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Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
BASEBALL coach Shepherd Sibanda is excited to be leading the introduction of the new version of the game, Baseball5, in Bulawayo and is hoping it will attract player and fan interest soon.

Sibanda, who is an instructor at WBSC, will lead the promotion of Baseball5 in Bulawayo with John Madziro leading the Harare leg.

Baseball5 is a fast-paced youth-focused urban discipline and small sided version of baseball or softball.

The game has been included in the sports programme of the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar in 2022.

According to Sibanda, Baseball5 is likely to get a huge following because it is a fast paced game that can be played by anyone.

“Everyone one is excited because this is a game that can be played by anyone. It can be played by girls, boys or mixed. It’s a very fast and fun game played by anyone. You can use it as a recreational game or even competitive game,” said Sibanda.

“As long as you have space you can play this one anywhere whether indoors or outdoor. It’s a fast and exciting game that can be played by five people, while the rest of the team is made up of eight people with the other three bieng substitutes,” he said.

He added that baseball5 is an alternative to baseball and softball.

Baseball is a game that takes too much time and too much space and is one of the reasons it hasn’t been in the Olympics.

“It’s expensive to build a baseball stadium because it needs lots of money and space, and that’s why most countries do not invest in stadiums. So it was decided to come up with a shorter version of the game that is faster and doesn’t require much space and that’s what baseball5 does.

“The full dimensions only needs 18 metres by 18 metres and the bases are 13 metres by 13 metres. The same as baseball, there is home base, second, third and fourth base. There is no pitcher since it’s a smaller field.”

@innocentskizoe