| Dates | 21 – 29 July 2023 |
|---|---|
| Administrator(s) | Zimbabwe Cricket |
| Cricket format | T10 |
| Tournament format(s) | Round-robin tournament and playoffs |
| Champions | Durban Qalandars (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Joburg Buffaloes |
| Participants | 5 |
| Matches | 24 |
| Player of the series | Tim Seifert (Durban Qalandars) |
| Most runs | Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Cape Town Samp Army) (282) |
| Most wickets | Brad Evans (Durban Qalandars) (14) |
The 2023 Zim Afro T10 was the inaugural season of the Zim Afro T10. [1] The tournament was played from 21 to 29 July at the Harare Sports Club. [2] [3] In the final, Durban Qalandars defeated Joburg Buffaloes by eight wickets to win the inaugural title. [4] [5] [6]
The league was founded by Shaji Ul Mulk, the chairman of the Abu Dhabi T10 league. The Zimbabwe edition was announced at the final of the 2022 Abu Dhabi T10 with the inaugural edition expected to take place in 2023. [7]
After the tournament Zimbabwe Cricket and Pakistan Super League Lahore Qalandars signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to increase the exchange of tallent between the two countries. The agreement includes eight young Zimbabwean cricketers going to Pakistan for a four-month player development program at the franchise's high-performance center in Lahore, starting on 1 September. The Qalandars will reciprocate by sending five Pakistani fast bowlers – with bowling speeds of 140-plus kilometers per hour – to play domestic cricket in Zimbabwe. [8] [9]
Five teams competed in the first edition of the league: [10] [11]
Players were chosen in a draft which took place on 3 July 2023. [12] Each team had to select a minimum of 16 players for their squad, including a minimum of six Zimbabweans, including one classified as an "emerging player". [13] As part of the pre-draft, each team selected four players for their squads as marquee players. [14]
A total of 700 players from 23 cricket playing countries participated in the draft. Zimbabwean batsman Sean Williams was the first pick. [15] [16]
| Bulawayo Braves | Cape Town Samp Army | Durban Qalandars | Harare Hurricanes | Joburg Buffaloes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Durban Qalandars (C) | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0.131 | Advanced to Qualifier 1 |
| 2 | Joburg Buffaloes | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0.748 | |
| 3 | Cape Town Samp Army | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0.610 | Advanced to Eliminator |
| 4 | Harare Hurricanes | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 | −1.148 | |
| 5 | Bulawayo Braves | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 6 | −0.351 |
The full fixtures were confirmed on 10 July 2023. [17]
Bulawayo Braves 128/9 (10 overs) | v | Harare Hurricanes 79/9 (10 overs) |
Durban Qalandars 126/3 (10 overs) | v | Cape Town Samp Army 118/5 (10 overs) |
Joburg Buffaloes 105/7 (10 overs) | v | Bulawayo Braves 95/9 (10 overs) |
Cape Town Samp Army 112/7 (10 overs) | v | Harare Hurricanes 97/6 (10 overs) |
Joburg Buffaloes 94/4 (10 overs) | v | Durban Qalandars 97/3 (9.1 overs) |
Bulawayo Braves 86/6 (10 overs) | v | Cape Town Samp Army 87/2 (6.5 overs) |
Durban Qalandars 126/3 (10 overs) | v | Harare Hurricanes 127/5 (9.4 overs) |
Joburg Buffaloes 96/5 (10 overs) | v | Cape Town Samp Army 97/3 (7.4 overs) |
Durban Qalandars 122/6 (10 overs) | v | Bulawayo Braves 97/7 (10 overs) |
Harare Hurricanes 106/6 (10 overs) | v | Joburg Buffaloes 104/7 (10 overs) |
Durban Qalandars 91/5 (10 overs) | v | Cape Town Samp Army 95/6 (9 overs) |
Harare Hurricanes 134/4 (10 overs) | v | Bulawayo Braves 137/3 (9.1 overs) |
Durban Qalandars 121/3 (10 overs) | v | Joburg Buffaloes 119/5 (10 overs) |
Harare Hurricanes 115/6 (10 overs | v | Cape Town Samp Army 115/5 (10 overs) |
Joburg Buffaloes 97/4 (10 overs | v | Bulawayo Braves 83/8 (10 overs) |
Bulawayo Braves 125/3 (10 overs) | v | Cape Town Samp Army 122/4 (10 overs) |
Harare Hurricanes 134/2 (10 overs) | v | Durban Qalandars 110/2 (10 overs) |
Cape Town Samp Army 89/6 (10 overs) | v | Joburg Buffaloes 90/1 (6.5 overs) |
Durban Qalandars 103/8 (10 Overs) | v | Bulawayo Braves 96/7 (10 Overs) |
Harare Hurricanes 81/7 (10 Overs) | v | Joburg Buffaloes 82/1 (6.2 Overs) |
The play-offs ran for two days and the top four teams from the league stage advanced. [19]
| Qualifier 1 / Eliminator | Qualifier 2 | Final | |||||||||||
| 28 July 2023 - Harare Sports Club, Harare, 15:00 | 29 July 2023 - Harare Sports Club, Harare, 17:00 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Durban Qalandars | 140/4 (10 overs) | Q1W | Joburg Buffaloes | 127/4 (10 overs) | ||||||||
| 2 | Joburg Buffaloes | 142/4 (9.5 overs) | 28 July 2023 - Harare Sports Club, Harare, 19:00 | Q2W | Durban Qalandars | 129/2 (9.2 overs) | |||||||
| Q1L | Durban Qalandars | 84/6 (8.4 overs) | |||||||||||
| 28 July 2023 - Harare Sports Club, Harare, 17:00 | EW | Harare Hurricanes | 82/8 (10 overs) | ||||||||||
| 3 | Cape Town Samp Army | 145/3 (10 overs) | |||||||||||
| 4 | Harare Hurricanes | 146/1 (9.2 overs) | |||||||||||
Durban Qalandars 140/4 (10 overs) | v | Joburg Buffaloes 142/4 (9.5 overs) |
Cape Town Samp Army 145/3 (10 overs) | v | Harare Hurricanes 146/1 (9.2 overs) |
Harare Hurricanes 82/8 (10 overs) | v | Durban Qalandars 84/6 (8.4 overs) |
Joburg Buffaloes 127/4 (10 overs) | v | Durban Qalandars 129/2 (9.2 overs) |
| Player | Team | Runs | Highest score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Cape Town Swamp Army | 282 | 62* |
| Tim Seifert | Durban Qalandars | 271 | 71* |
| Hazratullah Zazai | 270 | 49 | |
| Robin Uthappa | Harare Hurricanes | 259 | 88* |
| Donovan Ferreira | 233 | 87* |
| Player | Team | Wickets | Best bowling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brad Evans | Durban Qalandars | 14 | 4/16 |
| Mohammad Hafeez | Joburg Buffaloes | 12 | 6/4 |
| Tendai Chatara | Durban Qalandars | 3/9 | |
| Taskin Ahmed | Bulwayo Braves | 11 | 3/11 |
| Noor Ahmad | Joburg Buffaloes | 10 | 2/7 |