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Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter

THE Zimbabwe senior men’s cricket team coach Dave Houghton believes the incredible support his team is getting from passionate local cricket fans will help make Zimbabwe a difficult destination for any visiting team in the future.

Houghton and many neutrals were bowled over by the lively atmosphere created by the supporters at Harare Sports Club during Zimbabwe’s T20I series against Ireland.

Fans turned up in their numbers, especially for the decisive game which Zimbabwe won by four wickets on Sunday.

The official attendance could not be ascertained but rough estimates have put the figure at around 10 000 people.

The huge turnout is an indicator that cricket is on the way up and challenging football as the most supported sport code in Zimbabwe at the moment.

Houghton was lost for words following Sunday’s scenes at Harare Sports Club.

“In terms of the crowd, I was chatting with Steve Kirby (Zimbabwe bowling coach) today (Sunday), and both of us have been to quite a few big stadiums in our lives, stadiums with more people and maybe a bit noisier, but I don’t think you can recreate the atmosphere that we create here unless you go to a football stadium.

“It’s absolutely fantastic and I think it’s quite daunting for the opposition. So, more songs and louder please,” said Houghton in a jovial tone.

The mood in the terraces from the start was awe-inspiring, to the point of being intimidating, to the visitors.

It seems Zimbabwean sports enthusiasts must have found a new pastime in cricket following the transformation and continued ascendancy of the Chevrons under Houghton.

Of course, football is the most popular sport in Zimbabwe but the game has lost its appeal because of the numerous problems it has faced in the last 14 months.

Local spectators appear to have found an appropriate diversion in cricket.

Unlike the cold scenes in local football games of late, the Harare Sports Club was filled almost to capacity on Sunday. Huge queues still formed outside the arena as the game drew closer to the innings break.

Parking space inside the match venue ran out and cars lined up along the streets adjacent to the ground, as desperate fans jostled to get into the arena. And then, the atmosphere inside the ground was electric as fans sang and cheered almost every ball. The touring Ireland national men’s cricket team captain Andy Balbirnie said the ambience could only be second to that they only get to experience when they play global cricket powerhouses India.

But this trend has been consistent for Zimbabwe since the arrival of Houghton in June last year when Zimbabwe hosted the ICC T20I World Cup Qualifier in Bulawayo and then Bangladesh in Harare.

The surge in numbers has paralleled the successes the Chevrons have scored on the field of play. Interestingly, Sunday’s T20I Series win was only the first time Zimbabwe have won two consecutive series at home, following similar successes against Bangladesh last year.

Zimbabwe also went unbeaten during the eight-team ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier 2022 in Bulawayo, with huge crowds solidly behind them. Houghton predicted Zimbabwe will be a difficult place to visit for many cricket teams if the support and progress they are making on the pitch continues.

“Obviously, I am really happy that we have won our second series here (after beating Bangladesh in their last home series in August 2022). Part of our growth obviously is being able to be strong at home.

“That’s one of the things that I tried to talk to the players that we have to have a situation that when we are at home people don’t want to come and play us and that’s a combination of the cricket we play on our own surfaces, the fantastic crowd we get and the aura that is created here.

“I would want to make us a difficult team to beat at home so that’s a good start to win a second home series,” said Houghton.

Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza, who is currently playing franchise cricket in the United Arab Emirates, was also blown away by the scenes in the terraces and pledged 100 free tickets to lucky fans for the second ODI game this coming Saturday.

The ODI series is set to begin tomorrow.

“I’ve been watching the pictures and videos of our fans all night and I am so proud of all of them. You all made that victory possible for the team. There will be 100 free tickets Inshallah for the Saturday game as a sign of thank you,” he said on microblogging site Twitter.

Ireland skipper Balbirnie said Zimbabwe was one of the most beautiful places to play cricket because of the lively and friendly atmosphere created by the fans.

“I said it to someone in the changing room that apart from when we play India, it’s probably the best atmosphere to play in,” he said after Sunday’s defeat.

“It’s so consistent. It’s really nice. It’s not hostile. It’s friendly, everyone loves to be here and it’s great to play in front of (such a crowd).

“We want to play good cricket and entertain people, whether it’s here, whether it’s at home, wherever it is. So we really enjoyed the crowd and hopefully it continues,” said Balbirnie.

Zimbabwe and Ireland have been involved in close encounters since 2014 and Balbirnie, who has been part of the Irish squad for the past 11 years, is hoping for more vibe in the ODI series that begins tomorrow at the same venue.

“We play Zimbabwe probably the most, with Afghanistan, the two teams that are kind of close to us in the rankings. We love coming here to play cricket. I hope they like to come to Ireland and play cricket and they are pretty evenly contested games.

“We know they have got some really experienced players in their team. The likes of Craig Ervine, Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza. Obviously, Williams is going to miss the ODI series. I hope his finger gets better as quick as possible. We like to play against these really good players. “It’s a passionate nation. We saw the atmosphere in the last few games was absolutely amazing. I couldn’t hear myself a lot of the time and it was just really a nice place to come and play cricket and hopefully we get more of the same in the 50-over games,” said Balbrinie.