Players from the Mountaineers and some of the Mashonaland Eagles side did not take the field on Sunday for their Pro50 match in Mutare, further plunging Zimbabwe cricket into embarrassment over its finances. A week ago a boycott was threatened if unpaid salaries were not paid before 15 December.
Zimbabwe cricket crest (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The players’ deadline for Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) to put monies into their account has been extended to Monday with an ultimatum that no fixtures will be fulfilled unless obligations were honoured.
Players had told Zimbabwe media that they had been given assurances that monies would be forthcoming when the bail-out funds being paid to ZC by the International Cricket Council (ICC) arrived, but ZC have reportedly said they need at least a month to resolve the matter.
The Eagles were eventually awarded the match because a depleted side arrived at the ground when the Mountaineers did not. Some senior players did not participate in the Pro50 match between Southern Rocks and Mid West Rhinos in Kwekwe
Players on national contracts are understood not to have received payments for the last four months, while players on domestic contracts had had payments delayed by two months.
Zimbabwe Cricket had requested a loan of US$3 million from the ICC, but the governing body may request to audit ZC’s funds.
It is becoming a recurring theme of cricket in Zimbabwe after previous players’ strikes and a delay to the start of the domestic schedule because of financial problems and a lack of sponsors.
James Buttler
As the editor of World Cricket Badger he is intent on building the website to give quality coverage of the domestic game around the world.
He is also the presenter of the Cricket Badger Radio Show on Radio Yorkshire every Tuesday evening between 7-9pm UK time.
James was the full-time Media Manager at Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 2007 and 2010.
James is a published author, a writer/video contributor to many cricket publications and a complete cricket badger!
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