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Brandon Moyo, [email protected] 

THE future of cricket in Zimbabwe looks promising, with rising stars from the African Games poised to make their mark in the senior national side. 

These emerging players have rekindled hope following the retirements of senior players in the current Chevrons setup.

Zimbabwe’s cricket development is experiencing a resurgence and attention is now focused on what lies ahead for Zimbabwean cricket. 

Their recent triumph at the African Games suggests a potential golden era. With the 2027 Men’s Cricket World Cup on the horizon, Zimbabwe’s developmental players could play a crucial role.

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has established a High Performance Programme led by Steve Mangongo. This move aims to provide essential support to nurture future stars. Managing Director Givemore Makoni believes that many of these emerging players will participate in the 2027 World Cup, which Zimbabwe will co-host with South Africa and Namibia. 

“Based on how they performed, it shows that the future is bright for Zimbabwe. We are working hand-in-hand in view of the future for the 2027 World Cup. We have a High Performance Programme of 60 players who will be based in Bulawayo and Harare that we will be fine-tuning for the tournament that we will host. The future looks very promising,” said Makoni.

Makoni, underscored the importance of providing emerging players with ample exposure. The goal is to prepare them for their eventual entry into the senior national team. By gaining experience and understanding the demands of playing at the highest level, these players won’t face unfamiliar territory when they make their Chevrons appearances. 

“Results of what the future holds are already showing. It was a deliberate policy move to send an Emerging team in order to give them as much exposure as possible. There are ‘A’ tours lined up, specialist teams – coaching – coming in. They will be given the exposure and will be prepared adequately,” he said.

Sikandar Raza, Tendai Chatara, Sean Williams, and Craig Ervine, some of the team’s most consistent players, have reached retirement age. Uncertainty surrounds how long they will continue with the Chevrons. However, ZC remains unfazed. They are strategically building the future team around these seasoned campaigners, recognising their invaluable experience. 

“We are building our next crop of players around them. That is the beauty of having experience and talent that we possess. The youngsters will learn a lot from the experienced guys,” said Makoni.

Playing the World Cup on home soil, Zimbabwe is hopeful that their starlets will elevate the nation’s cricketing profile to unprecedented heights. These emerging talents have been tipped for greatness and their performances could put Zimbabwe back on the global cricketing map.

Among the promising players are Tadiwanashe Marumani, Jonathan Campbell, Brian Bennett, Rodney Mupfudza, Clive Madande, Kudakwashe Macheka, Nick Welch and Owen Muzondo, among others. Notably, Marumani, Bennett and Madande have already made their senior national team debuts with the Chevrons, while Campbell is expected to follow suit soon.

“I have no doubt all those starlets will be at their prime soon and ready to shine on the global stage,” said ZC Chairperson, Tavengwa Mukuhlani. 

@brandon_malvin