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Midlands Bureau
Midlands Provincial Affairs Minister Owen Ncube on Monday toured cricket facilities in Kwekwe to assess the province’s preparedness for the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup Qualifying matches to be held from March 4 to 25.

The qualifiers, pitting 10 men cricket teams, will be played in Harare, Bulawayo and Kwekwe. Speaking after the tour of the facilities at Kwekwe Sports Club last week, Minister Ncube expressed satisfaction with the level of preparedness by the province.

“I am delighted that the Zimbabwe Cricket Association identified Midlands Province, in particular Kwekwe, to host the event,” he said.

“I am happy with what I have seen and as a province we are ready for this important international tournament. I hope the tournament will go a long way in boosting sport in the province.”

Minister Ncube said the province was going to benefit in many ways.

“Definitely, the tournament will benefit our hospitality industry as we will be hosting four teams in the province,” he said. “I understand our hotels are also ready to host the cricket teams and their staff.

“We are already recording increased bookings in the hospitality industry as the province prepares for the important tournament.”

Minister Ncube said the tournament would benefit young people intending to shape their carrier in cricket. He said children below the age of 13 drawn from cricket playing schools would undergo coaching sessions with high profile players drawn from the participating countries.

“The Cricket for Good Project, a corporate Social Responsibility platform of the ICC World Cup Qualifiers will conduct training sessions with participating schools that have already been identified by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education,” said Minister Ncube.

Midlands Cricket Administrator Mr Admire Marodza said all was in place for the hosting of the prestigious event.

“We are more than ready to host the qualifiers, we are grateful to support from the Cricket association for their support,” he said. “They gave us a tractor and other material that we used to spruce up our venue.

“I am also glad to state that the equipment is not going back after the tourney, it is now ours and I trust that it will benefit the community.”

Meanwhile, Kwekwe Town Clerk Mr Emmanuel Musara said the city would ensure uninterrupted water supplies to the facility for the duration of the tournament.