Zimbabwe Warriors Hope to Leverage Brazil Friendly Lessons in CAF Nations Play
In cricket, Zimbabwe rebounded from its loss Tuesday to Sri Lanka by defeating India by seven wickets in a triangular series in Harare
Zimbabwe's Warriors national soccer team is hoping to capitalize on lessons from its 3-0 defeat at Brazil's hands this week to sharpen its edge for an upcoming CAF African Nations game against Seychelles on Sunday Following their 3-0 thrashing by Brazil on Wednesday, Zimbabwe's Warriors national soccer team were continuing in training camp preparing for an CAF African Nations Championship qualifier with Seychelles on Sunday in Harare. Sports correspondent Michael Kariati reported that the Warriors are hoping to capitalize on the lessons learned in their faceoff with Brazil to bolster their chances of qualifying for the CHAN finals in Sudan. The team of locally based Warriors players - foreign-based players are excluded from African Nations play - will be led by caretaker coach Norman Mapeza and captain Method Mwanjali. With the big game against Brazil now history, sports fans are wondering where soccer is headed in Zimbabwe. Though the Brazilian team dominated and prevented the Warriors from scoring even once, fans have taken some consolation that the Samba Kings did not score until minute 40, relieving those who feared a rout. For more on the challenges facing the sport in Zimbabwe after years of political and economic crisis, VOA Studio 7 reporter Sandra Nyaira turned to Zimbabwe Football Association board member for finance Elliot Kasu and Gabriel Gidi of the Zimbabwe Soccer Supporters Association. Kasu said the game against Brazil helped the national soccer community focus on relaunching itself. In cricket, meanwhile, a strong partnership between Zimbabwe man of the match Brendan Taylor, with 74 runs, and Hamilton Masakadza, with 47, led Zimbabwe to a seven wicket victory over India on Thursday in the fourth match of a triangular series unfolding at Harare Sports Club. Zimbabwe lost to Sri Lanka on Tuesday but picked up the pace and posted 197 runs to India's 194. Zimbabwe Cricket Media Manager Jeffrey Murimbechi told VOA Studio 7 reporter Marvellous Mhlanga-Nyahuye that in addition to the contributions of Taylor and Masakadza, Tatenda Taibu helped turn things around.