England's WC winning skipper Morgan feels Zim Afro T10 will be beneficial in long run due to focus on grassroots cricket
Jul 24, 2023
Harare [Zimbabwe], July 25 : England's World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan expressed that he likes the T10 format of cricket and the fact that the Zim Afro T10 puts emphasis on grassroots cricket and infrastructure, making this competition beneficial in long term.
The Harare Hurricanes secured their first win in the Zim Cyber City Zim Afro T10 against the Durban Qalandars in a high-scoring match on Sunday in Harare at Harare Sports Club. Captain of the Harare Hurricanes, Eoin Morgan was understandably delighted and explained that sometimes getting off the mark is the hardest thing.
The former English cricketer went on to talk about how the tournament is going to benefit Zimbabwe cricket and the sport as a whole on the global level.
Morgan said as quoted by a press release from Zim Afro T10, "First and foremost, I love this format of cricket. To start with the tournament is an initiative that puts grassroots cricket at the forefront. So, I like it, because the more focus there is on infrastructure and impetus along with investment, the more rewarding it would be."
"It will benefit you in the long term and you talk about the grassroots here, giving people the structural facilities and ultimately allowing cricket to be their profession and hopefully, this can set an example and provide a clear pathway for investment," Morgan further added.
Morgan talked about the challenges a newly assembled franchise has to overcome quickly and how they need to adapt to extract the best performance out of each player.
The former England captain said, "It is often the hardest thing to do to start winning. You get together with a new group of players and a new team in its first year of the tournament so trying to get a win under your belt is extremely important. We have continued to improve since the first game. So, the signs are good. We asked the players to be adaptable every day so that we turn up to play in the tournament with a fluid mindset. The guys have done that and it has resulted in us getting some points on the board at a really important time."
Morgan, who won the ICC Cricket World Cup with England in 2019 as a Captain spoke about the experience of playing in the Zim Cyber City Zim Afro T10. This is Morgan’s first visit to the country as well.
"The experience has been amazing so far. It is my first time in Zimbabwe and it has been a great experience for me and I think on and off the field the people have been lovely. Very welcoming very excited and delighted that a competition has come that has got a lot of international players, particularly current players," he said.
This ground (Harare Sports Club) is just wonderful. It reminds me a lot of the Caribbean and has a real Caribbean-style feel with the grass bank on one side and then the stands, the old pavilion, and the atmosphere that's created with a lot of people on the far side of the ground. Over the three days with singing and just general festival type, the atmosphere is good, so are the games, so yeah, I hope it continues and then gets better."
The Captain of the Harare Hurricanes signed off by talking about the support his team has received being the home side in the tournament. He said, "Right from the opening ceremony, it has been distinct that we have had more support than everybody else, which is amazing because I know the difference home advantage can make, and whether that is, the conditions that you play in or support at the ground, it all adds up because, in big moments of the game, that feeling off of the whole nature of being supported is quite a big one that can create belief, particularly with younger players and be the difference between winning and losing."
Zim Afro T10 started on July 20 and will end on July 29.