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Sports Reporter

A NON-PROFIT charity organisation, Grassroots Cricket, have set their sights on recruiting close to 5000 young cricketers across the country.

The pilot project set to be rolled out in Hatcliffe and Domboshawa as soon as the COVID-19 pandemic eases.

The charity seeks to help impart cricket skills to athletes at a tender age and help bridge the usually yawning gap between development and professional cricket.

The people behind the project have engaged Cricket Australia, as well as former Australian captain Greg Chappel and ex-Zimbabwe skipper Heath Streak, to help them out.

Founder of the charity, Tawanda Karasa, said grassroots projects were the way to go if the country was to register significant success in sport.

“The Grassroots programme aims to reach out to 5000 youngsters (both male and female) aged between five and 19 years by the year 2023,” Karasa said.

“Ours is a not-for-profit organisation harnessing the power of cricket to help transform young lives in Zimbabwe by providing life coaches, life skills and essential support.”

He said the project will have a three-stump guide.

“We are targeting to develop community coaches who will impart both sporting and social values to the youngsters.

“We will also introduce life skills training as well as development of out-of-school teenage mothers in terms of sport.”