Cement manufacturing company PPC has entered into a partnership with the Zimbabwe Cricket national governing body.
The deal, the length of which was not disclosed, will see PPC sponsor the national team’s kit. PPC will also construct cricket nets across Zimbabwe to support the development of the sport in the country.
The agreement has been signed ahead of the start of Zimbabwe’s qualifying campaign for the 2019 World Cup. Zimbabwe plays its first game against Nepal in Bulawayo on March 4.
Zimbabwe Cricket board chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani said, according to the NewsDay website: “I believe that our association with the PPC makes for a dynamic partnership and will help us to raise our profile as a stable and structured sporting organisation with a bright future. We are gathered here today to witness the birth of a partnership that will look at the building blocks of cricket in our country.
“It is clear on field performance at an international level will always be seen as the yard stick for success on the global stage. Therefore, as the organisation responsible for producing a successful national team, we have to create a structure where this is our ultimate goal. We can’t afford to let down the kids who might have otherwise made it to the top level of cricket.
“If we can help unearth a new breed of talented players, if we can help blood them into the national framework, then we will be doing our best to make sure Zimbabwe a more consistently competitive cricket nation.”