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rested yesterday, but were boosted by the arrival of Katsande who marks his return to the senior team following a Zifa suspension.
Katsande had been suspended together with more than 90 players for their alleged involvement in the Asiagate scam.
The former Highway and Gunners midfielder was cleared by the Justice Ebrahim Asiagate Independent Ethics committee together with other 29 players.
That list also included Ajax Cape Town hotshot Khama Billiat who is expected today and French-based midfielder Ovidy Karuru who should be joining tomorrow.
Katsande was one of the absentees when the Warriors reported for camp last Thursday. The Warriors might not have been involved in any high-profile international friendly over the weekend, but Rahman Gumbo’s men managed to get a run when they featured in a testimonial match for their former captain Benjani Mwaruwari.
The senior team beat the Friends of Benjani — a galaxy of international stars — 7-4 in the match where Gumbo also took the opportunity to have his first glance at newboys Bradley Pritchard and Hwange’s Francisco Zikumbawire.
Charlton Athletic midfielder Pritchard came in for talismanic striker Knowledge Musona while Zikumbawire later replaced Takesure Chinyama.
Former Nigerian skipper Nwanko Kanu led the Friends of Benjani whose line up also included legendary former Bafana Bafana skipper Lucas Radebe, big Nigerian and Blackburn Rovers forward Yakubu Aiyegbeni, former Germany international Kevin Pezzoni and Christopher Samba.
But it was Senegalese striker El Hadji Diouf who turned out to be a favourite with the fans because of his sublime skills giving Warriors right-back Tapiwa Kumbuyani a torrid time.
Diouf even captured the imagination of the crowd when he celebrated his goal by doing the popular “Zora Butter” dance and was joined by the comical Tapuwa Kapini.
Former Warriors captains Peter Ndlovu and Norman Mapeza also turned out for Friends of Benjani who had another South African legend Jomo Sono as coach.
Team manager Nyika Chifamba said the Warriors will step up their act this morning.
“Now we have had Willard Katsande joining camp today (yesterday) and we looking forward to having Ovidy Karuru coming tomorrow.
“The players did not train today, but we will resume on Monday morning,” said Chifamba.
Chifamba was also hopeful that the bulk of the players would be able to work out after no serious injuries were recorded after the Benjani Testimonial match.
“So far we have not received any reports of an injury scare and I hope everyone will train tomorrow (today),” Chifamba said.
While Zimbabwe were using the Benjani testimonial as a platform for assessment, their opponents Guinea played Cameroon in France.
The Warriors have a busy three week period in which they play Guinea at home and travel to Mozambique on June 10 for the World Cup qualifier before hosting Burundi in a 2013 African Cup of Nations first round, second leg qualifier.
Most teams on the continent will be active in June and it is against this background that friendly dominated the scene over the weekend.
According to reports from France former World Cup soccer quarter-finalists Cameroon and Senegal achieved morale-boosting friendly victories this weekend ahead of 2014 qualifiers.
An early goal from newcomer Moussa Konate earned the Senegalese Teranga Lions a 1-0 win over Morocco in Marrakech while an Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting brace gave Cameroon a 2-1 victory against Guinea near French city Metz.
Algeria triumphed 3-0 at home to Niger, Sierra Leone suffered a 4-0 drubbing in Jordan, Burkina Faso and Benin drew 2-2 and the clashes between Mozambique and Namibia in Germany and Tanzania and Malawi in Dar es Salaam ended goalless.
The second phase of World Cup qualifying in Africa kicks off on June 1 with another round a week later followed by 2013 African Cup of Nations eliminators in mid-June.
Cameroon are among the countries facing games on three consecutive weekends with World Cup clashes against the Democratic Republic of Congo and Libya preceding a Cup of Nations engagement with Guinea-Bissau.
The Indomitable Lions in 1990 became the first African team to reach the World Cup quarter-finals and the Roger Milla-inspired team took England to extra time before bowing out.
But the national team has slipped considerably lying 13th on the Africa rankings while star striker Samuel Eto’o is barred until September after masterminding the bonus-related boycott of a friendly in Algeria last year.
Germany-based Choupo-Moting put the Lions ahead after 10 minutes in Amanvilliers and scored the decisive goal from the spot before half-time after Sadio Diallo equalised.
Recently appointed French coach Denis Lavagne can draw comfort from the result after Cameroon flopped at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and failed to qualify for the African Cup of Nations in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea this year.
Senegal did make the African tournament last January only to suffer three defeats, coach Amara Traore was axed and replacement Pierre Lechantre made a U-turn when his demand for six months’ salary in advance was rejected.
Local Joseph Koto was appointed caretaker coach and did his chances of securing the post permanently no harm with a win in Morocco via an 11th-minute strike from Israel-based Konate.
Burkina Faso and Benin produced plenty of excitement in Ouagadougou with Stallion Prejuce Nacoulma opening and closing the scoring while David Djigla and Michael Pote were on target for the Beninoise Squirrels.
A William Ngonou own goal on 34 minutes set shock 2012 Cup of Nations qualifiers Niger on the road to defeat in Blida where Rafik Djebbour and Hilal Soudani netted for dominant Algeria.
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