Staff Reporter
The International Cricket Council (ICC) boss, Manu Sawhney, Tuesday held hosting possibilities discussions with the Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) top officials in Harare.
The discussions were around hosting of events from 2023 to 2031.
He was accompanied by ICC general manager Campbell Jamieson.
They met with ZC chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani, ZC acting managing director, Givemore Makoni, director of cricket, Hamilton Masakadza and head of Finance and administration, Feroza Shariff.
The ICC team also met Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Minister Kirsty Coventry.
“The main purpose of their visit was to discuss with us the next ICC cycle, which is 2023-2031, and the various possibilities that are there for us to host ICC events,” Mukuhlani said.
Mukuhlani said he will be looking to bid for more ICC events after successfully hosting the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018 and the ICC Women’s Qualifier Africa 2019.
“Those qualifiers were, in the ICC’s view, the turning point for what is possible in Zimbabwe,” Mukuhlani said.
“They were able to see that there is a cricket culture and that there are cricket fans here.
“They were impressed with what they saw in 2018 and the way we hosted and that will always be a reference point when we make proposals to bid for the next ICC events.”
The ZC and ICC also took the opportunity to discuss the strategic business, financial and cricket plan.
The two have been working together on such issues since 2018.
“We also discussed ZC and where we are in so far as our programme with the ICC is concerned, how far we have progressed and how things are shaping up here in Zimbabwe,” Mukuhlani said.
He added: “It was a positive engagement and we are looking forward to a better future for ZC and our cricket.”
