The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
TWO young female cricketers are set to make history after being included in the under-13 A Old Mutual Heath Streak Cricket Academy team that is set to tour South Africa later this year.
The Academy, which will be embarking on its inaugural international series, has selected Langa Mpofu (11) and Kayael Sibanda (9) to feature in the boys team that will play against the Rowlin National Cricket Academy, a leading cricket academy based in Boksburg.
The academy’s chief executive officer, Joseph Rego said the two all-rounders have exhibited great talent hence the decision to include them in the tour. He said they believe the two girls have a bright future in the sport hence they have availed this opportunity to allow them to develop their talents.
“It has been our endeavour to support young talented girls train at the academy and also inspire and motivate girls to get involved in playing cricket and that is our main motivation for the selection. Since we do not have a girls’ squad embarking on the tour we felt their talents deserved to be among the boys,” said Rego.
He said Mpofu, a St Thomas School pupil and Sibanda, who is at SOS School, had the potential scale great heights in the sport. The tour is scheduled to run from 10 to 17 December.
The Academy’s inaugural international tour is aimed at introducing cricketers to international competition at a tender age and they are sending three teams Under-13 A, Under-13 B and Under 14 will be involved in a T20 series each team playing best of five.
Coaches for the sides include Mxolisi Dube in charge of the Under-13 A while Thabo Mboyi leads the Under-13 B and Harare-based Shaun Joseph is the head coach of the Under-14 side.
