lewis, 3. Shahnawaz Dahani, 4. Robin Uthappa.

Cape Town Samp Army: 

1. Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 2. Karim Janat, 3. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 4. Maheesh Theekshana.

Durban Qalandars: 

1. Asif Ali, 2. Sisanda Magala, 3. George Linde, 4. Hazratullah Zazai.

Joburg Buffaloes: 

1. Yusuf Pathan, 2. Mushfiqur Rehman, 3. Tom Banton, 4. Noor Ahmed.

Bulawayo Braves: 

1. Sikander Raza, 2. Ashton Turner, 3. Tymal Mills, 4. Ben McDermott.

 

Givemore Makoni

Zimbabwe Cricket's Managing Director, Mr. Givemore Makoni, remarked that the event will be a historical moment for Zimbabwe sports. He said, "We are in the final stages ahead of the Zim Afro T10's inaugural edition. This brings me immense joy because to see this play out in reality has been a dream for all of the Zimbabwean cricket family. It is a watershed moment in the history of the sport in the country. The fans, I am sure, are eagerly waiting for the opening day."

 

The stage is getting ready for the inaugural edition, which will commence on July 20, with a grand finale scheduled for July 29. All games in the tournament will be played in Harare.