Donation for ZC development programme

Shyam Bhatia Cricket for Care, a Dubai-based charity, has donated kit, including balls, bats, helmets, wicketkeeping gloves and other protective gear, to the development programme run by Zimbabwe Cricket.

The donation was handed over to representatives of the five domestic franchises at a ceremony in Harare last week. The franchises will have the duty of distributing the kit within their provinces to children who could not otherwise afford it.

"This donation means a lot to our development programme but even more to the young cricketers at the grassroots who will receive the kit soon," said ZC board chairman Peter Chingoka.

"As ZC we have always believed in the need to make cricket a sport that embraces all Zimbabweans, no matter where they live or go to school. Thanks to Mr Bhatia's generous contribution, we are able to continue to do just that."

The charity was founded by industrialist and cricket patron Shyam Bhatia, and has also made donations, in cash or kind, to the cricket boards of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Africa, and West Indies. "Cricket has made me what I am today," said Bhatia. "The prospect of giving under-privileged children around the world the opportunity to also benefit from cricket brings me immeasurable joy."

The almost complete collapse of the Zimbabwean school system in 2008 had a disastrous effect on the schools cricket development programme, and the cost of kit and equipment continues to hinder underprivileged children from participating in the sport.

"Donations such as that from Shyam Bhatia Cricket for Care go a long way in ensuring that the children in our programme have the right equipment so that their natural talent is enhanced by our early coaching," said Trevor Mutangadura, ZC general manager for cricket affairs who is also in charge of development.