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Ricky Zililo Sports Reporter
THE Twenty20 tournament expected to run from February 4-9 in Harare will mark the resumption of the domestic cricket league.
Financial problems bedeviling Zimbabwe Cricket led to a standstill with players refusing to play the sport after spending the festive holidays without getting their salaries and outstanding allowances.
The players even declined to attend training sessions with some franchises resuming to “voluntary training sessions.”
Matabeleland Tuskers chief executive officer Stan Staddon told Chronicle Sport yesterday morning that they are waiting for ZC to communicate with them on the dates for the Twenty20 competition.
“It seems there is a glimmer of hope as we have been advised that the league will resume with a Twenty20 tournament in Harare. This is good for the cricketers because some have been training on their own during this trying period and are eager to get into the field.
“There are no dates yet but according to the calendar the Twenty20 competition is supposed to start on February 4 and end on February 9. However, we are waiting for ZC to inform us on the actual dates,” said Staddon.
ZC is hard-pressed to have the Twenty20 competition because it is after this tournament that they are going to come up with their final 15 players to represent the country at the fifth edition of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup, which will be held in Bangladesh from March 16 to April 6.
ZC selectors retained most of the players that have been regulars in the national team, including captain Brendan Taylor who is among the players who downed tools in the domestic league over outstanding salaries expected to lead the team to Asia.
Other senior players that were shortlisted in the provisional squad include Chamunorwa Chibhabha, Elton Chigumbura, Matabeleland Tuskers’ Charles Coventry who has been playing club cricket outside the country and seamer Brian Vitori are in the 30-man group.
Hard-hitter Hamilton Masakadza, Matabeleland Tuskers captain Sean Williams, top order batsman Vusumuzi Sibanda and spin bowler Prosper Utseya are in the list provided by ZC.
Matabeleland Tuskers’ pace bowler Tawanda Mupariwa has bounced back into the national team set up and is one of the many players who are targeting the domestic Twenty20 tournament as a platform to impress selectors.
Speaking from his Harare base yesterday, ZC media and communications manager Lovemore Banda said they were waiting for the ZC leadership to return from Dubai last night before announcing the dates of the domestic competition.
“It is true that the Twenty20 competition will mark the resumption of the league and we should be having the tournament’s dates on Monday. ZC still has to speak to the players’ representatives and franchises about the developments.
“There is no way that we cannot hold this tournament because we have to come up with the final team that will travel for the March ICC Twenty20 World Cup in Bangladesh,” Banda said.
Online Reporter