A delayed plunge into the game has not curbed Raza’s enthusiasm to be one of Zimbabwe’s greatest cricketers.

A delayed plunge into the game has not curbed Raza’s enthusiasm to be one of Zimbabwe’s greatest cricketers.

While the international ban has boosted domestic football, some still fear for the Zimbabwean game’s longer-term future.

Africa has 54 FIFA-affiliated nations, but only five spots. Europe, with 55 members, gets 13.

As Zimbabwe continues to remain suspended, young players wonder about the future of the sport and their careers.

Poor infrastructure, absence of club cricket, lack of funding and corruption allegations have all affected the sport.

Du Plessis was born blind. He lost his father, his biggest fan, last year and is now losing his hearing.
![Du Plessis was born in Harare and enjoyed a comfortable upbringing, spending the early years of his childhood in his home town of Kadoma [Bethule Nkiwane/Al Jazeera]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Dean4.jpg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
Authorities consider mass killing of mammoth mammals to reduce growing numbers, but conservationists warn of risks.
![Authorities estimate more than 100,000 elephants live within Zimbabwe's boundaries [File: Philimon Bulawayo/Reuters]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2014-10-15T120000Z_112016246_GM1EAAG01R501_RTRMADP_3_ZIMBABWE-ANIMALS.jpg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
Bringing together people once tragically divided by ethnicity is Rwandese cricket’s way of burying a very ugly past.
![Cricket was first played in Rwanda around 1999 by a group of students from the former National University of Rwanda at Butare, according to officials [Rwanda Cricket Association]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Rwanda-Cric7.jpg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
The unsanctioned, illegal matches provide much-needed cash after the cancellation of the regular season due to COVID.
![These players put themselves at risk of career-threatening injuries given the substandard pitches they play these matches on [Al Jazeera]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Players-fans-5.jpg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
Tributes pour in for the first black South African to win a world boxing title who died at a Johannesburg hospital.
![SANTOS LACIAR (ARGENTINA - White shorts) DEFEATS PETER MATHEBULA (SOUTH AFRICA - Black shorts) TO WIN W.B.A. FLYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP. {Screengrab/Reuters]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/363dcfff51d64ba0bf8d969366afa444_18.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)