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Grace Chingoma Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE international Khama Billiat has bounced back into the Warriors squad for the international friendly against Tanzania after consultations between national team coach Callisto Pasuwa and his Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane.Pasuwa last week indicated he would give the forward another rest but, after consulting Mosimane, fears that Billiat could be weighed down by fatigue, on the back of a busy programme which has seen him playing competitive football non-stop for the last 15 months, were dismissed.
The Warriors coach then had a change of heart and included crowd favourite Billiat in the 23-man squad for the international friendly against Tanzania at the National Sports Stadium on Sunday.
Sundowns recently lifted the Champions League Cup and will take some time off from their league schedule early next month to represent the continent in the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan.
The Pretoria side has been playing catch up in the Absa Premiership and over the weekend were eliminated in the quarter-finals of Telkom Cup.
Mosimane told Kick-Off he believes his players were already pre-occupied with the Club World Cup.
“Somewhere and somehow when you want to make an excuse, it’s better we opt out of the Cup,” he said.
“Let’s catch up on the six games we are behind on the log and move on. It’s good for the league that we are out so that we play and catch up.
“Let’s be honest also — they (the players) are thinking about playing the World Cup. It’s big. You can’t have your cake.”
The return of Billiat will be sweet news for the local fans looking to see the exciting winger in action in what will be a triumphant home-coming for him after he conquered the continent.
Pasuwa has also drafted Sweden-based Philana Tinotenda Kadewere and AS Vita utility player Oscar Machapa into the team as exclusively revealed by The Herald.
Another new entry in the Warriors squad is Highlanders defender Tendai Ndlovu. The 27-year-old was in the home-based side which beat Zambia last weekend and the coach has decided to give the former Bulawayo City man a second bite of the cherry in the squad dominated by foreign-based players.
The former Dynamos mentor has also extended an invitation to former Highlanders utility player Bruce Kangwa who is now playing for Tanzanian side Azam.
Kangwa was at the CHAN finals in Rwanda early this year with the home-based players before securing a deal to the East African country a few months later.
The coach is casting his net wider as the Nations Cup approaches he is looking to have the England-based pair of Macauley Bonne and Tendayi Darikwa in future assignments after they sort out their identification documents, a process which has already started.
The duo currently hold British passports. The Warriors are expected to start training tomorrow.
The cheapest tickets will cost $3 for the rest of the ground with bays 15 to 18 going for $5 while fans wishing to sit in the VIP will have to part with $10.
Warriors Squad
Goalkeepers: Donovan Bernard (How Mine), Tatenda Mukuruva (Dynamos), Nelson Chadya (Ngezi Platinum).
Defenders: Onismor Bhasera (Supersport United), Hardlife Zvirekwi (CAPS United), Bruce Kangwa (Azam FC), Lawrence Mhlanga (Chicken Inn), Teenage Hadebe (Chicken Inn), Tendai Ndlovu (Highlanders), Oscar Machapa (AS Vita Club).
Midfielders: Willard Katsande (Kaizer Chiefs), Marvelous Nakamba (Vitesse Arnhem), Marshall Mudehwe (FC Platinum), Tafadzwa Raphael Kutinyu (Chicken Inn), Danny Phiri (Golden Arrows), Kudakwashe Mahachi (Golden Arrows), Khama Billiat (Mamelodi Sundowns).
Strikers: Knowledge Musona (KV Oostende), Mathew Rusike (Helsingborgs IF), Tendai Ndoro (Orlando Pirates), Cuthbert Malajila (Bidvest Wits), Philana Kadewere (Djurgardens IF), Nyasha Mushekwi (Dalian Yifang).
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