Clear dues or won’t play vs Australia, Pakistan: Zimbabwe cricketers to Board

A few Zimbabwe cricket team players have over $60000 pending with the Board

cricket Updated: May 11, 2018 14:31 IST

Representative image (File) -- Gerald Mlotshwa, the lawyer who has been helping the Zimbabwe cricket players with their movement, has written to both Zimbabwe Cricket and the International Cricket Council (ICC) seeking a clarification from the national board association to declare by May 16 on when the dues would be cleared. (Getty Images)

Zimbabwe cricket players have threatened to put the upcoming series against Australia and Pakistan in jeopardy if the board doesn’t take a stand and clarify if and when would they clear the dues of the players, who have now not been paid for months.

Zimbabwe Cricket are one of the poorest among ICC Test playing nations and issues regarding financial constraints have been a problem for a very long time. However, this is the first instance of the players coming together as a union and going against the board over their pending salaries, bonuses and so on.

Gerald Mlotshwa, the lawyer who has been helping the players with their movement, has written to both Zimbabwe Cricket and the International Cricket Council seeking a clarification from the national board association to declare by May 16 on when the dues would be cleared. A few cricketers haven’t been paid since the Sri Lanka tour of 2017 and has more than $60,000 pending with the board.

“There has been no lawful explanation, or justification, whatsoever as to why these amounts are outstanding, and more importantly, when exactly the said amounts, many months in arrears, will be paid,” Cricbuzz quoted from the letter. “The stance adopted by ZC is unprofessional, unconscionable and indicative of serious underlying governance and financial management shortcomings impacting on the solvency and going-concern status of Zimbabwe Cricket.

“Each of our clients demand written undertaking, on or before 12 noon, Wednesday 16th May 2018, from Zimbabwe Cricket as to precisely when all amounts due and payable to them shall be paid in full. Failure to do so will, apart from our clients pursuing such legal remedies as may be available to them, place into serious jeopardy the upcoming Triangular Series in July 2018.”

A couple of weeks back, Zimbabwe Cricket had urged the ICC for an advance disbursement of funds but to no avail.

The matter escalated as the government has now got involved with sports minister Kazembe Kazembe stating: “We would want to find out how that debt came about and why ZC finds itself in this situation, obviously with a view to finding lasting solutions. We are perturbed as the government and we have tasked the SRC to institute a commission of inquiry and also to ensure that there is a forensic audit carried out in the interest of the nation,” to ZBC.