adminRicky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
THE International Cricket Council has released an undisclosed sum of money as a loan to the cash-strapped Zimbabwe Cricket but players remain adamant that they will only take to the field after the money is deposited into their personal accounts.
ZC and players have been involved in a salary stand off since last December, with cricketers refusing to train or play until the financially crippled ZC pays their outstanding salaries.
Players in the national team are owed six months salaries with those attached to franchises having gone for three months without pay.
The ZC leadership had in a meeting held on January 31 promised to clear the backlog by Monday, February 10, on the day when league action was supposed to resume with the domestic Twenty20 competition in Harare.
The tournament which was supposed to be used as part of Zimbabwe’s preparations for the fifth edition of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup which will be held in Bangladesh from March 16 to April 6, was cancelled as players had still not received their dues.
In an interview yesterday, players’ representative Eliah Zvimba confirmed that the ICC loan was now in the ZC accounts but said cricketers would only resume duty once they are paid.
“Cricketers are back doing personal training at their different bases waiting for the money to reflect in their accounts. ZC received the money from ICC yesterday (Tuesday) but the constituency that I represent has resolved that players can only resume play once the money reflects in their accounts.
“I have been told that due to some logistics challenges in transferring funds from ZC accounts to the players, cricketers might get their monies in a day or two, the latest being Saturday. Once everyone is paid, including franchise cricketers, then competitions will resume,” he said.
Zvimba is a practicing umpire and former managing director of Zimbabwe Indoor Cricket. He is a renowned labour practitioner who will advise and guide the players on their labour-related issues taking advantage of his cricket background.
ZC media and communications manager Lovemore Banda confirmed that ICC had released the money to ZC and said they would map the way forward once cricketers are paid.
“As we said in our statement on Monday, Zvimba took part in a teleconference with the ICC chief finance officer and the ZC managing director. The ICC official assured the players’ representative that the world cricket governing body would pay early this week and ICC has honoured its promise to send the money. Regrettably, the players refused to take to the field to resume the domestic season, which was supposed to start with a Twenty20 tournament that is also part of Zimbabwe’s preparations for the ICC World Twenty20 tournament, which will be in Bangladesh starting next month. The players said they will only play when they have been paid.
Online Reporter