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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
IN their quest to develop the sport and lay a foundation for stronger national teams pool of selection, Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has invested “heavily” in club cricket.

ZC has reportedly invested in both men and women’s cricket, giving them an equal opportunity to train and come up with formidable sides to compete at an international level.

Speaking on the 2020/2021 programme, Bulawayo-based Tuskers administrator Nicholas Singo applauded ZC for channeling funding towards grassroots development, a move he believes is good for the growth of the game.

“The National Premier League is over and now club cricket is on. There are also women’s cricket games that are being played by the four franchises – Tuskers, MidWest Rhinos, Mountaineers and Eagles. They play One-Dayers (50 over games) and Twenty20. These are all funded by ZC and resources are also cascading to clubs at provincial level. This means that all our cricketers are getting fair, competitive games as statistics from these competitions are what is used by selectors for national team selection.

This therefore means that those playing club cricket are aware of their chances and should improve on their stats,” said Singo.

He could not be drawn into disclosing how much is being channeled towards club cricket at provincial level.

At the beginning of November, Harare’s Takashinga won US$10 000 when they finished the inaugural season of the elite club competition equal on points with MidWest, but claimed the title thanks to their superior head-to-head record.

Both sides won six times and each recorded two losses during the competition, leaving the result of their meeting as the decisive factor for the championship.

Bulawayo’s representatives in the National Premier League (NPL) had a disappointing campaign, with Queens Sports Club finishing second from the bottom of the nine-team log, while Amakhosi ended on position seven.

Other teams that took part in the NPL are Gladiators, Great Zimbabwe, Rainbow, Harare Kings and Easterns.