Story by Lawrence Trusida, Sports Editor
CRICKET will make its debut at the African Games this year, with Zimbabwe expected to send youthful sides to represent the country at the continent’s biggest sporting showcase.
The 13th edition of the African Games will be held from the 8th to the 23rd of March, with over 4000 athletes expected to converge in Accra, Ghana.
Athletes will compete in 23 sports codes which include triathlon, athletics, hockey, football, handball, tennis, rugby, martial arts, and T20 cricket which has been added to the schedule.
A traditional powerhouse of cricket, Zimbabwe will send a youthful side that will be under the guidance of development stalwart Steve Mangongo.
The former national team coach is now the Zimbabwe Cricket Head of Programmes and has been given a mandate to groom young players for the senior national team.
The 2024 African Games will be the first structured tournament where African teams compete in cricket.
The current African Cup has been shunned by big cricket-playing nations like Zimbabwe and South Africa due to a lack of competition.
The African Games, run by the African Union on behalf of its member states, are held every four years, a year before the Olympics to prepare for the World’s biggest games.
The games, were, however, not held last year as facilities in Ghana were not ready.
