Board refuses permissions

Players blocked from leaving Zimbabwe

Steven Price in Harare

April 20, 2008

Zimbabwe Cricket faces another tricky player situation with some contracted players reportedly opting to play league cricket overseas instead of the Logan Cup.

Fears for an impasse arose after the players were reported to have been denied permission by managing director Ozias Bvute and team manager Givemore Makoni to be excused from the competition. On being receiving the news, they then applied for leave, which also was turned down.

Some players are said to have played in the last leg of the Standard Bank Pro20 in South Africa under protest as they were already supposed to be at clubs in the UK where the season started last week. Their unease was compounded by the board allowing Tatenda Taibu to miss the whole of the Logan Cup to play in the Indian Premier League, even missing the last matches in South Africa's Standard Bank Pro20.

"The guys do not want to do anything that jeopardises their contracts with ZC," on of those affected said. "But ZC must realise that the guys will not gain anything from playing in the Logan Cup. Club cricket in England is far better than our first-class game. Surely other upcoming players should be happy to get the opportunity to play in the Logan Cup. Perhaps ZC fear for the standards ... we do not have a large player base."

Last year Bvute banned players from going to Europe for the summer season, on that occasion holding back payments owed from the World Cup as an incentive for them to remain in Zimbabwe. Nevertheless. Brendan Taylor ignored the ban and moved north, although he was drafted straight back into the national side on his return.

Steven Price is a freelance journalist based in Harare

© Cricinfo

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