ZIMBABWE Cricket (ZC) board chairperson Tavengwa Mukuhlani praised the country's hosting of the Under-19 Men's World Cup, calling it a resounding success.
The tournament saw Zimbabwe host its first-ever World Cup final, with the organisation and co-ordination receiving high praise.
Speaking to the media, Mukuhlani lauded the efforts of Zimbabwe Cricket staff, ICC, government agencies, and other stakeholders.
"It's been historic in the sense that this is the first time that Zimbabwe has hosted a World Cup and today (Friday) Zimbabwe has hosted a World Cup final.
“The organisation of the tournament on our part as ZC and Cricket Namibia has been outstanding.
“The team on the ground, ZC staff, ICC, the government agencies, the coordination has been great, it's been amazing," Mukuhlani said after the final presentation ceremony at Harare Sports Club.
"So we are as ZC but more so as a country. I think this speaks volumes to what we can do. It's very refreshing to see these major tournaments coming."
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Mukuhlani expressed satisfaction with the country's performance, citing the "fun engagement" and "fun experience" in the stadiums.
"This was an Under-19 World Cup but the fan engagement, the fan experience in the stadiums was amazing. And the fact that we have been able to take the World Cup games to Takashinga (Cricket Club), for us that speaks a lot to what we have been doing in terms of development and also to Masvingo at Masvingo Sports Club," he said.
"So overall we are very happy, we are very satisfied and I want to extend my gratitude to the Sports and Recreation Commission, the minister of Sports for all the support they have given us and every other government agencies that helped us."
The success of the tournament has sparked hopes for Zimbabwe's hosting of the 2027 World Cup. The ICC Cricket World Cup is set to be co-hosted by South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe next year.
The ZC boss highlighted areas for improvement, including the stadium experience, marketing, and reach. He also pointed to the growth of cricket in Africa, citing recent successes by Nigeria, Namibia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
"Yes, there are still areas that we can improve as we prepare for the 2027 World Cup which is the big one. I think we can improve in terms of the stadium experience for the fans, the marketing of the tournament, the reach it can get to.
“Today (Friday) we had schools from as far as Mhondoro, we had four schools from Mhondoro that came to watch the game. The experience for those kids is everlasting," added Mukuhlani.
"And on our part as Africa Cricket, with Cricket Namibia being one of the emerging associates in Africa, it's a step in the right direction.
“ I think for many of our members, the 23-member organisation, they can pick learnings from what Namibia has done, from building a cricket facility that can host a tournament of this magnitude and to actually hosting it is something that we are proud of Zimbabwe, as Africa we can look forward to other nations emulating that and it will help to grow the game in Africa."
Mukuhlani attributed the growth of cricket in Africa to tournaments like the Under-19 World Cup.
"Tournaments like these help as a catalyst to the growth of the game in Africa. We are looking forward to the fact that cricket will be also in the All Africa Games in Cairo, Egypt.
“If we put cricket within the multi-sport matrix, it gives many more other African countries an opportunity to participate and grow," he said.
He expressed optimism about cricket's inclusion in the All-Africa Games, saying it would provide opportunities for more African countries to participate and grow.
"We've been talking about Africa as a large, we've seen last year with the Africa Global Qualifiers, the amount of cricket being played across Africa, because I remember maybe the next year, the 2020 World Cup Qualifier, so the Africa one is beginning to be done.
“ Is it you guys also, the spreading of cricket across Africa? I think you can go back to the All-Africa Games, where we came out victorious for both men and women, and we won gold. And if you look at the quality of cricket that was being played in Ghana, Accra, it was amazing," said Mukuhlani.
"If you look at the quality of cricket that was played in the just ended Global Qualifiers, where Zimbabwe qualified for the upcoming T20 World Cup hosted by India and Sri Lanka, it tells you that there is a steady growth trajectory in Africa.
“Come to think of it, Nigeria Under-19s, they went to the World Cup, Namibia is at the World Cup right now, Uganda were in the last edition of the World Cup.
“So there's a lot of cricket that is being played in Africa."
