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Steve Mangongo

Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE Cricket is set to approach the International Cricket Council to ask for a special waiver for the deadline of submission of their squad for the Twenty20 World Cup in Bangladesh next month. The technical team wants more time to look at players following the cancellation of the domestic T20 tournament this week.

The teams taking part at the tournament have been given until this weekend to send their squad lists and Zimbabwe find themselves in a difficult situation as preparations have been frozen following a strike by the players.

Players representative, Eliah Zvimba, told ZBC last night that a deal was now in sight and the players could be paid either today or tomorrow.

The technical team, led by Andy Waller, was hoping to use this week’s T20 tournament to take a closer look at the players.
But the games failed to take off after players insisted that they get their payments from the board first.

Assistant coach Steve Mangongo revealed yesterday that they were making contingent plans and have proposed to the board to get an extension from ICC by at least one week.

“The ICC have a deadline and by the 15th we should have had our squad ready but in this case it seems it’s not possible,” said Mangongo.
“So, as the technical team, we have recommended to ZC that they seek an extension from ICC. The operations department is probably working on that.

“We had hoped to make use of the little time we had but this situation is not of anyone’s making.”
The technical team has proposed the formation of three composite teams with players drawn from all the five franchises basing on statistics from the previous season.

These teams will play T20 cricket for the whole of next week and they hope to come up with a final squad by next Friday.
There are 31 days left before the tournament begins in Bangladesh.

Mangongo said they have assigned the players individual training programmes to keep their technical and physical aspects on course.
“It’s unfortunate that the games failed to take place but we have put measures in place to make sure that the players remain focused on preparing for the World Cup.

“As I said before, we are dealing with mature individuals who understand what lies ahead of them.
“They know that there are standards that they are supposed to meet when we resume and as technical staff we are working behind the scenes to make sure that things don’t fall apart,” said Mangongo.

The T20 tournament was supposed to begin on Monday but the players refused to take to the field to force ZC to pay their outstanding salaries and match fees.

However, ZC is still waiting for the financial support from the ICC to pay off the debts and have promised to deposit the funds into the players’ accounts this week.

ZC communications manager, Lovemore Banda, said it was regrettable that the players decided to go ahead with the strike despite the assurances from the ICC.

“ZC managing director Wilfred Mukondiwa met the players’ representative Eliah Zvimba at the weekend and advised him that the ICC is finalising the paperwork for the payment.

“Zvimba then took part in a teleconference with the ICC Chief Finance Officer and the ZC managing director.
“The ICC official assured the players’ representative that the world cricket governing body would, early this week, honour its promise to send the money.

“Regrettably, the players refused to take to the field for the resumption of the domestic season, which was to start with a Twenty20 tournament that is also part of Zimbabwe’s preparations for the ICC World Twenty20 tournament, which will be in Bangladesh starting next month.

“The players said they will only play when they have been paid,” said Banda.