TANZANIAN international Laksh Bakraina is already thinking about another season in Zimbabwe after his first taste of the country’s domestic cricket ended with an NPL T20 Blast winners’ medal.
The 19-year-old left-arm spinner helped Gladiators Cricket Club retain their championship on Saturday, but he believes there is much more he can offer if he gets another opportunity to play in Zimbabwe.
Bakraina was among the cricketers from African Associate nations given an opportunity to compete in the tournament through a cricket development initiative aimed at exposing them to the standards of a Test-playing country.
He finished his debut campaign with six wickets in six bowling appearances, conceding just 5.47 runs per over and averaging 17.33.
Those figures were a reasonable return for a young bowler adjusting to unfamiliar conditions, but Bakraina is not satisfied with simply having been part of a championship-winning side.
“Different conditions, different environment, first-time players, so I think it’s a different environment you’re playing in,” he said.
“I just did my best, but I hope to come back again and perform even better.”
His ambition to return gives an interesting insight into the value of Zimbabwe opening its domestic competitions to cricketers from Associate nations.
For Bakraina, the experience was not about making up the numbers in a stronger league. He wanted to find out how his bowling would stand up against different opponents and what he could learn from sharing a dressing room with established Zimbabwean players.
“I think it’s been a great opportunity for us, and not just me alone, but other players from other associated nations, to see what playing in this nation is at the high level of competition,” he said.
Bakraina arrived with international experience of his own, having represented Tanzania in T20 cricket.
His ICC record lists 28 wickets in 20 T20 internationals, while his performances earlier this year included three-wicket hauls against Bahrain and Hong Kong.
Yet the Zimbabwean competition offered a different setting.
Instead of joining his national teammates for a short international tournament, he became part of a club preparing for a full domestic campaign, with its own expectations and established way of doing things.
Gladiators were defending champions, and the players made their intentions clear from the beginning.
“Our only goal was to win it back-to-back,” Bakraina said.
That ambition eventually took them through three knockout matches in as many days.
Gladiators defeated Old Hararians by four wickets in the Eliminator before beating Rimuka by 107 runs in the second qualifier.
They completed their title defence with a seven-wicket victory over SOGO Rangers in Saturday’s final at Harare Sports Club.
Rangers posted 154/8 after electing to bat, with Arineshto Vhezha and Phase Mukabeta taking three wickets each.
Ashley Mufandauya then struck 85 from 54 balls as Gladiators reached 158/3 in 18.2 overs.
Bakraina had joined the club hoping to improve his cricket. By the end of the tournament, he had experienced what it takes to win a domestic championship in Zimbabwe.
The teenager said adapting to the conditions and the playing environment had been an important part of his first season.
He also had the chance to work alongside Zimbabwe international Milton Shumba, who captained Gladiators, all-rounder Tony Munyonga and other experienced players in the squad.
For a young spinner, that exposure can be useful when returning to international cricket for Tanzania.
Bowling against unfamiliar batters requires adjustments, while training alongside players accustomed to Zimbabwe’s domestic competition provides another opportunity to compare approaches.
Bakraina’s experience also suggests that the benefits of such arrangements need not end when a tournament finishes.
A player who spends one season adjusting to a different competition may be better prepared to contribute in a second.
That is what makes Bakraina’s desire to return particularly interesting. Having experienced the conditions and the level of cricket, he wants another chance to show what he can do.
His first season also brought friendships he had not expected to form so quickly.
“They’ve been really welcoming, they’ve been really nice to me, they’ve been like family. I feel like I’ve known them for a long time,” he said.
The reception he received from Gladiators helped him settle into a team that was already familiar with winning.
“Thanks to Gladiators and Zimbabwe, they’ve been really good to me,” he added.
