THE high cost of cricket equipment is shutting thousands of children out of the sport, prompting Cricket Ekhaya, Ekasi in Bulawayo to roll out a low-cost softball cricket programme starting next January.
The programme will target children from as young as three years old to Grade Five, while beginners at high schools without cricket programmes will also be introduced to softball cricket.
Cricket Ekhaya, Ekasi director of cricket affairs and operations Dumisani Mankunzini said the initiative enables children to play cricket without having to invest in expensive protective equipment and formal playing facilities.
“The thing is, cricket is very expensive,” he said.
“It being expensive, we have a lot of places, a lot of areas, where they don’t play cricket even if they are interested and the kids don’t play cricket because cricket is a very expensive game.”
Cricket Ekhaya, Ekasi is a grassroots development initiative based in Bulawayo focused on taking cricket to township and rural communities where the sport has traditionally been underdeveloped.
Mankunzini said the programme would initially use softball cricket before identifying talented players who could then graduate to hardball cricket.
“So with softball cricket, you don’t need any protective equipment.”
“All you need is a bat and a ball and then you play cricket. You need stumps and then you play cricket,” Mankunzini said.
The programme will target children from three years old to Grade Five, while beginners at high schools without cricket programmes will also be introduced to the sport through softball cricket.
Mankunzini said the approach would help reduce the cost of equipment while widening participation.
He said softball cricket also removed the need for formal cricket grounds, allowing matches and training sessions to be conducted wherever there was enough space.
“You can play cricket anywhere, as long as there is space, you can play cricket anywhere,” he said.
Mankunzini said Cricket Ekhaya, Ekasi would push for tournaments, festivals and leagues based on the low-cost format, working with Zimbabwe Cricket.
“I want to advocate for low-cost cricket as we head to the World Cup. Everywhere in Zimbabwe, cricket must be played no matter what,” he said.
Zimbabwe is set to co-host the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup with South Africa and Namibia.
Mankunzini said the ultimate objective was to ensure that the cost of equipment did not prevent children from discovering their potential in cricket.
“So, this is an initiative that we will, that I will push through Cricket Ekasi and Zimbabwe Cricket to make sure that we play low-cost cricket,” he said.
Softball cricket uses a softer ball and requires minimal protective equipment, making it significantly more accessible.
Zimbabwe’s co-hosting of the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup alongside South Africa and Namibia presents a major opportunity to grow the sport locally.
soure: Southern Eye