Zimbabwe cricket boss Mukuhlani elected Africa Cricket Association chair

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) head Tavengwa Mukuhlani has been appointed chairman of the Africa Cricket Association (ACA) after serving in the same role in an interim capacity since November last year. Mukuhlani was unanimously appointed by the 23 ACA member associations at their annual general meeting in Singapore on Friday.

"We stand today at the threshold of a new era for African cricket - an era defined by stronger governance, broader opportunity and renewed ambition," Mukuhlani said in a statement issued by ZC. "Let us continue building on the progress we have made, united by a common purpose and driven by a shared love for the game."

The ACA, which includes two Full Members in South Africa and Zimbabwe, has recently been through an administrative overhaul, which has included the adoption of a new memorandum of incorporation to ensure better governance.

Among the body's next tasks is the establishment of an Africa T20 competition, which has been in the works for several years, the resumption of the Afro-Asia Cup, which was mooted last year, and the inclusion of cricket at the Africa Games in Egypt in 2027 after it debuted at the same competition in 2023.

Cricket made its first appearance at the continental competition in Ghana, where Zimbabwe won both the men's and women's events (the men's with an emerging side) as South Africa sent experimental sides instead of their full-strength teams.

Mukuhlani is interested in extending cricket's reach at the Africa Games, in part, with the hope of securing more funding for the ACA. "These engagements are crucial not only for visibility but also for opening new doors of investment, policy support and continental collaboration," he said.

Mukuhlani has been ZC's chair since 2015 and has been re-elected three times. He also sits on the ICC's finance and commercial affairs committee.

In his tenure, ZC has worked its way out of debt, navigated an ICC suspension for government interference, and got the women's team on the future tours programme.

The men's team, however, is not part of the World Test Championship and failed to qualify for the last two ODI World Cups and last T20 World Cup, but will play in the 2027 50-over World Cup, which Zimbabwe will co-host with South Africa and Namibia. Zimbabwe will also co-host the 2026 men's Under-19 World Cup with Namibia.