Cricbuzz
By Tristan Holme & Brian Goredema
10th April 2018
Two weeks of turbulence in Zimbabwe cricket will reach a critical juncture on Wednesday (April 11) when the country’s sports minister meets with representatives from the Zimbabwe Cricket board as well as a group calling for the board to resign. Among those who will be monitoring the reaction of sports minister Kazembe Kazembe to those meetings is the ICC, whose relationship with ZC has reached a crucial stage.
ZC has come under sustained pressure from several quarters since the board decided to sack national coach Heath Streak, his entire technical staff, selector Tatenda Taibu and captain Graeme Cremer in the wake of the team’s failure to qualify for the 2019 World Cup. The decision was made at an impromptu board meeting on March 25 that, Cricbuzz understands, had no formal agenda, and was arrived at without any consultation with the players or affected coaching staff.
The clearout has thrown Zimbabwe cricket into disarray, not least because the manner in which it was carried out was unlawful. The coaches were given a deadline by which to resign or face the axe. Many of them opted to resign – in part because it was made clear that they could re-apply for the vacant positions – but three coaches who refused to do so took up legal action. Streak, batting coach Lance Klusener and strength and conditioning coach Sean Bell challenged ZC, leading to the farcical situation where they were rehired and then fired again on the same day.
On Monday, in correspondence seen by Cricbuzz, ZC’s lawyers wrote to the trio’s legal representative: “After extensive consultations with our client on the position of the law, our client has resolved to unreservedly retract all and any communications leading up to the ultimatum to resign and the subsequent dismissals against your clients. Kindly note that our client will shortly advise your clients of the way forward.”
The coaches’ contracts were subsequently terminated with three months’ notice – in accordance with Zimbabwean labour law. ZC is expected to advertise the vacant positions within the next week but has suffered extensive reputational damage, which was made worse by ZC chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani intimating in an interview that Streak had made selection decisions based on race. Streak, who is currently in India working as the bowling coach for the Kolkata Knight Riders, hit back with a video riposte that went viral. Speaking in Ndebele, one of Zimbabwe’s native tongues, he labeled attempts to brand him a racist as “preposterous and laughable”.
Streak’s standing with Zimbabwe followers has become clear since his sacking was made public, with the vast majority of social media posts condemning his treatment by ZC. That groundswell of support led to the creation of a group calling themselves the Zimbabwe Cricket Family, whose cause has been taken up by politicians from both sides of the spectrum. Last week, in a lengthy statement that spelt out the various failings of ZC’s board, former sports minister and opposition politician David Coltart called on the Sports and Recreation Commission to suspend the ZC board under section 30 of the SRC Act for “conducting itself in a manner that is contrary to the national interest”.
The call was backed up at a press conference given by the Zimbabwe Cricket Family on Friday, which was fronted by long-time development coach Lazarus Zizhou. The group claim to have assembled several dozen individuals from across the racial divide who have played a key role in cricket structures over the past two decades, including a handful of former Zimbabwe players. Zizhou was flanked by Temba Mliswa, a firebrand politician who sits on the parliamentary portfolio on sports. “Failure to resign by the ZC board within seven days we are going to create parallel structures,” Mliswa said on behalf of the group. “We are giving them seven days to resign, after which they will be playing cricket on their own and watching cricket on their own. We shall call upon all the people of Zimbabwe to boycott their matches until they are gone.”
All of the dissenting voices have raised the lack of cricket experience on the ZC board as a key problem. But Mliswa’s involvement confirmed the politicisation of the issue within Zimbabwe. Not only does this bring into question which way Kazembe Kazembe might lean after Wednesday’s meetings, but also how the ICC might react to political interference.
This is especially important given the sensitive negotiations over a financial assistance package, which has moved closer to reality in recent months. It is understood that an ICC decision on a potential bailout is possible as soon as their next conference, which takes place in Kolkata in two weeks’ time. But any decision by the sports minister to remove the ZC board would scupper that process, with the government interference potentially leading to questions over Zimbabwe’s status as a full member.
Away from the politics, ZC confirmed on Tuesday that the domestic season would resume next week after a four-month delay. The pause was a result of the need to upgrade grounds ahead of the World Cup qualifiers, but also ZC’s parlous financial state. It was thought that the remaining three rounds of the Logan Cup and much of the Pro50 would not be completed, but ZC confirmed that the first-class competition will now resume on April 19. It will be concluded on May 15, while the remainder of the Pro 50 tournament will run from May 17 to June 2.
Provincial contracts will be extended by a month due to the extension of the season, and ZC’s head of cricket affairs told a press conference in Harare that outstanding salaries should be paid “in the next few days”. Players were paid 40% of their salaries for February, and although the balance was settled at the end of March, their salaries for March are still outstanding.