Harare, Jul 14 (IANS): South African cricketing legend Lance Klusener, coach of the Cape Town SAMP Army team in the Zim Afro T10, says the shortest format of the game will change the game eventually as it gives opportunities to players who possibly haven't been selected in big competitions to showcase their talent.

Klusener, who has been associated with the T10 format for several years, spoke about how the shortest format of the game has helped elevate the sport further.

“It's the same as how T20 has helped the game globally. I guess it's forced people to innovate and get going right from the start and T10s are even faster than T20. I'm not sure it's going to change the game instantly but I do think it can eventually. What T10 brings is a whole game in an hour and a half. I just think it's been extremely successful in Abu Dhabi and what it does is that it gives opportunities to players who possibly haven't been selected in big competitions to showcase their talent in a T10 match,” he said.

The inaugural edition of the Zim Afro T10 will kick off on July 20 and will run till June 29, with all the matches being played at the Harare Sports Club in Harare, Zimbabwe. The tournament is organised together by Zimbabwe Cricket and T Ten Global Sports.

Five teams will compete against each other in the first-ever Zim Afro T10, one of them being the Cape Town SAMP Army, who have appointed South African cricketing legend Lance Klusener as Head Coach for the tournament.

Klusener also talked about the challenges he has had to navigate as a coach of a T10 side. “Yeah, it's quite a difficult format to coach if you haven't played it before. I think my job is just to make sure that the players know what's required, what's needed certainly from a planning point of view. Aspects such as what is a decent total on a good surface.”

He further added, “I think in T10 cricket players need to back their ability and their skills and trust themselves right from the get-go. There's no time to set yourself a platform to get in or anything like that, yes, ones and twos are important in between, but you need a group of players who are prepared to put themselves out there and take the risks.

"It is my job as a coach to make sure they've got the confidence and the trust in people batting behind them or bowling behind them that they will have a good day. In T10, you just need one guy to have an outstanding day to change the game for you. So, it's exciting. It's short and sweet. It's fast and for me, it's the future of cricket,” he said.

The 51-year-old coach and legendary all-rounder also talked about what makes the T10 format so unique and how it will help the sport in Zimbabwe.

“I am really looking forward to it. I've been a part of the Abu Dhabi T10 for many years now and it really is a fantastic format, a fantastic competition, so I think bringing T10 cricket into Zimbabwe and into Africa is a great idea and certainly looking forward to the competition,” he said.