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Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS FC players will trade their soccer boots for cricket bats this afternoon, taking on Matabeleland Tuskers Cricket Franchise in a Twenty20 match at Queens Sports Club. Tomorrow morning the two teams will square off in a football challenge game.

Bulawayo Metropolitan Cricket (BMC) are organisers of the cricket match which starts at 1PM.

Vumi Moyo, a member of the Zimbabwe Cricket board and BMC chairman, said the game against the footballers is an initiative meant to create a lasting relationship between Highlanders and Tuskers whom he described as big brands in the city.

“We came up with the initiative so as to create that special relationship with Highlanders because as far as we are concerned we are brothers with big brands. This is about fun and bringing people of Bulawayo together through sport. Admission is free and we hope people of Bulawayo will come in their numbers to support this initiative which we want to make an annual event,” said Moyo.

The Highlanders-Tuskers T20 comes a week after Mashonaland Eagles won the Zimbabwe Cricket T20 tournament which was played in Bulawayo.

Tuskers will field their strong squad that includes skipper John Nyumbu, Thabo Mboyi, Godwill Mamhiyo, Curringham Ncube, Stephen Chimamhiwa and Nkosana Mpofu.

It will be interesting to see how Bosso players who include senior players Felix Chindungwe, Ariel Sibanda, Erick Mudzingwa, Gabriel Nyoni, Bruce Kangwa and last year’s Top Goalscorer Knox Mutizwa will fare in the cricket game.

Highlanders’ chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede said the cricket challenge is meant to relax their players who have been on pre-season since January.

“Our players have been working hard during pre-season and they deserve such a break just to relax. A change of routine is healthy for the boys. Hopefully our fans and players will enjoy the Queens Sports Club ambiance. As big institutions, we feel we have a role in bringing people of Bulawayo together and we are looking forward to the competition,” said Gumede.

“There are a lot of endorsement deals in cricket and we hope to get some notes on how they’re doing it. Maybe we might see some of our boys getting endorsement deals after this partnership. Another thing is that cricket is run smoother than football and we can pick a few things.”