Another interesting aspect that has been discussed is the merger of T10 and women’s cricket. Mr. Shaji Ul Mulk, Chairman of T Ten Sports, was adamant in emphasizing equality, saying, “We have taken the first initiative in the Lanka Premier League. It will be like a test for us. We expect the best women cricketers, national and international, to participate in the tournament. We hope to emulate that in the rest of the leagues.”
This is the first time that the shorter format of T10 cricket has been played in Zimbabwe and the country’s cricket board is excited for its players to have the chance to rub shoulders with the best in the business. Zimbabwe Cricket Chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani said: “The Zim Cyber City Zim Afro T10 tournament, which is the first in Africa, the glamor and opportunity that surrounds it with the international cricketers that are there, we think it was a good opportunity for us and Zimbabwe. cricket in a quest to rebuild and reposition ourselves in the global cricket arena.”
While the league is set to kick off soon, there have been repeated questions about the league’s integrity along with corruption charges as well. Addressing himself, Tavengwa Mukuhlani said: “Integrity is of the highest priority in any tournament. Either club cricket or side cricket. And it is not less for this tournament. We’ve gone through a whole due diligence process, prior to licensing T10, and that involves working in conjunction with the ICC’s integrity unit. Maintaining the integrity of the game is the top priority.”
T10 as a format has been inspired by soccer due to the 90 minute games with six successful seasons already behind it.
