Zim Afro T10 League’s opening fixture postponed due to floodlight installation delay in Harare – report
The opening fixture of the Zim Afro T10 League 2023, a T10 competition in Zimbabwe, has been postponed after a floodlight installation issue at the Harare Sports Club.
The Harare Sports Club was set to witness a historic first – a night game in Zimbabwe – with the opening fixture between Harare Hurricanes and the Bulawayo Braves. It is worth noting that there hasn’t been any day/night international game ever in Zimbabwe.
Adam Theofilatos, a cricket journalist in Zimbabwe, posted video clips of floodlights being installed hours ahead of the first game. A post from July 19 shows floodlight parts being shipped and assembled at the venue, before being hauled up on poles by cranes.
Up they go!
— Adam Theo🇿🇼🏏 (@AdamTheofilatos) July 20, 2023
The floodlights on their way up at Harare Sports Club!
— Adam Theo🇿🇼🏏 (@AdamTheofilatos) July 19, 2023
News came in on July 20 that the opening fixture had been postponed, with Theofilatos reporting later that the failure to install lights on time was the issue.
The opening ceremony is set to go ahead as planned on the same evening, with the first fixture now moved to July 21.
According to Zimbabwe Cricket, the first game was postponed due to the opening ceremony, with an article on their website reading: “In order to allow for a grand opening ceremony, the match between Harare Hurricanes and Bulawayo Braves that was originally scheduled for 1900 hours this Thursday has now been postponed to another day.”
Among those at the opening ceremony include president Emmerson Mnangagwa, while the performers consist of Zimbabwean musicians Jah Prayzah and Feli Nandi, along with Bollywood actor Elnaaz Norouzi.
The T10 league is set to feature prominent international players from around the world – both active and retired – including Eoin Morgan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Sikandar Raza, among several others.
Zimbabwe recently hosted the ICC World Cup Qualifier 2023, with matches being held in three venues apart from the Harare Sports Club, which confirmed Sri Lanka and the Netherlands’ entry into the main event, starting October.
