Stanbic Bank to sponsor Zimbabwe Cricket's domestic 20-over competition

Stanbic Bank has been named as the sponsor of Zimbabwe Cricket's domestic twenty-over cricket competition which began on Friday.

The Stanbic Bank 20 Series Zimbabwe will see five local franchises compete with an invitational Namibian side in a ten day tournament, to be held solely at the Harare Sports Club.

Stanbic Bank has partnered Dominus Sports in the staging and hosting of the event.

The sponsorship agreement, for the 2010 event, underlines the Standard Bank Group's global commitment to supporting cricket in Africa and internationally.

Stanbic Bank Zimbabwe Limited is a member of the South African based Standard Bank Group.

Commenting on the sponsorship, Priscilla Sadomba Head of Marketing And Corporate Affairs Stanbic Bank Zimbabwe said: "We wanted to extend the long-standing association of the Standard Bank Group with cricket in South Africa, on the African continent, and internationally.

"Standard Bank has been a long-term sponsor of cricket in South Africa, including the domestic Standard Bank Pro20 series, as well as International Cricket Council (ICC) events, and we recognize the stature of twenty over cricket and the growing demand for quality tournaments to attract cricket fans.

"The decision to sponsor a domestic twenty-over event in Zimbabwe was driven by our desire to connect with local cricket fans through the shared passion of the game, building on the success already established by Standard Bank in South Africa.

"Twenty over cricket has gained popularity around the world and we identified that the domestic format in Zimbabwe was a logical extension of our existing cricket footprint in South Africa and at global ICC events," said Clement Motale, Director of Group Sponsorships Standard Bank.

The participating teams are the Mash Eagles from Mashonaland, the Tuskers from Matableland, the Midwest Rhinos, the Mountaineers from Manicaland, the Southern Rocks from Masvingo and the Nambian national cricket team.