Castle Corner paints Kotla red: Zimbabwe's boisterous fans bring Arun Jaitley Stadium to life

NEW DELHI: The first tier of Gate 15 of the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi had a different vibe on Sunday. On the field, Zimbabwe were bidding to salvage some pride against the semi-final-bound South Africa in their last 2026 T20 World Cup match. Zimbabwe had every reason to be proud of their tournament even though they conceded 510 runs in the two Super Eight matches against West Indies and India.

In the aftermath of such brutal assaults, the stunning wins against Australia and Sri Lanka in the group stage felt like a distant memory. Yet, for the fans in red occupying the corner of the first row, it mattered little. The famed 'Castle Corner' cheered every Sikandar Raza boundary, every stray run in between and rose in unison with every appeal and every wicket. Even though it was bright and warm, this pack of six and the college students from the capital who joined them kept singing and dancing.



The 'Castle Corner' comes from their place at the iconic Harare Sports Club, where they have historically orchestrated many noisy days - just what Sri Lanka and later India witnessed in the past couple of weeks.

The six fans - Malvin Kwaramba, Brian Hwenjer, Godwin Mamhiyo, Leonah Tanikwa, Abel Mataranyika and Ben Gotora - had started making plans a year in advance and pooled their savings for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Social media and local Embassies helped get the word out, and more fans started to trickle in, such as those from Uganda and Kenya in Delhi.

"Last year, a group of us just came together and we decided, 'look, it's not every time that you get to watch a World Cup in Asia.' I mean Asia is the home of cricket. You talk Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India... they love cricket. So we wanted to experience this, we wanted to be here," explained Godwin, who is an accountant back home.

"So we came together as a group and put money together and managed to go to Colombo. Our money was enough for Colombo for the group stages," he continued.

As they were bracing for the flight back home from Colombo, a private entity contacted them to extend their stay in the subcontinent. They took care of their flights from Sri Lanka to India and the hotels in Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi.

With that, the foot-tapping songs reached India and the capital on Sunday. Even though the songs are in Shona and Ndebele, the two major dialects, references to the current squad members make them easier for everyone to follow.

"Most of the songs are derived from things that we sing back home. Africans in general, they like singing. That's who we are. So most of them are derived from what we do at home," said Godwin.

"And then we include the players' names. You've got Vanofambane Mweya Mutsvene ('We are moving with the Holy Spirit') which is then coupled with a player's name. We've got songs for almost every player out there. But everything comes from our culture and what we do back home," he went on.

Godwin is not new to the spectacle of a World Cup. As a youngster, his first brush with the elite tournament came back in 2003 when Zimbabwe co-hosted the ODI World Cup alongside South Africa and Kenya. The 2027 ODI World Cup will return to the region with Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia as co-hosts. What should the travelling Indian fans expect?

"You've only seen the seven of us. There's 250 people doing what we're doing back home! Every Indian person has been nice to us. They've been great. We cannot wait to welcome them into the Harare Sports Club, into the Queen's Sports Club and give them the same welcome they gave us," said Godwin with a beaming smile.

For now, Zimbabwe are assured of playing the 2027 ODI World Cup and the 2028 T20 World Cup. This comes after the lows of not qualifying for the 2019 and 2023 ODI World Cups, as well as the 2021 and 2024 T20 World Cups. A year and a half ago, Zimbabwe were playing regional qualifiers to try and book their spot in the ongoing edition.

"You talk about the peak of Zimbabwe cricket. I think this team here is following in those footsteps. If you look at the likes of (Brian) Bennett, the Marumanis (Tadiwanashe Marumani), Muzarabanis (Blessing Muzarabani), they've still got years to go. They're still learning the game. And I believe they will reach good heights," said a hopeful Godwin.

Raza pays tribute to Castle Corner

In the end, on the pitch, Zimbabwe's effort was for naught as South Africa crossed the finish line without much drama. Shortly after the winning runs were hit, Zimbabwe acknowledged their faithful fans who spent a considerable amount of savings to be here. First, the playing XI and the support staff walked across in front of the Gautam Gambhir stand to thank the fans. Then, having completed his broadcast duties, Sikandar Raza did the same but as a leader of the side.

He thanked the small-but-loud group of supporters that any team would be proud to call their own. In the post-match press conference, Raza shed light on their personal connection with the bunch.

"We have a personal relationship with the Castle Corner fans," Raza said. "We know each member by name. We know their families, their kids, and everything. They are not just fans for us, they are pretty much part of our family. I want to say to them, 'You're the champions of Zimbabwe for the support you guys have shown us, and the respect.'"


For the 'Castle Corner,' the next stop in being the Zimbabwean cricket team's 12th man is the tri-series in Namibia in August, which also features South Africa. It will present another opportunity for Zimbabwe to beat the Proteas for the first time in a T20I. For now, the squad and its fans can return home with their head held high.


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