adminZIMBABWE Cricket yesterday suspended the domestic competition, after players didn’t take to the field for their Logan Cup matches, because of a contractual dispute.
But the Zimbabwe Professional Cricket Association said they were urging the players to return to the field, opening a window of hope that the impasse would be short-lived, while they engage ZC authorities in negotiations.
Interestingly, the Pro50 matches, which signalled the start of the domestic season, went underway without incident on Sunday.
Sources within the players say that they received a series of text messages in the morning yesterday advising them not to take to the field for their Logan Cup commitments.
MidWest Rhinos chief executive, Kenyon Ziehl, said this was another sad chapter as he believes that the game should continue while negotiations are being held.
“I am very disappointed, I just think that cricket must be played and any issues can be resolved when the players are playing,” said Ziehl.
“I don’t think that stopping play is the right way to go.”
“We’ve been through this before and the game has suffered. On an administrative side there is effort, time and money spent in preparations in the pre-season and costs attached to running each game every day.”
Interestingly, some players travelled, as far as Bulawayo, for a Logan Cup fixture only to decide, on the morning of the first day of the matches, not to play.
Umpires went to the field but there were no players to get the games underway.
ZC released a statement yesterday saying that the domestic season was being suspended, until players committed themselves to playing the game, in the wake of the boycott of the Logan Cup matches yesterday.
“The 2014-15 domestic season began on Sunday. Two Pro50 matches were played — Mashonaland Eagles hosting Mid-West Rhinos at Old Hararians Sports Club and Matabeleland Tuskers hosting Mountaineers at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo,” ZC said in their statement.
“On Monday, the Zimbabwe Professional Cricketers Association (ZPCA) wrote to Zimbabwe Cricket listing what it called ‘grey areas’ that needed to be addressed.
“Among the matters were contractual issues and the memorandum of understanding between ZC and the ZPCA.
“ZC proposed a meeting on Thursday to continue with discussions but the ZPCA chief executive officer Eliah Zvimba said he would only be available on Friday afternoon. “Against that background of continuing talks with the ZPCA, it came as a surprise to ZC that when umpires went on to the field for the first day of Logan Cup matches at the two venues, the players refused to come out, citing the same contractual issues which were contained in the e-mail from their association and which will be discussed at the meeting scheduled for Friday.
“The boycott by the players has left ZC with no option but to suspend domestic matches until the players make themselves available.”
Zimbabwe’s franchise players are unhappy with the earn-as-you-play deals, in a situation where 10 players are contracted per franchise, and want every team to have a full-squad of contracted players. — Sports Reporter/Sports Correspondent/Cricinfo
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