FROM Prince Edward School’s Chapel Field straight to London. Zimbabwe Under-19 seamer Kirby Madaramete leaves for the United Kingdom this week on an international cricket exchange, fresh from the Energy Park All Stars Cricket Tournament.
Madaramete, a product of All Stars Cricket Academy, will represent Hellenic Academy at Dean Close School in England. The exchange rewards a consistent rise through the academy’s ranks and a standout showing in the recently concluded senior age-group tournament.
For the 17-year-old quick, it is a chance to test himself in new conditions, with new coaches, teammates and cultures. For All Stars, it is validation of a development model that prioritises exposure over trophies.
All Stars fielded multiple teams in the same age group at the Energy Park tournament, a deliberate strategy to give as many players as possible meaningful game time.
“We had three teams in the Under-19 category alone. The idea is simple: development must be inclusive," All Stars Cricket Academy coordinator Phillip Kadziche told Standardsport.
"If you only play your best eleven, you kill the pipeline. This way, 45 boys got to bat, bowl and field under pressure."
Kadziche said the tournament achieved its core objective despite being played in a highly competitive atmosphere.
“The quality of cricket was high. You could see players applying what they learn at their academies. From our side, the biggest win was seeing fringe players step up. That is how you build depth for provincial and national age-group sides,” he said.
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Organisers, however, were left concerned by reports of teams fielding over-age players in a bid to win at all costs.
“It is disappointing and it defeats the whole purpose. These games are meant to be fair, friendly and developmental," Kadziche added.
"When you bring in older boys just to lift a trophy, you deny the right age-group kids a chance to learn and you corrupt the framework.”
He confirmed that measures are being discussed to protect the integrity of future editions.
“We are looking at stricter player registration and verification before the next tournament. Birth certificates, school records, we have to tighten it. Otherwise we are not developing anyone, we are just staging meaningless wins,” he said.
Kadziche added that the exchange programme benefits would filter back into the local system once Madaramete returns.
“Kirby goes to Dean Close and learns different approaches to training, game plans, even discipline off the field. When he comes back, he lifts the standard here. The younger boys see what is possible and they work harder,” he said.
Madaramete joins a growing list of Zimbabwean schoolboy cricketers securing international exposure through academy linkages. His selection comes after consistent performances with ball and bat for All Stars through the 2025/26 season.
The Energy Park All Stars Cricket Tournament has become a key fixture for Harare’s junior structures, with its multi-team format now seen as a blueprint for talent identification. National selectors were among those who tracked the matches at Prince Edward.
For Kadziche and the organisers, they are preaching the gospel of development first, silverware second.
“We would rather lose fairly with the right age group than win with shortcuts. The Kirby story only happens when the system is clean and the kids are challenged properly,” Kadziche said.
