MOREBLESSING MARANGE
Bulawayo Mayor David Coltart is fuming over the Zimbabwe Cricket decision to have all games played in Harare when Zimbabwe hosts India for a five-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series in July.
The series is scheduled to take place from 6 to 14 July 2024 in Harare according to Zimbabwe Cricket in a move that has infuriated Coltart and other stakeholders who feel the second capital city was side-lined.
Coltart said as a city, they feel hard done adding that the decision disenfranchises the brand of the country from an international point of view.
“It seems astonishing to me that we’ve got 5 T20 matches between India which as you know is one of the top cricketing nations in the world and Zimbabwe but all five are being played in Harare,” he fumed.
“Why is it that none of them are being played in Bulawayo? We can’t expect all five but it would make sense to have three in Harare and two in Bulawayo or even one at Queens would be wonderful. So that is the point I’m making if we want to establish ourselves as an international cricketing brand country that deserves this status so we have to spread the game.”
Several sport enthusiasts also shared Coltart’s frustration with Chantelle Williams saying: “Are we surprised that there is nothing in Bulawayo again. I guess it’s the norm.”
Another cricket fan took to microblogging site, X, formerly Twitter, to express concern over the Bulawayo snub.
“At some point we will need to ask each other, what is the purpose of Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo? What is hard with rotating matches to Bulawayo as well? We have an entire Queens Sports Club for cricket. Why are all matches played in Harare? If the pitch is now for concerts.
