Zimbabwe Cricket chairman dispels questions on corruption at Zim Afro T10

 HARARE: The much-awaited Zim Afro T10 is expected to be one of the finest cricket tournaments, as entertainment and high-quality sport come together in Harare, where some of the most exciting names in white-ball cricket have descended. Organized by Zimbabwe Cricket along with T Ten Global Sports, the Zim Afro T10 is the first tournament of its kind in the continent of Africa.

Speaking ahead of the tournament, Zimbabwe Cricket’s Chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani was all praise for the initiative and gave his nod to what is a new journey in the history of Zimbabwe.

“The Zim Cyber City Zim Afro T10 tournament, which is the first in Africa, the glamour and the opportunity around it with the international cricketers that are there, we thought it was a good opportunity for us and Zimbabwe cricket in a quest to rebuild and reposition ourselves in the arena of global cricket. It is a great opportunity for us to have this tournament here and everyone, the technical staff, players and even the fans and media, are all excited about,” said Mukuhlani.

While Zimbabwe and the cricketing fraternity are excited about the Zim Afro T10, there have been questions raised about possible activities about the integrity of the tournament.

Addressing the same with a straight bat, Mukuhlani said, “Integrity is of top priority in any tournament. Whether it is club cricket or bilateral cricket. And it’s no less for this tournament. We have gone through a whole process of due diligence, prior to licensing T10, and that involves working together with the integrity unit at the ICC. T10 is in its sixth year and the integrity checks have been put into place and addressed and we are working with the ICC Integrity Unit and our own security systems in Zimbabwe to ensure that the integrity of the game is not jeopardised. Maintaining the integrity of the game is of top most priority for us and we can assure you we are doing everything to ensure the fans and players enjoy the game properly.”

Adding to that, Shaji Ul Mulk, chairman T Ten Sports, said, “T10 when it first started needed to be sanctioned by the ICC. So, we took a conscious call that the integrity and anti-corruption contract to monitor would be given to the ICC themselves. For the last 6 years, in Abu Dhabi, the entire contract has been with the ICC, and even this year it is with the ICC for the Zim Cyber City Zim Afro T10, the Zimbabwe cricket board, who themselves have a robust system in place are working on it as well. We have a zero-tolerance policy on corruption.”

The T10 format, the most explosive in the game of cricket, and it is the brainchild of Shaji Ul Mulk. The journey took off in grand style in Abu Dhabi, and it is now the turn of Zimbabwe to experience the razzmatazz and high-octane cricket that comes along with the T10 format in the Zim Afro T10. IANS

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